The Runaway Pergrandian

"Ugh, so hungry..." It had been a peaceful day like any other on the road to Hosenka, a long figure wandering down the steep ravine leading to the guild would be sluggish in their descent. The lone girl was fairly young to be traveling alone, clutching onto a lengthy walking stick that had been picked up ages ago. She wandered down and down, panting as she stopped to catch her breath and looked over the massive guild hall sprawling across the ways. "Ha...Al-most there. Just a little more." A dirt caked sleeve, damaged and frayed, would rise to wipe the sweat form her head. It had been a long and torturous journey, but she was finally here. Thoughts returned to the jeers of her family casting her off to die. "You'll die in the wilderness before you reach anywhere with people. What good is an exiled noble to the world?" The woman would adjust her heavy backpack, slung across her shoulder while the girl would continue on the road after a brief moment of rest. Her heart was leaping ahead of her current physical ability, as she'd continue down the road at a slow pace. A growl came from her body, feeling the hunger pains set in once more while she forced herself forward. Fingers gently held her stomach while trying to steady her climb down the path towards her goal. A sandwich or something would be delicious right about now, her food rations having been exhausted long ago. The girl stopped as she'd stand motionless for a moment, just looking at the guild. She pushed and pushed but her body would refused to comply. "I'm so close. Just come on..." she whispered to herself, the view spinning around her head as she clutched it to steady herself. Idly feet became moving again, slow and deliberate now. Every step felt as if she were underwater, currents forcing her feet against the ground. Her grip on the stick slipped as she'd hit the ground hard. The last remaining winds knocked out of her, she'd exhale and look up at the sky as it grew fuzzier and fuzzier. Stupid bandits stealing all my food. I can barely cast spells by myself. she thought to herself, with an exhausted look on her face. Her hand would raise itself, looking to the bracelet dangling on her wrist while wincing in pain. What would the spirits think about her? She had found them during her escape from Pergrande, locked deep away in her family's coffers, and they wanted to see the world. Like this, she was going to die penniless and alone. A part of her just wanted everything to end. To go home and beg for her forgiveness. To be back in a house with a bed and not a bench. To eat until her belly was ful and to figure out what came next. Maybe if I just close my eyes...I'll be home again. The girl would feel her arm hit the ground once more before her world would fade into black, head pounding while her entire body felt sore and numb at the same time.

"Deliveryman!" The doors to the guild were shoved open, a merchant entering with his usual drop off of supplies for the guild. He was an older gentlemen, dressed in the uniform of the supplier that the Luminous Rose had done business with to keep the guild freshly staffed and stocked up on any item they may need. Yet in his arms would by a fairly young lass, unconscious in his arms while he'd make his way inside with a stoic and rather unamused expression. He'd clear his throat and would walk carefully into the guild with the girl in his arms. "Pardon the interruption," he said in a sophisticated and rather hurried tone. "But on my route here, I found a woman unconscious by the side of the road. No food or water, knapsack full of books and a walking stick." The girl in his hands wouldn't respond, though if anybody where to check, she was still alive. Just a weakened state of exhaustion. "Starving, extremely dehydrated and exhaustion. I've seen it before with our novices. Anywhere that I can put her so I can get on with my route?"

WC: 714

Wearing her usual casual outfit of gray long-sleeved shirt, long white pleated skirt, and brown boots, Lucia was walking through the guild hall on her way to the job board so that she could go find another job to make back the money she had spent paying her acquaintance Angela Helton for the gift of the Yahmuhhai keyboard she had received some time ago. 100,000 Jewels was a lot of money for the blonde to spend on a birthday present for herself and she was looking to make the money back as quickly as possible. She would try to find the most lucrative job that was currently on the board and take it so that she could both make some serious money and pull her weight in Luminous Rose by taking some challenging work on behalf of the guild.

Lucia was closing in on the location of the job board when she heard a male voice call out to anyone in the guild hall who was within earshot. The owner of the voice stated that during his travels he had found a young woman who was in need of help. The voice then inquired if there was anywhere that the young woman could be placed because he needed to get back to work and he could not wait around for too much longer. In the absence of any Guild Aces or the Guild Mistress herself Lucia decided to step in.

Lucia walked over to the man, who was a well-dressed older fellow holding a brown-haired young woman in his arms. True to his claim she was clearly not in the best of shape. Maybe Lucia could start helping the brunette and buy her some time until someone with medical training or other life-saving expertise came along to take over.

"I'll take care of her." Lucia stated to the man and held out her arms to carry the brunette if the latter could not walk under her own power. Hopefully the blonde was not too late to save the young woman.

