Ghosts and Snow (Danny's Intro to SW)

❀ Flickering a lighter deep within the focus she had in her practice, the potion-maker would sniffle as smoke would ascend into her face from the bundle of wrapped plants in front of her, quickly moving to toss the natural bundles into a bubbling cauldron beside her. It had been a few weeks since Angel had joined the guild of Silver Wolf, and she had honestly not strayed far from the guildhall after wheeling her traveling cart near the vault- setting up her little potion-making and floral section of her belongings near a wall out of the way was a blessing, and she needed to get through this batch of herbs before she went out to get more! "The bundles.. they should separate on their own, the cauldron is really hot. Th- thank you, v̷͙̩̎̔̏y̶̹̥̒͒̍̏̂̒ả̸̦̦̭̄̅̀͜e̸̙̫͊̌̀̐͘̕͠į̶̦̫̈́k̷̭̭͚͉̟̹̖̐̅͆͋͛̍," she would seemingly speak to herself from the eyes of anyone that could catch a glimpse of her existence through the stained glass windows of her cart on wheels, but her voice would be directed to a skull that rested under an opaque black silk cloth- nobody had met the spirit that remained secluded within the darkness under that soft blanket. Angel wanted to keep it that way, she wouldn't be ready to expose her secrets to her new allies this early- even if she was overreacting due to her anxieties, she would wait.

Giving the olive-green glowing concoction within the cauldron a few stirs within a clockwise motion, the raven-haired gothic girl would notice movement across the guildhall from her stained-glass windows, causing her to cease her stirring and redirect her gaze for further inspection. "Now this batch just has to boil.. f- for a few hours~! I see some people out there.. it looks like.. o- our guildmistress, a grown man- a-and, a little boy," she would quietly speak to the skull that silently sat behind her within the darkness, reaching over to grab a plump black beret to slip it over her green and black two-toned bangs, "maybe I should try to m- make new friends.. I haven't in a while, uh.. well, maybe I shouldn't. But.. it would be good to finally speak with Leona, a-and those new faces." Sighing due to her anxieties and the feeling of an empty pit within her chest, Angel would begin to slip on her bulky black boots decorated with silver chains and accessories, pulling out a small mirror that was stored in-between two cabinets that held various books, plants, and potions she had yet to sell. Looking at herself in the mirror, her eyes would seem to glisten an ultraviolet violet, accessorized by the extremely dark eye bags and their contrast with her pale skin. "It's like the.. the eyebags are getting worse every day! I- I  blame you for this," she would exclaim with a hazy voice and a stutter toward the skull, tapping the counter that he sat upon. Still, no response. Maybe he was sleeping.

Unlatching a chain that locked the doors of her carriage within the guildhall, one of the doors would slowly swing open, releasing a subtle aroma of burning sweet herbs and other natural flavors from the tonic she was working on- in a black tank-top covered in a transparent black shirt and fluffy black shorts Angel would slip out, her fishnets cascading down her legs into her decked out boots of deep black hues. Looking around, she would spot the same sight that had made itself known to her through her green stained glass- slowly approaching with her hands near her sides, the gothic potion girl would begin to be able to hear the conversation between the three that she arrived late to, her eyes blinking slowly as she would begin to listen. "D- Dies Irae..? Ah! S- sorry for my rudeness, it's just.. I've heard a few things about.. that gu- guild in my travels," she would exclaim within her fluster and would look down at her chains upon her boots, "I've.. always respected people that f- fight for the good in the world, even when it.. gets hard. Um.. you can always say no if you want, but.. I- I would love to hear about your t- travels one day.. i- if you want!" Raising her gaze back up to the three that stood in front of her, the potion mistress would seem to notice something and gasp, clasping her hands even harder than before- she forgot to introduce herself to the strangers, her guild master, and butted into their conversation, which made her feel quite embarrassed due to her lack of great manners. Her mother taught her better than that- wherever she was now, she knew she would not be proud of her daughter's behavior in this moment, or so she thought.

