Doctor's Baby (Masha Intro)

Masha didn't like the cold. Not. One. Bit. The cold bit through the layers of clothing she'd bundled onto herself. Her skin felt numb. Her nose hurt as she wrinkled it against the wind. Why was she up here again? Something moved against her chest and stomach. Masha looked down, a soft smile curving her lips. Right. This little happy bundle was why. She wanted him to meet his mother. Other mother. A shiver rippled down her body as she imagined button eyes.

Giovanni gurgled happily as his mother trudged up the mountain. He had a tuft of strawberry blonde hair adorning his head. Large innocent blue-green eyes opened slowly, his cocoon of clothing keeping his small body warmer than his mother. Masha chuckled softly. The little bugger was stealing her warmth. She wrapped her arms around him, giving him a small hug. The winter storm raged around them. For a moment, Masha couldn't feel anything but love. Love for this little bundle of joy which she would tear the world apart for.

Large flickering blue lights stood in the storm. Masha could barely make them out as the wind whipped about blinding her. Were those guardians of Leona's guild? Or monsters that prowled the storm? Masha pulled a hand from her coat, ready to defend Giovanni. Nothing would touch him while she drew breath. Two spectral wolves materialized. They sniffed at the doctor and her child. The redhead could almost swear that one of them smiled. As one, the pair turned to point their noses in a direction. Was that the way she needed to go? Another wolf nudged her from behind. She stumbled forward, an arm protectively wrapped around her baby. She could only hope that they weren't leading her into a trap. The storm felt as if it had lessened a bit.

The storm parted as a barrier appeared within. Masha could barely make out a building within. "Is that the uh... Gray Swans Headquarters?" One of the wolves sneezed. "Bless you. Thank you for leading me here. I thought I was going to be lost in that storm forever. Well, hopefully not forever but you know, long enough to lose some of my best features. Or- ah!" Another wolf headbutted her through the barrier. Rude. They could have indicated they didn't want a conversation. Or vanished back into that snow storm.

Masha pulled the hood back from her head. Here, inside the barrier, the temperature was closer to a cool fall day. The redhead looked down at Giovanni. "Are you ready to meet your daddy-mommy?" She cooed. The baby giggled and blew strawberries. The new mother smiled, striding toward the door. A cute garden of white surrounded by a blanket of snow stood before the rather small building. Several large rocks and trees cradled the building as if protecting it. Masha's smile widened as she stepped up to the door. It was a cute headquarters. She hoped she could make it home. The door swung open slowly at her touch. Peeking her head in, Masha called out.

"Hello?"

PWC: 512

A frown creased her brow as a strangely foreign smell wafted in, picked up by her heightened sense of smell. Weird… she didn’t recognise it at all, but most of the time her senses wouldn’t react this suddenly to new scents. It could’ve been a new visitor, but they’d had those often, especially when the hot springs were in favor as vacational venue, and she’d never really given it much thought, but now… really strange. With a small hop Kitalpha jumped off her bed, taking in the new scent that was gradually growing stronger, and carefully moved out towards the hallway.

Now more air circulated the area around her, she could pinpoint more specific scents surrounding the new one, making her think as to where she’d picked these up before. It wasn’t that long ago… and they weren’t exactly unpleasant either, otherwise she wouldn’t have been so curious about it. Her eyes glowed crimson as she followed the trail down to the first floor. Crocus had held a variety of them so it was hard to mentally scroll through them, still, she should be able to pinpoint it if she could get closer. It was a soft scent… something powdery? But that mostly irked her nose… unless… talc? Baby?

Now she had made her way to the main floor she could feel a fresh breeze making its way inside the building, the subtle squeaking of the front doors, and then, a voice with a questioning ‘hello’ to the empty hall before her. Not a voice she recognised, but the fact she’d arrived first meant she’d have to do the honors of welcoming the newcomer. Kitalpha perked her head when she heard a muffled coo-ing however, and connected the dots. Newcomer. Talc. Baby had newcomer. Yes, but the other way around. A head of luscious blonde hair popped around the corner, red eyes curiously upon the crimson woman. ”Baby?” Kitalpha asked ever so gently, a hint of excitement in her voice.

”I mean, do you have a baby?” she attempted at correcting herself as she moved from behind her corner, carefully sauntering closer. Somewhere in the back of her head a proper conversation was downloading. Almost there. Ping! ”Ah, uh, apologies ma’am, I don’t usually greet our guests. My name is Kitalpha Aurence, one of Silver Wolf’s members, at your service.” she made a small bow. ”How may I help you?”

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall-

Emerging from the guild cafe holding a white styrofoam to-go cup of coffee, Leona walked through the guild hall trying to figure out what she would do today. She wore an unusually casual outfit of somewhat wrinkled green tank top with her somewhat wrinkled green, white, and gold skirt plus green, white, and gold boots. If someone thought that she was so casually dressed because she had just gotten out of bed, they would be absolutely right. Leona had gotten out of bed a little over an hour ago and felt kind of sluggish. As a result she went with what she had worn, put on her boots so that she did not walk around barefoot, and did not bother dressing up for what she hoped was a slow day at the guild hall.

She had slept in her tank top and skirt, but no one needed to know that.

Leona felt two magic signatures in the guild hall and took a sip of coffee. She stopped in place and took another sip before deciding to go to them to see what was going on. Even though the Wizard Saint was shabbily dressed compared to her normal attire, she would greet her visitors like this, but just this once. Leona needed to look like a Wizard Saint if she wanted to be taken seriously.

After following the magic signatures to their source, Leona found two familiar faces waiting for her. One of them was Kitalpha Aurence, her guildmate from way back when. The other was Masha Dymonrel, a mage she had met a few times in the past. Leona's eyes were immediately drawn to Masha's bright red hair, but then Leona noticed Masha holding a small child with similar bright red hair. The blonde began to recall their meeting at Loveland Theme Park in Rose Garden and recalled their conversation in the Tunnel of Love.

She began to put two and two together until it finally dawned on her.

That small child was their child!

Leona's face turned slightly red and she did her best to play it cool. Kitalpha was here and that would complicate things a lot. It would take a lot of explaining to fully explain how Leona and Masha came to have a child and the Wizard Saint was not ready for such a herculean task. The Wizard Saint took a long sip of coffee to buy herself time to think of just the right words with which to greet Masha. Then she took the plunge and walked towards the blonde and the redhead.

"Hey Kitalpha! Hey Masha!" Leona greeted the pair. There was no need for lengthy introductions or excess verbiage on her part. Leona would keep it short and sweet and see where the conversation went from here.

[Post Word Count: 468]
[Leona's Word Count: 468]

A blonde bombshell poked her head around the corner. Rather than a customary greeting, the woman said baby as a question. Was she asking if there was a baby, had she mistaken Masha as her girlfriend or daughter or was this one of those weirdos that called everyone baby? Luckily before the redhead could stick her foot in her mouth, the woman clarified. Yet, once again before Masha could answer, the woman seemed to remember how to greet somebody. The doctor began giggling to herself. A hand went up to cover her mouth.

"I'm s-sorry" She chortled as Giovanni began squirming. It was warm enough in here that their layers were overwhelming. Masha calmly unzipped her coat, carefully extracting Giovanni from her sweater and makeshift baby holder. "I wasn't laughing at you." She hefted the baby onto her hip. He was swaddled into a cocoon. Best to get him out before he started screaming. "It's just the most unique way I've been greeted in a long time and I haven't had a good laugh for a little while."

Masha tried to cast a spell and answer Kitalpha's question. Both the spell and her words died as Leona approached. The redhead's mind short circuited confronted with Leona's beauty. "Mmmm..." The sound of appreciation escaped before Masha remembered where she was. Red blossomed across her cheeks. Giovanni took that moment to scream as well. "Ah! I'm sorry baby, mommy got distracted! I'll get you out of those in a jiff!" A soft vibration rippled out from her hand. It created a solid surface for her to place the baby and unravel his cocoon. When his chubby legs finally kicked free, Masha rubbed her nose against his. He cooed softly, his hands clutching at the air. "Is that better? Yes it is! Yes it is." She picked him up, settling him against her chest. He laid his head down, intelligent eyes watching the rest of the room.

"Sorry for that. Still learning the ins and outs of motherhood." Masha said with a faint smile down at Giovanni. A hand was held out to Kitalpha. "I'm Masha" She glanced at Leona. "I'm here to apply for the guild, uh... if that's alright with you Guild Master. I don't want to make anything awkward or force anything on you. Um, I also wanted you to meet..." Masha glanced at Kitalpha. How much did the guild members know? If anything? Drat why was this so hard? She'd hoped to meet only Leona so they might talk a few things out or at least reach a compromise. Their last conversation hadn't been the brightest. "Uh, wanted you to meet this little guy. Giovanni Alexander Nathan Jarnefeldt."