[Post Word Count: 340]
[Lucia's Word Count: 340]

Dressed in her usual home wear, Nita had gone into the guild common room to just laze around, and watch people as they went their merry way around the guild. Initially when she had joined the guild, she had kept to her room, because upon arrival, the Pergrandian had been scared of interacting with too many people, as her accent was an easy giveaway of her descent, and Fiore's political standing, back then, had not been one of alliance with Pergrande. But it was rather serendipitous for the Chosen of Arcanos that she had come to Fiore at the time she did, because it was not long after that Pergrande had declared war, and Fiore had, thanks to its ties with Bellum, drawn swords against the Ironpact Covenant. If Pergrande had gone to war as at the time Nita had gained her magic, she would have probably tried Iceberg or Minstrel, or even to stay in Pergrande, though she would have had to serve as a mercenary, even though she had originally been a member of the army. It was as if Arcanos had wanted her in Fiore....

The sound of a man's voice ringing out woke the blonde Pergrandian from her slumber; it was the sound of urgency in his voice that had caught her attention, even though she had been asleep. It seemed she had dozed off on the comfortable couch she had been perched on. Looking up at the silver-haired man, the Pergrandian leaped to her feet at the sight of the unconscious form in his arms. Her fellow guild mate, Lucia, was already there, responding to them. Still, whatever additional help could be given was necessary. Quickly hurrying over to them, Nita said, "You can leave her with us; thank you for bringing her to us, and happy travels." Having said so to the man, she turned to Lucia. "Let's get her to one of the lounge couches, hon. True, it's a little less dignified than a bed, but we'll need her to regain consciousness as soon as possible, and getting her to lie down flat is the first step to doing so. And then we'll need to elevate her feet, so that blood can get back to her brain. That should be easily solved by making sure her feet rest on the couch's arm. And please help me check whether she's got any constrictive clothing. Those will have to be loosened." The freckled girl tapped her jaw momentarily in thought. "She's going to need something to stuff when she wakes up. And forgive my manners; it's nice to meet you again, Lucia dear. I'll be back shortly. Take care of her, okay?"

With that, Nita pulled out a black card and vanished, teleporting to the nearest kitchen. Securing two large bottles from the fridge, one of milk and the other of water, she placed them on a tray, along with a large bowl of an assortment of fruits, and then, carrying the tray, she teleported back to the lounge. "Has she stirred?" the freckled mage asked, drawing a table closer with her foot and setting the tray on it.


WC: 524

The delivery man would first turn to Lucia, his eyes locked onto her with a slight smile at her bravery. Very few people could step up to the plate in a time of need like this. He naturally was employed to not pick sides, but seeing this made him rather grateful that the poor soul had passed out here of all places. "Right then. Here." He carefully would hand the girl over towards Lucia before another woman would appear before them, the supplier granting the more experienced woman a nod. The girl in their possession would still be out cold, her state a bit dire but not past the brink just yet. Her head leaned against Lucia, not responding to any stimuli to force her awake.

"Oh, one last thing. Apologies, I almost forgot." He said, spinning on his heel while digging in the cart that he had carried along by several summoned creatures resembling bulls, their eyes forward and snorting around outside the door while their master retrieved a bag from their storage compartment. "When I found her outside, this was lying with her. I would hate to separate a bag from its owner." The older male said, handing the girls knapsack and belongings over. He appeared a bit hesitant to do so for whatever the reason, but refused to hold onto the belongings of another person. "I would exercise caution though. You never know what exactly will be waiting for you when she awakes. Although I doubt a girl barely out of her teens can cause much of an issue in her condition." His eyes glanced towards the other women with a nod of confidence. "I'll place her in your capable hands. Take care." With a single wave, the man would unload his cargo and leave in record time. He had a quota to hit, and worrying about a half dead woman by the road wasn't going to ease it any.

Back with the youth, she'd slump along with the two while the time passed by. After a brief trip to the lounge couches, the girl remained still as her feet were propped up on the arm. A first glance showed that she was in rough shape. Clothing showed signs of wear and tear, her body had some signs of a struggle and damage taken alongside a severe lack of rest. She had no restrictive clothing or things on thankfully, but a golden bracelet attached to her arm that hung loose, sitting on her wrist. It came encrusted with several runes and designs, although Nita might have been able to pick up on some design choices if she were to look hard enough.

If not, the girl's bag more than made up for it, possessing not only an outside design not usually found in the rest of Earthland, but bearing the seal of a noble house of Pergrande as clear as day on the front cover.

It was about a few minutes or so when Nita returned with the food that the girl would begin to stir. She went to raise her head but found that her body lacked the energy for it. The hard and messy ground outside had been replaced by the soft fabric of a couch beneath her, legs raised into the air as they came to rest on the arm of the chair. "Owww…" she exhaled, her vision a bit clouded but she was definitely not outdoors anymore. Upon seeing the ceiling of what was some interior of the building she was in, the girl would fall under the delusions she had hoped for before passing out. "Did it work? Am I back home?" She slowly moved her head to gaze at the two women looking over her, emerald eyes showing a hint of disappointment but gratitude nonetheless. She was, at the very least, safe for now. "Wh-Where am I?" she coughed, her dry and hoarse voice having felt awful at being deprived of water for so long. When able, she took the water and would drink and drink and drink. What was taken for granted for so long now was like the nectar of the gods. Once she had her fill, the girl would set the bottle down and exhale.