"I- I'm.. sorry for my lack o- of manners, I really am..," she would appear to act as if she were blushing despite the lack of any color other than the black under her eyes manifesting upon her face, raising her hands to look at the three with a nervous smile, "I- I'm Angel! Angel.. Lore. Nice t- to meet you. A- and Miss Jarnefeldt, I- I am so grateful to finally.. be able t- to meet you as well!"

wc: 878
total wc: 2,649

❀ Adjusting the placement of her black beret on the top of her head, the ghost girl would joyously close her eyes as she would smile in response to the remarks of Danny and her Guildmistress- at least, that is the name that she thought she had caught earlier when she scoped into his words of Dies Irae. The words of the stranger were quite comforting to interact with for the potion-seller, and it was not difficult to pick up on his charm; had she experienced attraction to men it would not have been difficult for her to catch feelings for someone with charisma like him.. but she wanted to find her princess, wherever she may be. Looking down at the much shorter of the three, Angel would smile and wave at the small boy after he would introduce himself as 'Sammy'. "Well then.. i- it's settled! I'll be around, so.. when you're free, come stop by my cart of plants and po.. potions," she would redirect her gaze to the rose-haired man that stood in front of her, her eyes looking in an attempt to not make eye contact with the partially visible Arminius that would be beside his brother- she would wait to interact with him for now, it was what she thought would be best for the preservation of her secrets, even if she was wrong. Angel hoped they didn't share that one thing in common with one another. Twirling her pale-hued fingers through the olive green strands of hair that lay intertwined within her black hair, she would listen to the two speak in front of her about joining the guild- the feeling of excitement would begin to take root within the heart of the ghost girl. She was excited to potentially work with someone that's been in a guild with values like Dies Irae- the feeling of respect was there, even if she now had somewhat of higher expectations for the ex-soldier's capabilities. Taking in everything they would speak about and the observations of their physical appearances, her heart would begin to rapidly flutter; she was becoming slightly overwhelmed, something she would experience quite often around bunches of new people.

Scratching the back of her neck where her long strands of deep dark hair would divide, the potion maker would look around as she would feel the effects of her rapid heartbeat, beginning to breathe through her lips a bit more rapidly than before. "A- Ah! I've gotta.. go check on my potions..! Auf wiedersehen für jetzt..!" she would nervously exclaim before quickly running in the direction that she came from, which would lead her right back toward where her traveling cart was stationed. It was quite a blessing that she was able to wheel all of her grassy belongings into the guildhall- she wasn't sure if she would have been able to make it all the way up here with her stuff all in one piece without the help of that strange scientist she had run into on the way up. Angel hadn't seen him since- she wondered where he was when she would go to sleep at night in her bed, thinking about all the scary possibilities in the world. Her flight or fight response directed her to make a full sprint to her potion crafting station in her cart to avoid having a panic attack in front of her guildmistress and potentially new allies rather than to check on her potions. With the flames of her companion, which remained within a deep slumber, it wouldn't be but an hour at least until her newest concoction would be ready to begin to cool. Slipping through one of the open doors on the edge of the back, the gothic girl would run over to the glowing green liquid and would give it a good stir, trying to get a hold on the rapid breathing in her chest. Going outside for a smoke would be one way to fix this issue, alongside taking a calming tonic- all she wanted was to lay down and let the ache of anxiety in her chest go away so she could go back to acquainting with her allies!

"A s- smoke..! Yes, a smoke..," she would quietly speak to herself, grabbing a small vintage cigarette tin that would hold her substances of choice and a lighter, "oh.. and you. Maybe.. t- the snow'll wake you up, s- stoopid..!" Grabbing the skeleton head, which would mimic that of a human skull, the ghost girl would secure the dark cloth that wrapped around its entire makeup of bones so it would not come loose within her grasp- slipping the other things into her pocket, she would quickly slip back out of the cart covered in large growing vines and herb drying racks and would make her way to one of the exits on the side of the building, her eyes set on the door handle and the bundled up skull in her hands. Pulling on the door she would slip out once more into the chilled air that surrounded the base of Silver Wolf- she was within the exterior of the building on one side that outlooked a snowy forest, which seemed to be quite quiet in comparison to the inside. Leaning on the wall near the door, she would slip down its side to sit on the ground- raising a cigar-like wrap to her lips, she would light the end of it and would blow it out into the air, allowing for it to dance away into the endless expanse of snow that coated the steep mountains. The sensation of comfort was almost immediate upon inhalation- it wouldn't be too much longer until she would be finished outside and ready to go back inside to rejoin the conversation. But the outside of the guildhall was quiet and oh so comfortable.. thank goodness the Guildmistress was in there to take care of the recruitment of those three so Angel could cozily 'check on those potions'!