Her blue eyes closed as she realized what she'd said. Hopefully, Kitalpha wouldn't pick up on it. Giovanni wiggled to look at his other mother, daddy mommy, She that provided necessary materials. Masha wanted to face palm. A name for Leona regarding her involvement in their child making needed to be made. The baby smiled widely at Leona. He positively beamed like Leona was the only source of joy in the world. Masha felt a small twinge of jealousy. He hadn't given her a smile like that and she'd birthed him. Ungrateful little bugger.

PWC: 543/1055

Crimson eyes shot back and forth between the redhaired newcomer and the guildmaster, both acting awfully suspicious for a 'first meeting'. Although she could not say whether it was uncharacteristic for the apparent new mother, it definitely was as such for Leona; who was acting especially strange today. Or rather, just now, when she noticed the child in Masha's arms. When she extended her hand towards the blonde, Kitalpha grabbed it and shook it briefly, rather having her use both hands to support her newborn than to spend it formalities.

Her head tilted ever so slightly when the child was introduced -not necessarily to everyone in the room, but moreso introduced to Leona-, like a canine would upon seeing its humans' offspring for the first time. Curious, attentive, and knowing.

Giovanni Alexander Nathan Jarnefeldt.

Jarnefeldt.

Her eyes slowly glanced back towards her guildmaster trying to play it cool, to Masha who seemed to be regretting something, and to the child that seemed far too chipper to see Leona's 'stranger I've never seen before' face. She'd never mentioned any siblings before. Kitalpha honestly doubted it was family-related like that... no, not with this tension that lingered in the air around them. A sly little smile dared perched itself upon her lips as she connected the dots and cleared her throat, realising the third wheel would have to see herself out for a short while.

"Leona, would you mind taking things from here while I excuse myself and go prepare something warm for our guests?" she purposely accentuated the words as she gestured at Masha and little Giovanni. "With how chilly the mountains can get I'm sure the warm reprieve will be appreciated." Look at her being clever with words. As if they'd all rehearsed for the current scenario, one of the spectral wolves appeared in the doorway, casually trotting along with the crimson-eyed blonde as she gestured for it to come along. "It'll probably be a while since I gotta find the right blend, but I'm sure you won't mind~" Her smile cracked into a teasing grin, leaving the two women and their child to their much-needed alone time.


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Even though Leona could sometimes be inattentive to what others were saying, right now she was so focused on what was going on that she did not miss a single word when Masha claimed to Kitalpha that she was still learning the "ins and outs of motherhood" after tending to the needs of the redheaded child she was holding by freeing him from the cocoon of cloth he was wrapped in before embracing him again.

Leona knew exactly what Masha had meant by that remark.

Even though she knew exactly what it meant, the Wizard Saint did not have time to ponder the full implications of that remark because Masha introduced herself to Kitalpha and looked at Leona before stating her intent to apply to join Silver Wolf... if that was all right with Leona. The redhead stated that she did not want to make anything awkward or force anything on the blonde. The redhead then told her that she wanted the Wizard Saint to meet the child, whose name was Giovanni Alexander Nathan Jarnefeldt.

Leona instantly focused on Giovanni's last name and looked at him. As if recognizing the other person who had helped bring him into the world, Giovanni smiled at her. Leona gave the child a small wave in return and wondered if Kitalpha had picked up on the last name of the child.

Kitalpha must have sensed that the shorter blonde was thinking about her because she spoke to Leona. The Wizard Saint did her best to remain calm and listened as Kitalpha asked if Leona could handle things from there. Kitalpha then informed Leona that the taller blonde was going to go prepare something warm for their guests and added that the preparation would take some time. The crimson-eyed blonde finished her statement with a teasing grin that set Leona on edge, but the Wizard Saint still played it cool... well, as cool as she could, anyway.

Leona was in way over her head here.

"Sure, Kitalpha. I can take things from here." Leona said to the crimson-eyed blonde. The former was not entirely sure if the latter had put two and two together, but Kitalpha was not to be underestimated. She had been a mage for much longer than the Wizard Saint and she was quite clever. Besides, as far as Leona knew the last name Jarnefeldt was not exactly common in Fiore... that was a giant clue as to who the child's other parent was.

Leona did her best to remain calm despite the whirlwind of emotions she was feeling. There were so many emotions swirling through her mind that she could not even begin to sort them all out. Chief among them was apprehension, apprehension about what the future held for her, Masha, and little Giovanni.

"So, uh, Masha. How's it... how's it been? Have you been doing OK?" Leona asked Masha in an unsteady voice. Leona hated how awkward she sounded. She had been trying to improve her social skills so that she did not sound awkward, but when it came time to talk to someone she usually made some kind of mistake during the conversation that made her sound dumb. In this particular instance her voice sounded unsteady like she was unsure of her ability to carry on a basic conversation with someone she knew.

Truth be told, right now Leona was unsure of her ability to talk to Masha without making one mistake or another.

Taking a calming breath to try and calm her emotional turmoil enough to get through this conversation, Leona tried to speak to Masha again, this time about Giovanni.

"And how's Giovanni doing? Is he doing OK?" Leona asked with a little more confidence than when she had asked Masha how she was doing... not that that was saying a whole lot. At the moment Leona's confidence was nearly nonexistent. She felt like she had already made a mistake by asking about Masha herself before asking about the baby. Leona probably looked like a bad parent already.

"How was the trip to Silver Wolf Guild Hall? Was it hard to make?" Leona asked Masha how the trip to the guild hall had went. She was trying to make conversation with the redhead, but it was painfully obvious that she was trying to cover her awkwardness with small talk. Maybe Leona needed to stop talking before she made herself look even dumber than she already did.

[Post Word Count: 740]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,208]

Masha didn't need psychic powers to know that Kitalpha had figured it out. Darn her slip of the tongue. Her motor mouth was going to get someone killed some day. She could only hope that person harbored a heart of evil or looked to hurt Masha's family. Nothing harmed Masha's family. The redhead's brow furrowed as she watched Kitalpha walk away. What an odd thought. Giovanni was her only family right now. Leona might eventually count as one depending on where their relationship went. Oh wait, manners were important! "It was nice to meet you!" Masha called after Kitalpha. "Drat, I got lost in thought again."

Giovanni gurgled, almost like he was laughing at her. The redhead eyed him suspiciously. The baby would sometimes do things that made him seem much smarter than the average baby. At least that was what everything she read said. Taking Giovanni to see a doctor again filled her with terror. Leona's question cut through the maelstrom of thoughts. Masha noticed the slight tremor. Great, now Leona probably hated her for dumping all of this in her lap.

The buxom babe hoisted her child into her left arm. Her free hand scratched the back of her head. How to respond to that? "I'm not entirely sure. I've kinda just been going non stop for the last few months or so, my body rapidly changing and some... issues with my work. I nearly lost Giovanni when a mistake caused me to get severely injured." She gazed down at Giovanni, eyes soft with love. Masha kissed the top of his head. "Spent most of the last two months trying to fix myself up, studying up on any enemies I might have and planning how best to protect our baby." Her cheeks colored at the word 'our'. That sounded strange. Giovanni had been 'her' baby until she walked through Silver Wolf's front door.

When Giovanni heard Leona say his name, the tyke shrieked happily. His pudgy hands clapped together. Then he held his arms out toward the blonde. Masha chuckled softly at his antics. "Would you like to hold him? He's healthy and stronger than most babies his age. Best I can tell the weirdness of my body was partially passed on to him. I'm not sure how long he'll be this size honestly. His growth has been rapid." Her breath stuttered as fears rose to the surface. Giovanni grew in spurts rather than steadily. He'd struggled to breathe once as his lungs outgrew his ribcage. Masha still had nightmares about rushing to help him. "It terrifies me." she said quietly, tickling the babe under his chin. "What happens if I wake one day and he's gone? I'm not sure..." Her voice broke. Tears filled her eyes. Masha turned her head, hiding her face under a curtain of red hair.