"Thank you for saving me. Ive been on the road for a while." She said after a while, feeling her hair fall beside her cheek. Her nation's accent was thick, almost oozing from her soft lips. "I apologize for my introduction to be like this. I was hoping it would be under more normal terms." A loud growl came from her body while she tried to push herself up again. It felt as if needles and pins had been stuck into her arms as they wobbled and dropped her back down onto the couch. "Sorry, if I had the energy, I would greet you both proper..."

WC: 813

Once Lucia accepted the responsibility of caring for the brunette events moved rapidly. The young woman was given to Lucia along with a bag the young woman had been carrying with her. The well-dressed man left with a warning to be ready for any kind of behavior when the brunette woke up. The man then left Lucia with the young woman and the bag. However, Lucia was not alone... Nita had showed up at just the right time to lend a helping hand.

"Hi Nita. Your timing's amazing because I have little idea of what to do for her other than take her somewhere and set her down. I don't know if she's hurt or what." Lucia calmly greeted the young woman while the other blonde gave some welcome advice on how to care for the brunette who had been given into Lucia's care. After the greeting Lucia went quiet and did exactly as she was told, going where she was told with the stranger held firmly in her arms. The blonde quickly carried the brunette into the lounge and carefully positioned her on one of the couches exactly as Nita had instructed. While waiting for Nita to return Lucia looked at the bag she had been given and spotted a strange emblem on it, the significance of which was unknown to the blonde.

Lucia watched over the young woman, who was slowly regaining consciousness. About that time Nita returned with food and drink for the brunette, which was another demonstration of her uncanny ability to show up at just the right time. Lucia turned to face Nita and spoke.

"It seems like she's regaining consciousness, Nita." Lucia said to the other blonde before going silent and listening to the brunette talk. One of the questions asked of the two blondes concerned her current location.

"You're in Luminous Rose Guild Hall now." Lucia calmly informed the brunette where she was. Lucia then turned to look at Nita for a moment as the brunette began to come back to life, drinking the beverages offered to her and showing other signs of improvement. Lucia was not sure what good she could have done for the stranger, but thanks to Nita's swift thinking and detailed instructions the brunette was going to be all right.

"My partner here's the one you need to thank. She told me exactly what to do to help." Lucia made sure to direct the brunette's attention to the blonde with freckles. Nita was the one who had done most of the work. As a result she deserved most of the credit.

[Post Word Count: 432]
[Lucia's Word Count: 772]

Nita was glad to hear that the fainted stranger seemed to be coming to, as she quickly pulled a lounge stool close, and sat on it crosslegged. She gave Lucia a thumbs up sign and grinned at her fellow blonde. "Great job, Lu," she whispered, just before the girl fully regained consciousness and asked where she was. In retrospect, Nita wasn't sure whether Lucia would be fine with the diminutive of her name that Nita had used. It was the blonde Pergrandian's way, to slap her own chosen names on those she was getting comfortable with, or those she was trying to offend; this applied most times when said people had names with more than two syllables. Lucia fit snugly into the first category, as anyone in the second category would quickly discover how unsavory the name Nita would pick for them was. In any case, Nita decided that if Lucia took umbrage with the pet name, she would stop. Although she saw no reason why her fellow blonde would mind the name, the Pergrandian had realized that people had rather diverse ways of thinking.

Nita remained silent as Lucia informed the brunette of their present location, not because she had nothing to say, but because her eyes had caught something. With the hurry to save someone in a critical condition, Nita had overlooked the new girl's bag and bracelet. Now she was more relaxed, she could easily see what she had missed. Also, the sound of the girl's voice was the final proof. Her accent was unmistakable. "Hmm?" Nita asked, looking up at Lucia, when the later diverted the praise of helping the newcomer at her. "Ahahahahah! Don't be silly, dear," she replied to her blue-grey eyed guild mate in a cheery tone, dismissively waving her hand. "If you weren't here, I'd have been ten times slower than I was in responding. I'm not that big, after all...." It was a lie; size mattered nothing. Even though Nita was the shortest person among the three ladies here, she was sure that carrying someone of the newcomer's weight would not be in the least stressful. Still, even though she liked compliments and praise, Nita was not so vain as to try to collect applause from those who deserved it. That Lucia was there to look after the stranger while Nita did her running around was worthy of praise. Nita then turned to the brunette, her expression of cheerfulness still on her face.