Placing the bundled-up skeleton head in front of her as she would continue to take big drags from the cigar, one of the sides of cloth would begin to flutter in the cold wind, soon ceasing as she would tuck it into another fold. Out of her black beret would wander a large beetle of green color with a holographic shell- it was one of the shells that would shift colors when a light was shone upon it, which would slip down the side of her head onto her shoulder and down the rest of her body. A set of moths would follow, approaching from one of the lamps to sit on the top of her hat as she would blow out small white clouds from her black-colored lips; it wouldn't be long before a swarm of various multi-colored insects would sit around her and on her comfortably to take a rest, some using her hair as blankets and others making their way into her pockets. "Now.. when it comes to that potion I'm making..," she would quietly speak to herself, allowing for a large stag beetle to make her way into her hand and to slowly climb around, ".. a small tinge of speckled whim dust and moonstone in each vial, w-wrapped in violet ribbons. Why.. am I s- stressing out so much about this it literally has a few hours left until it's going to be done.. umm.. ooh, what if.. i- I added little lavender stems on.. the outside. hmm.. das wäre süß!" It was strange getting the silent treatment from her potion assistant when it came to planning out the packaging process of her elixirs and tonics- maybe that was why she was so stressed about this one batch. Or maybe it was because of how pricey some of the ingredients were!

"Kann ich es probieren, bevor es in die Flaschen kommt..? It will be best," a deep voice would speak to the girl within her mind, resonating with dull, pulsating violet energy from one of the folds in the cloth that covered the skeleton, "..forgive me for the silent treatment, madame." Feeling a sense of relief upon hearing his remarks, a look of anger would appear to form on the ghost girl's face as she would react to his words with a grunt-like sound of irritation- usually the spirit would tell his friend that he was leaving on an expedition of his own before he would go.. it was hard for the girl not to worry when her traveling companion was to vanish without warning. "..At least- at least tell me next time you go, you.. you know how confused I get with th- those kinds of things, mr. rücksichtslos sie," Angel would exclaim to the voice in her head, blowing out smoke in-between words, "..but my whimsy fl- flyer potion is coming out quite good, i- I think so yes. All I've got to do.. is, um.. put the crystals in the bottles and the sp- sprinkles..! Yes, and wrap them.. ah! But- it's got a few hours.. left on the boil. Well- you know that.. b- because the fire is your fire, duh. And.. there are new recruits inside.. and I think.. well, uh- I'm not sure, but." Interrupting herself to take another big toke, the black and green-haired girl would look at the glowing bundle of cloths that sat beside her with intent, the wind's curving across the snowy skies breaking the silence between the two momentarily.

"I'm sure.. you'll be able to see it better than I can," she would speak to v̷͙̩̎̔̏y̶̹̥̒͒̍̏̂̒ả̸̦̦̭̄̅̀͜e̸̙̫͊̌̀̐͘̕͠į̶̦̫̈́k̷̭̭͚͉̟̹̖̐̅͆͋͛̍ quietly, finishing her cigar, "beobachte sie..? für mich..?"

wc: 1,614
personal wc: 2,492
total wc: 5,044

translations:
"Auf wiedersehen für jetzt..!" ❀ "Goodbye for now..!"
".. das wäre süß!" ❀ ".. that would be cute!
"Kann ich es probieren, bevor es in die Flaschen kommt..?" ❀ "Can I try it before it goes in the bottles..?"
".., mr. rücksichtslos sie," ❀ ".., mr. inconsiderate you,"
"beobachte sie..? für mich..?" ❀ "watch them..? for me..?"