Leona's final question allowed Masha to save face. Couldn't cry in front of a potential sweetheart, right? A fuzzy memory of someone berating her for crying rose, along with a shearing headache. "It was... interesting. I think some enemies from my life prior to amnesia are coming for me. I had to dodge a few ne'er do wells. The climb up the mountain ended up being the easiest part." Masha giggled, pressing a hand to her side. "Being stealthy with a baby is not easy. Thankfully, I didn't have to fight anyone. Not sure how I would have handled that." She flipped her long red hair over her shoulder. Amused blue eyes took in Leona. "Enough about me. How have you been? How is Silver Wolf doing? I hope its okay I came here. I didn't want to dump this all into your lap without warning but uh..." She winced. "Sorry." Masha looked down at the ground, tucking some hair behind her ear. The redhead looked thoroughly ashamed. How dare she assume Leona might want to meet her child or see Masha? She should just leave, taking her troubles with her.

Leona did her best to remain calm as Masha told her a bit about the changes to her body and how she nearly lost Giovanni when a mistake caused her to get badly hurt. That brush with disaster was distressing news to Leona, but things did not improve when the redhead talked about "enemies" of hers that she had to protect "our baby" from. Leona briefly wondered what kind of enemies Masha needed help dealing with.

Leona thought about it a little and hypothesized that instead of what kind of enemies it might be a problem of how many enemies Masha needed help dealing with, but she did not know for certain. Clarification would have to wait because Masha asked if Leona wanted to hold Giovanni. The blonde blushed and struggled to answer that question.

It was not that she did not like the little guy... er, her son. She just did not know how to deal with the knowledge that she had a child. Leona's train of thought got seriously derailed for a few moments.

Leona could not get used to having a son. Not yet, anyway.

Leona snapped back to the present and listened to Masha inform her that Giovanni was growing fast, which meant that he would not be a little guy for too much longer. That bit of information meant that the Wizard Saint would have to find a safe place to store her weapons much sooner than anticipated. Masha then asked Leona a tough question, one that the Wizard Saint was unable to answer.

What started as a moment of silence stretched on longer than Leona had intended as she stood awkwardly in place and watched Masha begin to tear up. Thankfully Masha soon managed to recover and tell Leona about her trip to Silver Wolf Guild Hall. Leona did her best to listen attentively to the redhead.

Masha believed that enemies left over from before she had suffered amnesia were coming after her. That amnesia was news to Leona. Then again, she did not know very much about Masha to begin with.

Masha had also had to evade a few potential threats on the way here; furthermore, the climb up the mountain had been the easiest part of the trip. Masha then remarked that sneaking past trouble while holding a baby was no cakewalk. Leona could only imagine the difficulty of such a feat.

After those statements Masha then asked how Leona was doing and how Silver Wolf was doing. Those questions gave the Wizard Saint a chance to break the awkward silence between them. Leona appreciated that chance, but she needed to play it cool and not sound too eager to avoid discussing emotional matters.

"I've been doing... all... all right, Masha." Leona started off awkwardly. It was obvious that Leona was anything but all right. Nothing could have prepared her for everything she had been told.

"I've been really busy. You know, meeting new and interesting people. Seeing the world beyond the desert like I always wanted to since I was a child. Even doing the occasional bit of research into the magical properties of plants. That kind of thing." Leona told Masha a little bit about her work to this point, partially burying some of the awkwardness she was feeling up to this point. After a few moments the Wizard Saint then addressed the question of how Silver Wolf was doing.

"As far as Silver Wolf's doing, it's doing all right. It has a decently sized member base and everyone gets along with each other. I handle a lot of paperwork, but my Ace is a big help. I couldn't manage the guild without Mercury Arsenault." Leona answered the question about Silver Wolf a little more naturally, being sure to give Mercury Arsenault the credit she was due. Leona had held a lot back to protect sensitive information, but what Masha had been told should be enough to give her an idea of how the guild was doing. After that brief respite Leona listened to Masha voice the belief that she had dropped a lot of information on the Wizard Saint and meekly apologize for doing so.

While it was true that Masha had dropped a lot of information on her, Leona should have been able to handle it and comfort the redhead, who was obviously feeling guilty about it. However, she could find no words of comfort to offer. An awkward silence filled the air again until Leona resolved to break it.

Leona, who felt like she owed it to Masha to make a serious effort to talk to her, finally mustered the will to make eye contact and spoke to her.

"It's OK, Masha. I needed to know this. To know everything." Leona said in an attempt to console the redhead. Whether Masha believed that or not was up to her. Leona went silent and maintained eye contact while waiting for a response.

[Post Word Count: 824]
[Leona's Word Count: 2,032]

Masha couldn't fail to pick up Leona's unease, even with Giovanni slapping his hands against her face. The blonde started unsteadily but when they moved away from emotional topics, like Giovanni, Leona seemed to regain strength. The redhead tried not to read too much into that. It wasn't like Leona had made the choice to sleep with Masha. The consequences of their innocent kiss were all on Masha. She'd known her body purported massive differences from a normal human's. It didn't keep the feeling that Leona wanted to be elsewhere, whether it was Masha's imagination or not, from hurting. She tried to focus on the conversation lest she tear up.

Leona's professed interest in the magical properties of plants caught the doctor's attention. "You research plants? Even if it is occasionally, I find that fascinating. Have you uncovered anything interesting? Something that might help the community at large? Or something for more personal usage?" Her voice sounded excited. Her expression was one of irritation as Giovanni kicked her repeatedly in the stomach. The babe was quickly shifted so his kicks flailed in the air. Masha nearly missed Leona's next answer as a result.

The redhead smiled slowly at Leona's mention of Mercury. As the Guild master, Leona could have easily claimed all the credit herself. It showed a remarkable amount of honor and character to give credit where it was due. Especially since Masha had entered Silver Wolf with little information on the guild. Something that she'd be eternally embarrassed about. "Its good that you have someone at your back, helping you out." She said softly. "I'd like to know what that feels like myself..." Her voice trailed off, Masha clearly not realizing she'd voiced the thought.

The awkward silence finally had tears pricking the corners of Masha's eyes. She'd been right. This, all of it, had too much weight to it. She should never have barged in with the assumption Leona might want to know any of it. The redhead sniffled quietly, preparing to leave. Leona caught her eye first. The words the Wizard Saint spoke didn't alleviate Masha's guilt but it stopped her from leaving.

"Right... but you seem uncomfortable with all of it to me." Masha said voicing her thoughts. "Maybe I'm wrong, but it feels like you want to be anywhere but here. Or rather, that I be anywhere but here, in your guild." Giovanni laid his head down on Masha's shoulder. She rested her cheek on top of his head. The baby always knew when mommy needed comfort. "I apologize if I'm projecting. I'm not the best at speaking with people. There's so many rules and for some reason, I really don't like them. I prefer to be honest. Straightforward. Speak my mind as it were. I'm sorry if that offends." She managed a watery smile in Leona's direction. "Might I ask a question? Does Giovanni... do I...?"

Masha paused uncertain as to how to phrase her question. Saying it one way sounded accusatory. Saying it another might give the wrong message. Giovanni touched his tiny hand to her heart. She smiled sadly, taking a deep breath. "I guess its more of three questions: Will Giovanni and I being here cause you any problems and/or do you want us here? Do you want your parentage of Giovanni to remain a secret? And finally, would you like to co-parent Giovanni, leave it all to me or try to make a go of things between us?" Once the question(s) poured forth, Masha held her breath. She'd dumped a lot onto Leona once again.

WC: 596/2314

Leona looked at Masha and felt like the latter was not convinced by anything she was saying. The blonde could not blame Masha for feeling that way. The Wizard Saint was so obviously awkward that the awkward was filling the room and making meaningful conversation difficult. She received a much-needed bailout when Masha asked about the results of her research into magical plants.

"I've done a little bit of research, Masha. Not nearly as much as I should, but I've done a little bit of research into wolfsbane for an anti-wolf weapon and research into garlic for an anti-vampire weapon." Leona told Masha, temporarily shedding some of the awkwardness she had been displaying throughout their conversation. The blonde realized that what she had just told Masha was technically incorrect.

"Rather, I've been doing research into plants that can be used to create formulas that can be applied to weapons for use against particular threats like wolves, werewolves, and vampires. I'm looking into them as cost-effective alternatives to making a brand-new weapon just for use against a particular type of enemy. I haven't field-tested any of the formulas yet, so I'll have to get back to you on whether they really work or not." Leona corrected her previous statement and warned Masha that the formulas had not been tested yet.

Speaking of Masha, when Leona had brought up how indispensable Mercury was the blonde heard the redhead comment that she wished she knew what it was like for someone to have her back. That remark hit the blonde like a ton of bricks. Leona felt guilty for saying what she had said months ago and the guilt continued to pile up as Masha continued to speak.