"No need for any fancy greeting. First you need to regather your energy. You'll have to go on fruits for now; eating something heavier after a long time of going without food might be disagreeable to your system. But worry not; in thirty minutes or so, I'll ensure you're stuffed and satisfied." The freckled blonde's voice took on a much gentler tone. Her own accent was similar to the girl's though one such as Nita who knew the nuances of Pergrandian intonation would be able to tell the differences, like for instance that by her accent, this girl was more likely a city girl, while Nita's was more rural. "So, what's your name, and what brings you so far from home, dear?" Nita didn't bother to ask where she was from; to her, it was obvious enough. But she wanted the girl to know that she knew her possible origins. Gently leaning forward and tapping the girl's bracelet, the blonde continued, "Pervaya smithwork or something close, right? I can tell from the graceful etchings. And the leatherwork of your bag. And that crest. I didn't focus too much on heraldry in school, but it's definitely a Pergrandian coat of arms. So you have traveled rather far to come here. But don't worry, if you're not comfortable with speaking on the matter, I shall not force you."


WC: 638
PWC: 1162

The girl's body was pretty banged up. Even while the two were busy with answering her questions, she would groan and just lie on the couch with her eyes closed. At Lucia's answer to where she was, her lips would form into a soft smile. "I did make it, huh?" she said quietly to herself. Her eyes held a brief glitter of hope while the girl reached for a nearby fruit and took a large bite. Her mouth salivated heavily at the sensation of food inside, a sliver of drool hanging down her chin. An entire apple disappeared within seconds, moving onto whatever her hands could get a hold of. With no fuel in the tank, anything tasted delicious to the girl. She'd quietly munch while watching the two before and swallowing a mouthful of crushing fruit ravenously. A part of her wondered if this was just a near death dream that they always said that people experienced. The final stretch of life before the great beyond. It was a poetic death, but she was anything but prepared to die of starvation in the wild. A thought crossed over in her mind, a reminder of what her father had told her for so long.

She had made it on her own, despite what her father had told her all those days ago.

Her eyes would begin to water, salty hot tears mixing with a heart yearning for freedom. After all the time having spent proving herself had gone to succeed. Her current health status didn't seem to matter all that much anymore. Just reveling in her small victory. The first of many acts of rebellion against her family. A part of her was worried, anxious about what the future held but for now, she would be content with just getting far enough away.

Hey! Summoner! Are you dead yet?

The sudden voice had caused her to focus back on the one thing she had overlooked. Her arm raised again, looking at the bracelet for a moment before a silent sigh escaped from her. The girl closed her eyes and focused intently on communicating with the bracelet, acting as if she was just resting her eyes to the other women. "Is everyone alright?" the girl asked to her spirits, her hand carefully holding the ornate gold bracelet by her arm. "Have we lost anybody?" A presence came to the girl's mind, with several voices letting themselves be known.

Spirits Around Illya:

She found herself back and looking at the woman responsible for the knowledge in how to make her recovery as smooth as possible. One thing of note was the similarity of accents they shared. It was a bit more hidden than hers, but the girl could pick up on some hints of a rural dialect. Questions were levied against her, the woman’s hand touching the bracelet as the younger one would back away a little with a worried expression. Even in her exhausted state, she could summon up the energy to wonder if coming here was a good idea. She didn’t know there would be another native here…Her hands went to retrieve her bag, looking away out of discomfort while she was spoken to. A corner of the CD case sticking out of the corner would be present, one of her favorites.

After the last question, she’d freeze up ’Heh, I guess we forgot about that. You never really got a name proper since the contract signing. Don’t worry, we’ll call you whatever proper!’ Elektri chimed in as she panicked. The topic of a name had always slipped her mind since she was on the road. Better things to worry about and all. Her eyes darted across the room while the Pergrandian would delay for time to think. "M-My name? It’s, uh…" Couch? No, ornate hallways? Nothing. Pink hair? Too standard. Her eyes went
To the case of the CD sticking out as her mind would jump at the first name. "I-Illya…" Shit! It was probably too recognizable! Plus, she didn’t want to share the exact name of her idol! "...ana! Illyana! M-My name is Illyana." she kicked herself, looking back at Lucia and the other woman in the process, cradling the bag in her arms. The last bits and pieces of home she had. Illyana (it would take some time to get used to that) would look down at the crest as a wave of homesickness flooded over her.

"I won’t lie. You deserve as much for saving me." she hugged the bag again, eyes coming up to Nita. "My family was like most of us. Arrogant, a hatred of magic, and they raised me on the idea. I believed like they all did. Even after the skirmish with Bellum and its allies. I was cleaning the family coffers one day when I found the bracelet. They said it was my grandmother’s and when I put it on…" she motioned towards it, dangling off of her wrist. Despite how she manipulated it, the accessory never seemed to fall off of her person. "It didn’t come off. Even if I pulled and forced it. It changed me as well. I used to be…different." Illyana looked at the two, hoping they’d be able to catch exactly what she meant by her comment.

"I felt magic for the first time and was terrified of what my family would do when they found out that our elder was a mage. S-So I left before they could discover my secret. I heard about Luminous Rose from one of the mission boards in town after hiking for days. So I walked all the way here." The girl ended her brief synopsis of her history thus far and allowed the other two some time to gather themselves. An honest, pained look in her eyes said it all.

"I’ve met so many people. Mages who helped me, even after all the stories I heard of them. I-I wanted to be one too. Maybe that way, I could become a good person and escape what I used to be…"

WC: 1,274
TWC: 2,075
@Lucia Winchester @Fraag

Once the brunette regained consciousness events went at a whirlwind pace. Nita returned some of the praise that Lucia had passed to her and the other blonde had cited Lucia as a reason for the brunette receiving timely aid. Eager to avoid a potential clash with Nita over who deserved more credit for helping the stranger, Lucia opted for a compromise.

"We'll just say that it was a team effort, Nita." Lucia offered an easy way to avoid any quarrels to her fellow blonde. That way both blondes received the recognition they deserved... not that recognition was why Lucia had acted altruistically. She did not care about recognition and had acted to save the brunette's life because it was the right thing to do. Lucia kept quiet as Nita and the brunette began to speak and she learned a lot about the brunette.

The brunette's name was Illyana and she was once a native of Pergrande until one day in her family home she came across a bracelet that completely changed the trajectory of her life.  Illyana was once a person without magic until she put on the bracelet. After that fateful change the brunette had chosen to flee her home and country to avoid the unpleasant fate meted out to any mage caught within Pergrande's borders. Lucia let the brunette talk without comment because she knew what it was like to experience a sudden upheaval in one's life. The sudden upheaval Lucia had went through was dying after ingesting poisoned wine over four years ago.

Lucia had experienced another major change when she had come back to life after lying in her sarcophagus in the Winchester family crypt for over four years. She did not know how or why she had been brought back to life, but she was not going to question it. Ever since that fateful day she had been living and learning to adapt to a new land with radically different technology and ideas.

In the course of the conversation Lucia had learned that Nita was also from Pergrande. That was a surprise to her. Then again, it did not really matter to Lucia where her guildmates came from. She kept her origins as a mage born in Bellum to herself for the time being to avoid ruining the good mood that was prevailing.

Lucia kept quiet until Illyana was finished speaking. Only then did she decide to say anything.

"You've come a long way in a short time, Illyana. You've come a long way both figuratively and literally. You're certain to be welcome in Luminous Rose." Lucia said to the brunette, trying to tell Illyana something reassuring after everything the latter had endured to get this far. Lucia hoped that it did not sound like an empty platitude. She did not want to sound like she was being patronizing to the young woman who had recently lost so much. Hopefully Illyana would not construe Lucia's remark as a backhanded compliment because that was not how the remark was intended to sound.

[Post Word Count: 506]
[Lucia's Word Count: 1,278]

@Fraag @Morgana Primrose

Nita was absolutely fine with Lucia settling for regarding their rescuing of the newcomer a team effort. It was wrong to take all the shine, especially when there were those that deserved it, and even if these others were unwilling to accept the fact that they had done a good job, it was part of the job of a friend or family member (the latter being what Nita considered all members of Luminous Rose) to make sure that those close to them got the credit they deserved. She responded to Lucia's statement with an approving grin, and then turned her attention to the new girl, tilting her head slightly at the newcomer's name. No surname was given, eliciting a slight smile. Nita was sure her surname wasn't 'Fortune', but for the life of her, she could not remember what it was, thanks to the huge memory substitutions, insertions and deletions that had occurred to her when she had acquired her magic.

Like herself, this girl had come across her magic unwittingly, and like herself, had been forced to flee from home, before she was identified as a magic user, and killed. Nita had no idea whether Illya's kin would have attempted to hide her from the consequences of being a magic user, but the blonde Pergrandian was sure that would not be the case. Pergrande's hysteric paranoia against anything magic was so strong that it often times overrode even familial ties. In Nita's case, she did not have kin that would try to protect or betray her, although she was certain without a doubt that her father, were he still alive, would have kept the secret of his daughter using magic, even on pain of death. It was because of him that Nita had made the decision to join the military, with the intention of focusing on diplomacy, so that if possible, she could contribute creating lasting peace between her nation and Bellum. It was funny how life turned out, ending up with her currently not only ending up presently aligned with Pergrande's enemies, but worse yet, even being supposedly a champion of her nation's enemy's deity. Life.