Masha went on to claim that it felt like Leona would have preferred it if she had traveled to anywhere but Silver Wolf Guild Hall. Leona felt another ton of bricks fall onto her head and threaten to crush what was left of her ability to carry on a normal conversation. Masha then asserted that she was just being straightforward in her speech and apologized for any offense that her words might give to the Wizard Saint. The blonde was not sure what to say to all of that.

It might be too late to make things right with Masha.

Leona could not and would not blame Masha if the latter turned around and walked out right now. The blonde had been giving her nothing but empty platitudes when the redhead needed substance, something to assure her that Leona cared for her and wanted her around. The truth was that Leona could not articulate her feelings in any meaningful way because she was scared. Scared and confused.

She had no idea that kissing Masha at Singles Night was going to result in this.

That kiss had brought a child into the world.

Leona had told some of her fears to Masha months ago. Leona was afraid that if word got out that she had kissed a girl and had gotten her pregnant that all of her work as a Wizard Saint and a Guild Master would be swiftly forgotten. The Wizard Saint of Courage would be reduced to the butt of jokes and cheap tabloid fodder. None of her work would matter when all she would be remembered for was somehow getting another girl pregnant.

Then there was the fact that publicly announcing she had a child would attract Dark Mages looking to kidnap the child to get leverage on Leona. She knew of at least one Dark Mage who was bold and/or stupid enough to try such a stunt. There were plenty more like him out there who wanted to be the one to kill a current Wizard Saint and taking her child hostage was a sure way to make killing her easier.

Finally, there was Leona's mother to deal with. Sophia had been hounding the Wizard Saint to give her grandchildren and once she got word that Leona had finally given her a grandson the older Jarnefeldt would likely revert to her old ways. Leona did not want to have to fend off constant "requests" for more grandchildren, not after everything she had gone through to reconcile with her mother.

To add to everything she was already feeling, Leona had been asked three questions by Masha, three questions that the blonde was not quite ready to answer. She was going to have to answer them soon, though. The time for politely putting off the questions was over and she would have to take a stand. Leona thought about what she was about to do.

It was time to stop with all the bullshit and be honest to Masha.

Leona needed to show some courage for once instead of running from her personal problems.

"Masha, I can't think of any other way to put it, so I'll be honest. I'm going to answer your questions, but then I have some warnings to give you." Leona said to Masha. The blonde closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before making eye contact with Masha. There was no turning back now.

"You and Giovanni are welcome here and you won't cause me any problems. Since his last name's pretty obvious and people are gonna make the connection sooner or later, I'll stop dragging my feet and claim parentage of Giovanni. And I'll try and help you raise him, but don't expect any miracles. I've never cared for children before." Leona answered Masha's questions plainly. The Wizard Saint would quit running from her responsibilities to Giovanni. She had brought him into this world and she owed it to him to be there for him.

"Now I have to warn you about some things, Masha. I've made some powerful enemies. While this guild hall's safe enough, it might not be enough to stop some of my enemies from coming after you or Giovanni. If you leave this guild hall on a job, be ready for people to come after you because you're connected to me. If we're gonna try to make this work, you're gonna have to be ready for all the trouble that might head our way." Leona warned Masha plainly and clearly. Then her resolve faltered. This next part was going to be tough.

"Also, we're gonna have to find a way to tell my mother about Giovanni. She's going to want to meet her grandson, but she doesn't know that Giovanni was born because I made you pregnant just by kissing you. Telling her that part is gonna be really... difficult." Leona said the last sentence with obvious embarrassment.  The blonde was still not used to the circumstances of Giovanni's birth, but that no longer mattered. Giovanni deserved to know both of his parents. Masha deserved the security of knowing that her son would be cared for.

[Post Word Count: 1,146]
[Leona's Word Count: 3,178]

Masha opened her mouth to speak as soon as Leona issued her warning. Then she slowly closed it again. An attempt was made anyways. A yawn climbed out of her. She was getting the sense that Leona struggled to talk to people. It might be especially true in Masha's case. After all, they'd made a child with a kiss. Then Masha had walked away to let Leona live her life, only to waltz straight back into it. Giovanni giggled softly, wiggling in the redhead's arms. Her eyes kept straying to Leona as she tried to calm the baby down.

A soft thankful smile graced Masha's lips as Leona claimed Giovanni as hers. In words only but Masha felt like a weight had lifted off her shoulders. Even if Leona had no idea how to handle kids, Giovanni would have both parents. She laid a hand on Leona's arm. "I didn't - and don't - know what to do. We'll figure it out together, okay? So long as we do our best, Giovanni will turn out fine, I'm sure." Her eyes sparkled with mirth. There were some aspects of taking care of a baby she simply couldn't imagine Leona doing. If the guild master ever had more kids, Giovanni would be good practice.

Masha listened quietly to the rest of Leona's speech in silence. She winced slightly at Leona's admission of telling her mother. Taking a deep breath, Masha scratched the back of her head. A giggle escaped her when she looked at the baby for reassurance. Giovanni had fallen asleep in her arms. Leona's voice had sent the tyke right to sleep. It was the easiest he'd gone down in days. Just the sight made Masha yawn again. Looking at Giovanni, the slayer steeled herself.

"I'll put the issue of your mother aside for now. I'm sure we can think of... Oh! Could we tell her an experiment of mine went wrong? Unintended side effects of one of my biomagitech experiments? It's pretty close to the truth with a bit of flavor thrown in. You wouldn't have to lie either. We just don't mention only kissing. Anyways..." Masha's words came out rapid fire as her mind raced. As always, she didn't know how to slow down once she started. "About the enemies... I think I made a few myself. Unfortunately, I don't remember them much. Though I have made more since my amnesia accident." She laughed nervously. "What I mean to say is I've got enemies too. Enemies that would love to get their hands on Giovanni just as much as yours would."

Masha drew her erratic thoughts back in. She needed to slow back down. All these thoughts were causing her heart to beat faster. Without knowing all that had been done to her body, the redhead hoped to avoid that. Who knew if she hulked out once her heartrate reached a certain number? She shuddered at the image. "I still want to make this work, Leona. I wouldn't have come here otherwise." Masha peered up at the blonde through her lashes. Her next question could have unintended consequences. "Where will we be sleeping? I don't mean to cut this off but..." Masha yawned widely, trying to stifle it so as not to wake Giovanni. "With the adrenaline wearing off, I'm about to crash."

WC: 555/2869

Leona looked at Masha and Giovanni and felt most of the anxiety fade away. For awhile it felt like she had only made the choice because she had been backed into a metaphorical corner, but as the minutes passed the blonde realized that it was the right choice to make. It was the right choice to make for both Masha and herself. Leona felt at peace with her decision to claim Giovanni as her son.

Masha would not have to deal with the stigma of having a child out of wedlock and would not have to struggle quite as hard in caring for the child. Leona would not have to come up with lie after lie to cover up whose child it was. Giovanni would know who his parents were even if it was an unconventional family formed by unconventional means. Her mother would finally get the grandchild she wanted and her older brother would become an uncle.

If Leona did become a joke to others once the story got out she could live with that because for once she lived up to the virtue that was in her title. She had finally taken a stand on something and she would own her decision. Leona looked at little Giovanni and wondered what the future would hold for him now that she and Masha would raise him together.

Would he get the chance to make his own way in life or would he feel compelled to follow his Wizard Saint mother's example?

The blonde's thoughts were interrupted by Masha gently putting a hand on her arm. Masha assured Leona that they could figure out the finer points of child care together.

"Yeah, Masha. Everything will be all right as long as we do everything we can to make sure that Giovanni's fed, safe, and cared for." Leona agreed with the redhead. Together the two would figure it out and make sure that Giovanni grew up in a loving family and in a place of safety and abundance. If Leona had anything to say about it, her son would not grow up during a time of famine or grow up living in fear of bandit or slaver raids like she had as a child in Desierto.

Leona listened to Masha offer a very convincing cover story to tell her mother about how Giovanni came to be. The cover story was that one of Masha's experiments had some unintended side effects and one of those side effects was the creation of Giovanni. Leona was receptive to that idea.

"I'm willing to go with that cover story, Masha. What makes it even better is that we can pass it off as the truth and my mother won't know any different since she's not a scientist. And it'll be easy for me to keep up since we're not lying." Leona readily agreed to the cover story. Once that was settled Masha mentioned her enemies again and informed Leona that they would covet Giovanni the same way the Wizard Saint's enemies coveted him. Hearing that their enemies had something in common, Leona took a quiet breath.

"Giovanni should be safe here, Masha. This Guild Hall's well-defended and in a location that's not easy for casual travelers to pass through. Anyone who wants Giovanni will have to get through a lot of defenses to get to him. Those defenses include me." Leona assured Masha that their child would be safe here. If the cold, the spirit wolves, the guild hall full of powerful mages wielding a variety of magic types, and Leona's Combat Pets were not strong enough deterrents, then Leona herself was likely to be a very strong deterrent. Few wanted to willingly face the wrath of a Wizard Saint, especially a Wizard Saint who would have the home field advantage.

Leona took another quiet breath and listened to Masha talk until the redhead asked a very good question. She wanted to know where in the guild hall she and Giovanni would be sleeping. Leona had to think about her answer for a moment because it might sound like she was trying to avoid Masha.

"The guild hall magically expands as we get new members. There should be a new room waiting for you and Giovanni. You're free to decorate it as you see fit and bring in whatever furniture you want or need." Leona said to Masha. Deducing where this was going, she then added something else.

"I'll have to put all of my weapons in a safe place before you bring Giovanni into my room either for a visit or on a more permanent basis." Leona added. Leona's room was also a mess, so she would need to clean it up a little bit before Masha brought Giovanni in for a visit. However, the Wizard Saint's primary concern was making sure that the little guy did not get hold of any of her swords, knives, or the Ranger Laser Rifle.

"If you want, I can show you to your room." Leona offered to guide Masha and Giovanni to their new room. Leona would have to get used to Masha and Giovanni being around, but everything would turn out OK. Between the two of them the Wizard Saint had a feeling that this unlikely family would work out just fine.

[Post Word Count: 886]
[Leona's Word Count: 4,064]

Sleep clouded Masha's mind as they continued to talk. The mountain, the climb, the release of anxiety, it had all drained her energy. A brief thought entered Masha's mind, wondering if she'd even rested properly since Giovanni's birth. She'd worried constantly over the boy, over the feeling of being followed. Masha might have stayed put if Aodhfin hadn't warned her of previous enemies. Her underground lab had been defensible. The redhead shook off those thoughts. Not the time for her mind to wander.

Leona's explanation of the guild hall made Masha's mind sluggishly work again. Could that kind of expansion magic be applied to her work? Someone being able to magically extend a limb could be useful in certain professions. She might not be able to sell that part in Pergrande but there were other portions of the world that didn't have too many mages. She felt her magic open a portal behind her. A tall pale being stepped through. He straightened his pale blue tuxedo and gently took Giovanni from Masha. "You're falling asleep on your feet, milady." The vampire admonished gently. He probably thought she was too tired to catch the hard look he shot at Leona.

Masha waved a hand at him. "Leona..." She paused to yawn. "This is Lord Caius, a... servant of mine. He's a vampire whose been helping with Giovanni." She yawned again, this time covering it with the back of her hand. Masha blinked sleepily at Leona. "I think you should show us to the room or you might end up carrying me there." A wane smile crossed her lips. Masha felt sure that Leona wouldn't enjoy lugging her butt to bed. The redhead had heaped quite a bit on the guild master's head in such a short time. "We can talk more in the morning, if you aren't busy. I'll have Aodhfin or Caius watch Giovanni, unless you want him there." Masha tried to stifle yet another yawn. her body faded fast, tugging Masha's mind toward oblivion.

If Leona led the way, Masha stumbled along behind her. Lord Caius followed along, the halls feeling almost chilly at his passing. Whenever they stopped by the proper door, Masha sleepily wrapped her arms around Leona's waist. Her head laid down upon Leona's shoulder. The contract mage's mind only barely registered that this might not be the best course of action. "Thank you." She mumbled after a moment. Stepping back, Masha kissed Leona's cheek and stumbled into the room. Caius glared at Leona before stepping into the room. He closed the door with a loud snap, not bothering to say a word to the Guild Master.

WC: 442/3311

Leona watched the obviously exhausted Masha struggle to remain standing and tried to find something else to talk about, but it seemed like the time for talk was rapidly passing. That was good because the Wizard Saint was running out of topics to talk about in a natural manner. Leona made eye contact with Masha and was about to try and keep the conversation going when a tall, well-dressed fellow wearing a pale blue tuxedo appeared behind the redhead. Leona watched as the fellow gently took Giovanni out of Masha's arms, then gave the Wizard Saint a glance full of weapons-grade disdain so palpable that Leona could feel it.

Leona was taken aback by that look. Why was he looking at her like that? It was probably a silent rebuke of her parenting skills... or lack thereof. Leona chose to let it pass without comment because she did not want to be in conflict with someone who had been caring for her son.

Instead Leona made eye contact with the redhead and learned that the well-dressed fellow was a servant of Masha's named Lord Caius. Leona also learned that "Lord Caius" was no ordinary person, but a vampire. That explained how he had appeared out of nowhere with no warning at all.

After the introduction Masha dropped a pretty large hint that the Wizard Saint should start guiding the group to her new room very soon. The alternative was Leona having to physically carry Masha all the way to the room. Leona did not want to do that if she could avoid it.

"All right then, Masha. Follow me." Leona said to Masha and Lord Caius, then took the lead. As the group walked towards the room Leona realized that she had not yet addressed the matter of them meeting in the morning to continue their conversation. Now would be a good time to address that matter.

"We can talk more in the morning, Masha. And you can bring Giovanni with you." Leona said to the redhead. Eventually the group reached Masha's new room and the moment they stopped walking Leona felt Masha gently wrap her arms around the Wizard Saint's waist before resting her head on the blonde's shoulder. Within moments Leona's face turned red from embarrassment. After a few moments of resting like that the redhead released Leona and took a step back from her, then kissed the blonde on her cheek and expressed gratitude for being guided to her new room before walking into it.

After Masha had departed Lord Caius took the opportunity to fire a parting shot at the Wizard Saint. He gave her another withering glare before stepping into the room and forcefully shutting the door behind him. Leona was stunned by the sheer nerve of Masha's companion.

Was a vampire actually disrespecting Leona in the guild she was in charge of?

Yes. Yes he was.

Deciding to let the matter drop for the sake of peace, Leona silently turned around and walked away from Masha's room to go back to her own room. She had to prepare for Masha's visit tomorrow and one thing she needed to do was to clean up her room and clean off her desk so that both actually looked presentable. Another thing she needed to do was to safely put away all of her weapons so that Giovanni could not get a hold of them by accident. Considering that she had several edged weapons and a laser rifle to secure and considering that she did not have a fancy weapons locker to put them all in, that was going to be a tall order.

Leona would just have to figure out how to get everything in order before Masha and Giovanni came to pay a visit.

[Post Word Count: 628]
[Leona's Word Count: 4,692]

Masha awoke with a start. She looked around the room, momentarily confused. Many nights of sleeping outside or in a dirty hole had changed her expectations. As the sleep cleared from her thoughts, Masha remembered where she was. They had made it. A breath rapidly escaped her teeth. No more running for safety at any sign of trouble. No more scrounging for food or terrified nights of medical havoc. The redhead looked around for her son.

As Masha sat up, she became aware of her lack of clothing. Something she distinctly remembered not being the case when she collapsed upon the bed. The redhead held the sheet up to preserve modesty. Giovanni didn't appear to be nearby. Panic gripped her heart. Had he been taken here? In the heart of safety? The panic rapidly turned into a laser focus and anger like lava. No one took her baby boy.

A cooing noise came from a shadowed corner. The slayer moved like lightning. Giovanni came into her arms an instant later. Her hand closed around a throat. Caius coughed lightly, eyeing Masha. Her rage mounted as she put together what he'd done. "Frost, I've told you before. I'll tell you again. No. You're bound to me." She managed to keep her tone cool. "I've also warned you about inappropriate behavior. This. is. the. last. time." A fire lit in her eyes as Masha punctuated each word. Caius managed to pale. His mouth opened, probably with a pitiful explanation. The redhead pulled together her powers and banished him. She had no patience to deal with the vampire's idiocy.

Masha emerged from her room a while later. Her hair rose in a ponytail. A pair of jeans hugged her legs and a t-shirt exposed her flat stomach any time she moved. It had been a long time since she'd dressed this casually. The redhead had even forgone shoes or socks. The feeling of the wood beneath her feet held reassurance. Giovanni sat on his mother's hip. He'd grown a bit bigger in the night. Nothing significant this time around, thank the stars. A red outfit clothed the tyke, completed with a tiny red hat with white fur rim and a white ball on the tip. Giovanni had made a game of batting the ball about when it came into view.