After Illya was done talking, and Lucia assured her of a place in the guild, Nita spoke softly. "To an extent, I understand your pain. I didn't have a family so to speak, but I had comrades, people who I would have sacrificed myself to save and they would do the same for me, without hesitation. But when I acquired my magic, which I used to get my unit out of a particularly hairy situation, I could see the look in their eyes. They saw me as a monster. The only reason I suspect they allowed me to flee was because they weren't sure they could try to kill me, and survive it." She paused and her eyes wandered, a look of sorrow crossing her face as she remembered the expressions of fear and hatred on the faces of her unit that day. Then the blonde Pergrandian turned to face her countrywoman with a smile. "I'm sure everyone has a story or another to tell. But the best thing to do is smile and keep moving forward. Your desire to become a better person is quite commendable, and it's a goal good enough for this guild; I'm sure the head honchos of Luminous Rose will agree with me. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Illya. Call me Nita."


WC: 575
PWC: 1737

@Morgana Primrose @Lucia Winchester

The tears continued to stroll down the girl’s cheek, her arms cradling the backpack in her hands while staring up at the two currently looking down at her from her bed on the couch. A part of her was preparing for any sort of incoming personal attacks or at the very least, some kind of word about abandoning her nation she so loved. Despite the utter hatred that Pergrande had for mages and magic as a whole, there was a culture to the land that Illyana would find her love for since she was a child. Even the woman who introduced herself as Nita would be able to recognize her difficulties.

The thoughts running through the mage's head were anything but forgiving of her decision. So when the two would welcome her with open arms, well…

Illyana couldn't fight back the tears anymore. She cried in full, tears hitting the fabric of the couch, the brim of her dress, anything it could touch. "L-Lucia…Nita…Th-Thank you…" she said, choking on the words for a couple of seconds while just sobbing into the pillow below her. "I'm sorry." she whined again, leaning back into the full comfort of the couch again. "If I hadn’t ruined your rest time, you could have been doing something else better with your time. I probably interrupted something important or something…"

Just as she’d be on the verge of apologizing again, her wrist shot up, the bracelet’s gems emitting a soft glow. A spherical, azure spirit, large enough to fit into the palm of her hand, would emerge from the bracelet and in front of the other two wearing an sympathetic, timid expression on its face. ”D-Don’t cry, Summoner! They said it’s okay. So be happy, okay?” A yellow glow came next, a hyperactive and rather mischievous yellow spirit popping into existence on top of Illyana’s head. His presence would be enough to pop the girl from her sorrowful state of mind. ”Yeah, you’re alive and ready to kick ass and learn how to restore us back to normal again.” Again, a green light came from the bracelet while a green spirit with a warm, inviting aura would fly in front of her. ”Dry your tears, child. There is no reason to cry anymore. You are among friends here.”

Illyana would cup the blue spirit in both hands, shuffling to account for the bag she still kept in her arms. "I won't. I promise…" She looked back at Lucia and Nita before sniffling. Her sleeves came to wipe her eyes before smiling a little at both Luminous Rose members. "S-Sorry, guys. These are my friends from my grandmother's bracelet." The girl motioned to the one in her hands. "Hyda." then to the yellow one sitting atop of her head. "Elektri." and finally ti the green spirit that was to her right now. "And Aery. Fyr doesn't do well with others he doesn't trust yet, but I'm Sure he would enjoy meeting you."

Once in a better mood, Illyana would slowly eat some other fruit as her stomach growled again. "So can you tell me a little about the guild? Like where it came from? What you guys do? I mean, besides using magic."


WC: 537
TWC: 2612
@Fraag @Lucia Winchester

Lucia listened patiently to Illyana and heard the brunette apologize to her and Nita for taking up their time. The blonde was about to speak when suddenly the wrist that Illyana's bracelet was on rose of its own accord and three strange little creatures popped into existence. The first of them was blue, the second was yellow, and the third was green. The creatures each had a unique facial expression, but all three of them looked like blobs with faces. Then again, a mage who owned both a talking candle sitting in a candleholder and a gray-clad robot with a yellow scarf around his neck had little room to say anything about the appearance of another person's companions.

Lucia kept quiet as Illyana introduced each creature to her and Nita and silently noted how they had appeared at different points around the brunette. The brunette informed the two blondes that there was a fourth blob creature who was not ready to be introduced yet and Lucia let it pass without comment. Lucia thought the blob creatures to be a little strange but also found them to be oddly cute, especially the blue one named "Hyda." She waved to them just to be polite, then listened to Illyana speak again.

When the questions concerning the origin and purpose of Luminous Rose came up Lucia was at a loss as to what to say to Illyana. Lucia did not know all that much about the guild she was part of, which was a shortcoming she needed to address soon. Instead of trying to cover up that fact and possibly have it come back to bite her later Lucia was going to be honest with the new arrival from the beginning.

"I don't know very much about Luminous Rose, Illyana. I'm still something of a new guild member myself. Perhaps Nita can tell you what you need to know. And if Nita can't help you then the Guild Aces or the Guild Mistress definitely can." Lucia told Illyana that while the blonde did not know very much about Luminous Rose at this point she had a good idea of who could tell the brunette everything she wanted or needed to know about the guild. Maybe one day Lucia could learn enough to tell prospective new members what they needed to know instead of passing the responsibility to someone else, but doing that might be overstepping her bounds as an ordinary guild member. Until she was told otherwise it was best to defer to Guild Aces or the Guild Mistress.

[Post Word Count: 426]
[Lucia's Word Count: 1,704]

@Fraag @Morgana Primrose

Nita watched silently with a soft smile as the girl cried tears of relief and gratitude. She shook her head with a little chuckle as Illya suggested that her arrival had probably prevented the two other Luminous Rose mages from probably doing more important things. "Well, aren't you saying the silliest of things, dear?" Nita playfully chided her, as the Pergrandian blonde waved her hands dismissively. "If anything, you saved me from a moment of embarrassment. For you see, prior to your arrival, I was somewhere over there, watering that poor couch with my spittle in idle sleep." Okay, Nita was just being dramatic here; true, she had been asleep before Illya had been brought in, but she was sure her mouth had not been open. Still, she wanted to make the newcomer feel at ease, and a bit of her quirky humor was hopefully needed. "Now, if you hadn't been brought in at that moment, dear old Lucia would have seen me in such an unladylike position. You have saved my dignity. That is worth thanks."

Even as Nita was concluding her speech, the girl's bracelet began to glow. As three spirits manifested and pacified Illya, Nita watched with interest. So the girl was a summoner. An interesting magic, with the potential to become rather powerful. It would be fun to see what she could do with her spirits. Judging from their names, they were probably elemental in nature. "Hiiii," Nita said cheerily to the spirits, waving at them. Apparently there was a fourth, but it did not seem to be in the socializing mood. Nita did not mind though. Hopefully, they would all be able to call this place their home.

Illya's questions about the guild were met with a slight shrug from Nita. "Well, where this guild came from is probably going to be best answered by our guild mistress. I hope you get to meet her soon. She seems like a fun person. All I know is that when I came to Fiore, the guild was already here. As for what we do? Well, we kick evil butts and look gorgeous while doing so. Jokes aside, if I'm correct, every member of this guild seeks to grow in strength, surpassing our present conditions. And we do it together, as working in a team is much easier than working alone. So we're like one big kooky but warm family- I'm the kooky there- that exists to make ourselves stronger for the main purpose of ensuring that Fiore, and by extension, Earthland, is kept safe and free from those who want to abuse their power. You may have heard the stupid anecdote about how the good guys are usually the weaker ones? Well, we seek to change that, big time!"


WC: 462
PWC: 2199

@Morgana Primrose @Lucia Winchester

The two girls either took pity on her or were actually pretty excited to see the half dead girl rise up and ask if she could join, in her own unique way. Illyana wiped her eyes again, though that nagging bit of her mind still scolded her for showing any sort of weakness and crying like a little baby to adult women. The girl sniffled while listening to the two, happy that she could at least have some sort of way of starting down the path to become a better person than she was prior to leaving Pergrande. Lucia did not seem to know as much as Nita, who appeared much more knowledgeable about the guild than her. Nothing wrong with it, especially considering that the two of them had made a team effort to ensure that Illyana didn't kick the bucket. The guild was as she had thought, a community of people that had a common goal together. Nita even got a good laugh out of Illyana. She giggled to herself at the joke, the first she had felt in a long time. "Family sounds nice…" Ilyana said, "It would be nice to be around mages. E-Even if I'm not a real mage like you guys." A part of her felt happy again that she could trust people, after being so anxious for what seemed like a year despite it only having been a few weeks or so.

”Wow, you made some pretty friends, Summoner!” Elektri said, zapping around the three while flashing a charming, charismatic and suave smile at the two other women opposite of Illyana. In his own mind, at least. The sprite would smooth down a strand of hair on his head that stood right back up as soon as the pressure was alleviated. He took a moment to sway his way in front of the two before putting on a dramatic pose. ”Would either of you happen to be mages, because I've got a job. Two beautiful women took my breath away. They looked…just like-” A sudden burst of air would smack him onto the floor, his yellow form poofing into little ethereal sparks that were painless. The green sprite, Aery, floating where he once stood with an annoyed look on her face. ”Do contain your amorous antics, Elektri. I dont think the saviors of our Summoner are quite in the mood to listen to your flirtacious drovel.” With a poof of sparks, Elektri would reappear by Aery with a frustrated pout. The blue spirit, Hyda, floated closer to Lucia out of habit, nesting herself on the woman's shoulder.