The slayer smiled at her son's antics. Her nose picked up the scent of food. The scent caused her stomach to rumble. "Seems mommy needs some food" Masha giggled towards Giovanni. He babbled back to her. Together, the mother and son moved to find the kitchen. It took a little wandering but Masha managed to find it. She didn't see any food being cooked. The mage wasn't even sure if she could access the food. Leona hadn't given her a Silver Wolf stamp yet.

"Hello?" She called, biting her lip. "Is anyone here? I'm not sure what the rules are for the kitchen and I don't want to step on any toes. Can I even get food cause Le- uh the guild master didn't get to give me the guild mark yesterday?" Masha paused waiting for an answer. Giovanni even stopped in his play, his head cocked as if listening.

WC: 537/3848

-Leona's Room, the next morning-

After sleeping for a bit longer than she normally did Leona woke up in her room feeling decent for once. Not willing to get up just yet, Leona stared at the ceiling for a few minutes thinking about her decision to claim Giovanni as her son. She was worried that such an important decision had been made in haste to appease Masha, but the more she thought about it the more the choice did not bother Leona nearly as much as she thought it would.

For one thing Leona had chosen to think of Masha and Giovanni's well-being instead of thinking only about her own image.

For another thing she had finally stopped holding back her reservations and told Masha all of her concerns about claiming Giovanni as her own, namely the possibility that the Wizard Saint's enemies would try to kidnap him or Masha to get to her. She had also warned the redhead about her mother Sophia and how Sophia would react to Giovanni coming into being without a man in the equation. As a result of that honesty Masha was able to help Leona make progress towards coming up with workable solutions to those problems.

The most important thing was that Leona had made peace with her decision. She had finally stopped running from her responsibility to Giovanni and Masha and had stepped up to take care of them. Even though things might get difficult if their enemies came calling, Leona would stand by her decision to the end.

Leona sat on the edge of her bed and stood up, then made a beeline for her wardrobe. She was going to change out of her wrinkled green tank top and wrinkled green, gold, and white skirt in favor of putting on her blue, white, and gold outfit with matching boots so that she looked like a Wizard Saint and Guild Mistress. After a few minutes of searching the wardrobe Leona found the outfit. After a few more minutes Leona had finally changed into a better-looking and wrinkle-free outfit that was presentable, so she was ready to go see if she could find Masha.

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall-

Leona was in the mood for coffee and was going to swing by the guild cafe to get a cup or two of that beverage, but first she had to find Masha and talk to her. Leona had not forgotten that sort-of promise and was going to honor it before she did anything else today. After a bit of wandering around the blonde eventually found Masha standing around the kitchen area like the latter was looking for something. Judging from the location, it did not take a rocket scientist to deduce that that "something" the redhead was looking for was most likely food.

"Hey Masha, how's it going?" Leona asked Masha just to get a conversation going. The Wizard Saint's social skills were definitely not where they needed to be, but at least she did not stutter or pause when talking to Masha like she had yesterday. That was a small victory that the Wizard Saint could build on.

[Post Word Count: 524]
[Leona's Word Count: 5,216]

Masha jumped at the sound of Leona's voice. She'd focused the entirety of her being on the kitchen, hoping someone was around. Magic gathered in the redhead's free hand as she spun toward Leona. A crackling red lightning that drew Giovanni's eyes. He cooed, reaching for the magic. Masha shut her hand to cut off the danger to her son. A shuddering breath came out her lips. She put a hand to her temple.

"I'm sorry, Leona. We've spent a long time on the road. It feels like forever since we had..." Masha's eyes opened, looking about the kitchen. She gestured helplessly at it all. "Safety. I'm starting to wonder if I ever felt safe at all." The redhead plopped down in a nearby chair. Giovanni stroked his mother's hair with gentle hands. He spoke nonsense but the quiet babbling helped to soothe Masha's nerves.

The slayer smiled at Leona finally. "I was looking for food. Can I just take it or are there rules? Oh and do I need a guild mark to take food? I didn't want to step on any toes by taking something without knowing how the kitchen worked." Without being able to help herself, Masha passed an appreciative gaze over Leona. The Silver Wolf guild master held a soft beauty that commanded attention. From their multiple encounters, Masha felt that the wizard saint didn't have much confidence in herself. It made Leona's beauty seem all that more radiant to her. Too many beautiful people used their appearance as a weapon or tool like they were owed something because of it. Masha found it refreshing that Leona didn't seem to view her own attractive appearance like that.

Before Masha could think better of it, she blurted out. "Are you seeing anyone?" Her cheeks mottled red immediately. Who was she to ask that of a powerful beautiful mage like Leona? "I'm sorry." She said quickly, hiding her face behind Giovanni. The baby giggled at his mother. His tiny fists clenched in her crimson locks. "It's none of my business. I mean I am curious but I don't want you to tell me if you don't want to. Plus I don't want you to feel pressure because of Giovanni or that you have to date me or end a current relationship for me, I'm not worth that, ha ha." The words tumbled from her mouth faster and faster. A frantic mood grasped her in the urge to explain the question. Masha wanted to melt into the floor and disappear. Why had she asked that question?! How would Leona respond? She peeked out from behind Giovanni, watching Leona curiously.

WC: 440/4288

Leona saw Masha turn around with Giovanni clutched in her other arm and blinked. How could she have failed to notice that Masha was carrying the little guy with her? Leona recalled them speaking last night and realized that she had given Masha the go-ahead to bring their son to the meeting.

Leona was not the most observant mage in the guild.

The Wizard Saint listened to Masha talk for a bit about feelings of safety (or lack thereof) and listened without comment. She knew that feeling all too well from her life in Desierto before she was exiled and made her way to Fiore. She also knew the uncertainty of a Guildless mage's life before she met Leila Vergious and joined Silver Wolf. Those were uncertain times fraught with peril, a kind of peril Leona had not known in a long time.

When Masha asked about food and what she needed to do to get it Leona thought about the matter a little further before speaking on the subject. She should have known the answer to that question before it was asked, but Leona was going into unfamiliar territory.

"I'll be honest with you. This is the first time I've encountered this kind of situation, Masha. Since I'm here with you right now there shouldn't be any problem, but in the future you're gonna need the guild mark if you want anything from the kitchen." Leona informed Masha to the best of her limited knowledge. If anyone raised an objection today Leona would accept responsibility for what happened, but she doubted that anyone would object this time. The Guild Mistress was standing right there with Masha and could keep an eye on things... not that that would be necessary.

Leona listened to Masha ask if the blonde had been seeing anyone lately and blushed furiously. It took a minute or two before Leona could calm down and begin to muster a response to that question. Leona knew that Masha had not been trying to deliberately embarrass her, but the sudden question had made Leona feel uncomfortably awkward.

"I... I'm not seeing a-anyone else, Masha." Leona finally managed to respond to the question that had been put to her. Leona was not lying when she made that claim. The Wizard Saint of Courage had deliberately stayed away from the dating scene after Singles Night in Capital Crocus because she did not want her mother to catch wind of that. If Sophia found out Leona had been to a Singles Night the demands for grandchildren would begin anew and Leona did not want that.

"I've stayed a-a-away from the dating s-scene, Masha. T-there's no o-one I really want to s-see." Leona asserted despite her awkwardness. She had indeed stayed away from the dating scene for several reasons, one of them being some sense of loyalty to Masha. Leona had also avoided dating because she did not want to get her mother's hopes of having grandchildren up. Furthermore, Leona had remained single because she was not sure who would really want her.

There were certainly people who would want Leona right now because she was still fairly young and attractive and was also one of the most powerful mages in Earthland.

But what would happen when Leona inevitably grew old and less attractive or if she got permanently injured one day?

Would they remain by her side or would they leave her for someone else?

It sounded like a bunch of cliches, but those were Leona's honest feelings on the matter. Then there were other problems Leona had that she felt would make her less attractive to anyone considering dating her. There were quite a few of them, actually.

Leona was not very educated. Her social skills were not where they needed to be for someone of her age and reputation. She tended to forget things a lot. She had no real hobbies or interests outside of the guild. She was not a real researcher... she was just a dilettante who "researched" a subject when the mood struck her instead of a serious scientist who was totally devoted to their craft.

Who would want to date someone like that?

Leona was fairly sure that her looks were the only thing she had going for her when it came to the dating scene.

[Post Word Count: 720]
[Leona's Word Count: 5,936]

Leona's words hit Masha like a sledgehammer. Her admission of not dating anyone had initially made Masha hope. Hope that something might blossom between them, that they could give Giovanni a loving happy family with parents that were together. Once the Wizard Saint clarified she didn't want to date anyone, the redhead stumbled back against a table. Giovanni's head popped up. He placed a hand on his mother's cheek. Masha couldn't even manage to smile at her son's sweetness. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Yet she needed to say something. Anything to stave off the cold terror that crept along her limbs.

"I... I understand. It... It must be hard um..." Masha swallowed hard past a sudden lump. "As a Wizard Saint. Probably can't be sure if um... people are dating you for... uh power or for uh you." Her voice got quieter as she spoke. Why did her chest hurt? Leona didn't owe her anything. Masha had dragged Leona into being a parent. Some could argue that Masha's actions were baby entrapment. In fact, it would be weirder if Leona wanted to be with her.

A trembling hand smoothed non existent wrinkles from her jeans. Giovanni patted her cheek. The redhead looked at the child questioningly. "What do you need, baby?" She asked in a shaky voice. The babe held both hands out toward Leona. Masha's lips stretched in a quavering smile. "It seems he wants to spend some time with you." Masha croaked. Her mind cascaded inward, self loathing wrapping tightly as shadows.

How dare she presume Leona would be interested? For all Masha knew, the Wizard Saint was straight or asexual! Not to mention that Leona had her mother. Masha had two strangers, according to a woman on Lacbook, claiming to be her brother and his wife. Why would Leona be interested? Masha's body wasn't even attractive. Her boobs were too big, her butt could take out mountains and her legs were way too long. Her hair practically glowed in the light. Scars marred one of her thighs. Why would Leona be interested? The gorgeous blonde held a prestigious position, both in a guild and throughout Fiore. Not to mention her strength of character, offering kindness to a woman who'd somehow given her a baby. Then Leona's courage amazed Masha. The woman wanted to be a parent to Giovanni. Leona had every reason not to. Masha had absolutely none of those traits. Nothing about her drew anyone's eye.

The edges of Masha's vision flickered as her breath came more rapidly. She couldn't. It wasn't. A scroll flew into the air behind her. As it opened, a tall male with orange hair stepped into the kitchen. Leather pants sheathed his legs, matching his open jacket. His eyes appeared to be made of white fire. Oddly, the male lacked both shoes and a shirt. He touched Masha's shoulder. "Breathe, love." The male said with a thick accent. "I dunno wha' set you off but breathe." He spotted Leona and offered her a dazzling smile. If she hadn't already taken Giovanni, the male gestured to the babe. "Would ya mind takin' the babe?" The male wrapped his arms around Masha, whispering into her ear. Slowly, ever so slowly, the redhead relaxed in his arms. She allowed the male to guide her into a chair. "Thank you, Aodhfin"

The phoenix straightened, looking between Leona and Masha. His eyebrows raised. There appeared to be a knowing expression upon his face. "Interestin'. Lemma take the wee one there. It seems ya two need ta talk without him around." Aodhfin held his arms out for Giovanni. The tot bounced in Leona's arms. Giovanni had a clear favorite of Masha's summons. Once Aodhfin had Giovanni, the phoenix carried the babe out of the kitchen. The last thing Masha heard held a clear note of joy as the baby laughed uproariously.

A blush of embarassment overwhelmed Masha's cheeks. She didn't look up, not wanting to see pity or disgust in Leona's expression. "I'm... sorry about that. I can't control the panic sometimes. It must have been disturbing to see." A short self deprecating laugh burst forth. "I bet my old self didn't have these issues. I bet she was strong and confident, a woman that went after what she wanted. Me, I'm just a mess. I'm sorry you're stuck with my issues while we coparent Giovanni." Masha put her face in her hands. Why had she ever held out hope that Leona would want to date her? Nothing about her would entice even an insect. Whatever the scientists had done to her, they'd done it all wrong. Masha was nothing more than a freak.

WC: 779/5067

When she saw how Masha took her words Leona could not help but to get the impression that she had put her foot in her mouth yet again. Leona was trying to be honest with Masha instead of dancing around the subject and leaving the redhead in uncertainty about where she stood, but the blonde had taken one step forward and two steps backwards. Again.

Masha had raised a valid point as to why Leona did not date to start with, but unfortunately she had gotten the impression that the point she had brought up applied to her. Leona was not sure what to say to that. The blonde knew that Masha had been interested in her before her rise to fame and power, but how could she say that without finding a way to put her other foot in her mouth?

Leona, paralyzed by indecision and afraid of messing up even more than she already had, instead kept quiet until somehow a tall and shirtless male with orange hair appeared. The blonde was concerned that this new arrival was going to treat her with the same silent contempt that Lord Caius had, that contempt that made the blonde feel like she was totally worthless. But to her surprise the new arrival instead treated her without contempt. He took Giovanni from Masha and was soon on his way out of the room, leaving the blonde and the redhead to talk in peace.

Once Giovanni was gone Masha apologized to Leona for the panic attack that the blonde had just witnessed. She also mused about her old self and apologized again, this time for having issues that Leona would have to deal with while they worked to take care of Giovanni. Leona was in no position to cast stones at Masha for her issues because the blonde had plenty of issues of her own, a few of which she had already shared with the redhead.

"It's OK, Masha. I'm not upset with you." Leona finally said to the redhead after finding her voice again. She made every effort to make sure that she did not come across as condescending when she said that. However, after sending so many mixed signals earlier, she was not sure if Masha would believe her. Instead Leona chose to talk a bit about the "old" Masha the redhead had mentioned.

"I remember a little about the old Masha. We met on a road somewhere and she was interested in me. Then a tear in reality opened and we got abducted by angels who thought we were demons. We managed to fight our way out of that mess together." Leona told Masha a bit about her old self. While Leona had forgotten a lot of the details of that adventure, she clearly remembered that much of that meeting. Then she remembered something else, something that happened when they first met on that road almost three years ago.

"I also remember the old Masha telling me that I would look better if I dressed a lot less conservatively. If I remember it right, she said that I needed to wear a crop top and short shorts or something like that." Leona recalled with some embarrassment. The blonde's chest size and backside would be accentuated by such an outfit and the attention she was bound to get from wearing that sort of clothing would make Leona feel incredibly uncomfortable. The chances of her willingly wearing that kind of outfit were about as likely as her swearing off coffee. She was not sure how the new Masha would take stories about the "old" Masha, but maybe the Wizard Saint would not dig herself a deeper hole by recounting what she remembered of that story.

[Post Word Count: 624]
[Leona's Word Count: 6,560]

Masha found it hard to believe that Leona wasn't upset. The redhead had practically melted at Leona's feet after basically throwing herself at the Wizard Saint. Clearly all Masha had managed to do by coming to Silver Wolf was hand Leona two children - one in a full grown body. The redhead carefully didn't look at the guild mistress. She didn't want to see the pity or disgust in Leona's eyes.

Her head slowly raised listening to Leona's stories - well, story. Precious little of her old self had been left behind. The records of the scientists then a few stories of her heroics were all Masha had managed to find. Both had pushed the redhead's current path in life - before Giovanni anyways. Hearing the kind of person she'd once been made Masha both cringe and preen. "She sounds bold, arrogant and wrong." The words slipped from her mouth. A hand slapped over full lips once she realized. Then Masha shrugged. No use in holding back now.

"Thank you for tell me. It means... more than you know." The redhead said reaching out to touch Leona's arm. "I don't agree with her assessment of your clothing though. You look fantastic in this. Something that revealing - if you aren't comfortable in it - should be left for those intimate moments between partners." Masha chuckled softly to herself, letting her hand drop. "Though it seems, I have the same taste in women that my old self did." Her cheeks colored and she glanced down at the ground. Why had she said that aloud? Taking a deep breath, Masha looked back up. "Strong, capable and smart with a body out of this world." The redhead offered Leona a smile.

The panic slowly filtered out. The change in conversation had helped. Masha wasn't sure where the panic attack had even come from. Then again, she rarely knew where they came from. Mental scars from a past she couldn't even remember. Pitiful. Masha shook herself mentally. Falling apart yet again wouldn't help her now. The cold fingers of terror gently caressed her spine still. The redhead doubted the feeling would ever truly vanish.

"Perhaps you can stamp me now?" Masha asked, wringing her hands. Standing in close proximity to Leona caused the feeling of jitters. Almost like standing near a crush but with a cutting edge. Especially after Leona's blatant statement of non interest, that edge felt very sharp. Masha wrestled with her mental instability. "Do you think the old me would have broken down like I just did?" The question ghosted past her lips. A burning desire to know how different she was from the old gripped Masha's heart. No, rather that desire had always been there. Masha had never bothered to acknowledge it.