Ilyana giggled again at her sprites antics, her mood seeing to have raised considerably. A smile was now gracing her lips, slowly pushing herself to a sitting position with an exhale afterwards. She wasn't at 100%, but this would be enough for the time being. "I'd like to join then…If I still can. I know my kin haven't been hospitable to your kind, but I want to try and change that."


WC: 506
TWC: 3118
@Fraag @Lucia Winchester

Lucia had no idea that Nita was even in the area until the latter appeared, so the former said nothing to contradict the other blonde's story. Lucia silently listened to Nita talk about the guild and its mission and did her best to pay attention to what was being said so that the former could be more helpful to any new arrivals. One day Nita might not be around to help greet new mages or might show up but decide to let Lucia do some of the talking instead of doing all the talking, so Lucia paid close attention to the other blonde's explanation of Luminous Rose and its purpose.

Lucia kept quiet and listened to Illyana claim how she was not a "real mage", presumably because of the circumstances behind how she had gained her magic. Again the blonde mage figured that it was best to remain silent instead of running the risk of saying something stupid that would alienate Illyana. Illyana likely meant that she did not consider herself a genuine mage because she had not been born with magic but had gotten it later in life.

After that serious statement Lucia was treated to the sight of the small and strange creatures engaging in some somewhat humorous antics and banter. She was not sure how to react to what was going in in front of her, but she did not have to say a word to express how she felt. If Illyana and Nita looked closely they could see a small smile on Lucia's lips. She was not sure if that was the right thing to do because the smile could be taken for approval of the antics, but that was up to Illyana to determine.

The brunette soon moved into an upright sitting position and spoke to Lucia and Nita, expressing her wish to join Luminous Rose if she was still allowed to. Illyana had also added the statement that she was going to try and make up for the mistreatment Pergrande had been doling out to mages for a very long time... at least that was Lucia's interpretation of the remark. Maybe Illyana had intended her words to have a different meaning, but Lucia would have to find out later. In the meantime the blonde from Bellum had something to say to the brunette from Pergrande.

"You don't have to make up for anything, Illyana." Lucia replied to the brunette's statement. The blonde was fairly sure that such a remark would not reveal her as being a mage from Bellum because the remark could come from a compassionate mage of any nationality. It was a statement intended to assure Illyana that she was not being held responsible for the beliefs of an entire nation, but whether that statement was of any comfort to the brunette remained to be seen.

[Post Word Count: 474]
[Lucia's Word Count: 2,178]

@Fraag @Morgana Primrose

Nita raised an eyebrow skeptically, as Illya commented on being glad to be among mages, despite her not qualifying as a 'real mage'. In the blonde Pergrandian's opinion, there was something fundamentally incorrect about that statement, seeing as Nita herself wasn't a 'real mage', if she were to assume she understood why Illya referred to herself as such. In the end, a mage was simply someone who could use what the more academic folk referred to as ethernano, and the more common folk called magic, to affect themselves and the world around them. How they got their ability to use magic did not matter in the slightest. What mattered was their ability to use it. The fact that Illya could summon those cute elemental bubble things was enough proof that Illya was as real a mage as the other two women sitting next to her.

Before Nita could voice her thoughts though, one of the elemental sprites tried to attempt some flirting, but was quickly shot down by his green-hued companion. Unlike Lucia who kept her emotions in check, the heterochromic mage laughed out loud, quite tickled by Elektri's and Aery's antics. She wondered whether Elektri suspected that he probably didn't have a chance; biological preference for the same species and all that. Anyway, she would not tell the sprite. Aery seemed to have done a good job of it. It was good to see Illya giggle at their skylarking; it was a great improvement as opposed to the heavily depressed girl who had woken up in the Luminous Rose guildhall lounge. Illya seemed quite interested in joining, and Nita was pleased for it. Even though the final onus fell on the guild leader or the aces, she was sure that her fellow Pergrandian would not be turned away.

"I agree," Nita said, after Lucia had spoken. "It's not like you're required to be held responsible for the years of animosity that Pergrande has shown towards mages. Your desire to change the Pergrandian stance on magic is however admirable, and I believe we are together in that quest, as the Pergrandians are my kin as well. As for joining, once you're strong enough, we'll introduce you to one of the higher-ups, and they'll know what to do from there. That being said, I'd have to ask, hon, but what exactly is a real mage?" the blonde queried, tilting her head as she returned to the statement that the brown-haired girl had made concerning herself being a false mage or something of that nature. "There's nothing like false-, pseudo-, or half- or quarter- mages. If you can use magic, then you're a real, complete mage, sugar. And I'm very sure it was neither myself nor Lucia-dear who summoned these adorable spirits. You're a summoner, that's plain and simple. So let's do a bit of deductive reasoning. Summoners are mages. Illya is a summoner. Therefore, Illya is a mage. Questions?"


WC: 488
PWC: 2687

@Morgana Primrose @Lucia Winchester