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Leona listened to Masha describe her old self without comment. Leona did not think that Masha was arrogant, but then again, she had only had two meetings with the redhead prior to today. Leona always thought that Masha was confident and knew what she wanted, two things the Wizard Saint of Courage lacked.

Leona was confident, but only on the surface. And she did not know what she wanted out of life other than vaguely defined desires of a peaceful life and to find her place in the world. A lot of people wanted that, but the blonde had trouble finding what she really wanted, something for herself that she really wanted to obtain.

Leona listened to Masha thank the former for telling the one story she knew of the redhead before the change. Leona was worried about how Masha would react to the story, but Masha seemed to react fairly well to the story of the old her. As far as the old Masha's comment on Leona's outfit went, the Wizard Saint was surprised to learn that the new Masha liked Leona's current style of clothing, which was conservative.

Leona tended to dress like she did to present a somewhat professional appearance that was appropriate to her stations as a Wizard Saint and as a Guild Mistress. She also did not want to draw any more attention to her body than she already did. Even though her current outfit was conservative, her large chest size and backside were still somewhat obvious, though a lot less obvious than they would have been if she had followed Old Masha's advice and wore a crop top and short shorts.

Speaking of which, she caught Masha's line about when that kind of outfit should be worn and blushed. She also caught the line about what kind of women the redhead liked. Leona was perplexed about what she had done to attract Masha's attention, but she was glad that someone liked her enough to say what Masha had said even if the part about the blonde being smart was up for debate.

"Thanks for the compliments about me, Masha. I mean it." Leona thanked the redhead for all the positive remarks she had said about her up to this point. It might sound like Leona was just trying to make Masha feel better, but how the latter felt was up to Masha to decide.

Masha asked if she could be stamped and Leona nodded.

"I can stamp you now if you'd like, Masha. Where would you like the guild tattoo?" Leona asked Masha. A few moments later Masha asked another question about her old self, one that gave the Wizard Saint pause.

"I met the old Masha twice, once during the incident with the angels and once during Singles Night in Capital Crocus. Both times I got the impression that the old Masha had endless confidence in herself. For example, she was looking forward to the fight with the angels a lot more than I was." Leona said, keenly aware that she was most likely verbally slapping Masha in the face yet again. The Wizard Saint had a bad habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Leona was out of touch with her own feelings, so she had a lot of trouble relating to others on any meaningful level. Masha was the latest victim of Leona's poor social skills.

"I don't think the old Masha would have broken down. But it's OK, Masha. It's OK if you have strong feelings about things." Leona tried to assure the redhead that it was OK to appear vulnerable in front of the Wizard Saint. Deciding that it was time to offer something to Masha that did not sound calculated to placate the redhead, Leona decided to tell a bit about herself, something personal. Something that not even Samira Nassar had heard from Leona.

"I wish I could have strong feelings, Masha. I wish I knew what I wanted like you do." Leona told the redhead, making eye contact as she did so. The only strong feelings Leona showed with any consistency were embarrassment and anger. Leona did not express happiness, joy, sadness, fear, or anything else with any regularity.

"And I'm not deflecting or trying to make this about me. I'm being honest with you, Masha." Leona said to the redhead. Masha might decide that Leona's attempt at being open was yet another ploy to placate her. How she felt about Leona's words was up to the redhead to decide.

[Post Word Count: 756]
[Leona's Word Count: 7,316]

Masha listened to Leona talk about the two times she'd met the 'old' Masha. Her head cocked to the side, a slow smile quirking her lips upward. "Apparently, I have more of the 'old' Masha in me than I thought. You met me at Singles Night." She tapped her lips, her smile broadening at the memory. "It was my ignorance of my... condition that led to..." The redhead flattened her hand over her stomach. She didn't regret it. Giovanni was a light in the world. Masha only wished she'd been able to give Leona the choice. "Let me know if you want a repeat performance - just the kiss this time though." Masha winked at Leona.

The assertion that the 'old' wouldn't have broken down didn't quite penetrate the high Leona's previous words had evoked. So this version of Masha had some scars. This version held more closely to her feelings than the last. This version had a son and a path. That seemed more important to Masha. She felt like preening almost in victory. Leona's next words had Masha focusing keenly on the guild mistress.

"I appreciate the honesty, Leona." The redhead said with a smile. She stepped close to Leona. Her head tipped upward, looking at Leona through her lashes. Masha felt more confident right now then she had in a long time. "You're wrong on two accounts though. One, I'm not always sure what I want, past protecting Giovanni and you. Two, I believe you can feel strongly and do. I'm not sure if you bury it or dismiss those feelings though." Masha moved her head leaving her lips a breadth from Leona's. Let the Wizard Saint choose now. "When its just the two of us, do what you want. Drop the Wizard Saint, drop the Guild Mistress. Just be Leona. That's all I need."

Satisfied she'd gotten her point across, Masha spun away. She gave Leona a impish smile. Grasping the edges of her shirt, the seductress pulled it over her head. Waiting to see Leona's reaction, Masha posed seductively. The fact that they were in the Silver Wolf public kitchen had completely slipped her mind. " Now, you wanted to know where I wanted to be stamped right? I'd like to be stamped here, Leona." The redhead mused tapping her chest. The symbol of Dies Irae still emblazoned her flesh there. While Masha was sad to see it go, the slayer wanted to move forward. Forward with Giovanni, with Leona if she wished it, with her research and hopefully with finding herself again. This was the first step down that path.

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Leona heard Masha's offer and flashed back to the most embarrassing parts of Singles Night. That was not an experience the blonde wanted to repeat. Sophia Jarnefeldt would probably run all the way from Desierto just to confront the Wizard Saint about what had transpired on that fateful night. However, the more Leona thought about it the less she cared about what her mother thought.

Leona was not a carbon copy of her mother. Leona had her own goals, her own desires, and her own vision for her life and that vision of her life was incompatible with Sophia's vision of her daughter's life. Sophia wanted her daughter to stay home and have children, but Leona wanted a life beyond the desert and having children. Now that she had a life beyond the desert Leona was going to fight tooth and nail to keep it.

Masha spoke about Leona's ability to have feelings and commented that the blonde did have them... it was only a matter of the blonde expressing those feelings. If Masha listened closely she could hear the gears in Leona's mind creaking to life as the blonde thought about the redhead's statements. The redhead was right... Leona had feelings, but she kept them suppressed for the sake of her reputation as a Wizard Saint.

"I bury the feelings because I'm a Wizard Saint, Masha. I'm supposed to put the job first no matter how I feel about the situation." Leona calmly explained to Masha why she buried her feelings. At first she did it to present a good image as a Wizard Saint and a Guild Mistress, but suppressing her feelings had gone on for so long now it had become second nature. The only person who had seen Leona be emotional was Samira Nassar during the "Recheeserator" incident and that was a long time ago.

Leona took a quiet breath and thought about what she wanted out of life. When she had the right words she spoke to Masha.

"I wanted a life beyond the desert, Masha. I wanted a life of adventure too. I managed to get both of those things, but now I want something more. I want something more out of life, but I'm not sure what it is yet." Leona told Masha a little more about herself and her goals. The Wizard Saint had gotten two of the things she had wanted the most, but now she was chasing something else. She could find that later, though... first she had to address the issue of who "Leona" was beyond the titles.

"I've been a Wizard Saint and a Guild Mistress for so long that I'm not sure if there is a Leona beyond those titles." Leona confessed to Masha. It might have been a bit of an exaggeration on the blonde's part, but it was not much of one. Much of Leona's identity was wrapped up in those titles and she was not sure if there was anything to her without them.

"But I'll try to be Leona without the titles from time to time. It's gonna be a slow process, though." Leona assured the redhead that the former would try to act more natural but warned that it would take time to make the transformation happen. Speaking of transformations, Leona saw Masha spin away from her and stop, then pulled her shirt over her head. The blonde then learned where Masha wanted the Silver Wolf guild mark and blushed again when she put two and two together.

Why did this kind of thing happen to her?

"OK, Masha." Leona said simply. She wanted to get this over with before someone walked in and got the wrong impression from the situation. Leona walked over to Masha, held her right hand a short distance above the spot indicated, and used the spell to give Masha the mark of Silver Wolf in place of the one that was already there. Leona then stepped back.

"OK Masha, you have the guild mark. You're now officially part of Silver Wolf." Leona informed the redhead that the process was complete. Now that that was done no one should have reason to complain about the redhead's presence in the kitchen.

[Post Word Count: 702]
[Leona's Word Count: 8,018]