Springtime Priorities

"Thanks, Samira. It took me awhile to learn my magic because I didn't have any special teachers other than my uncle, but learning the magic has paid off many times over." Victoria spouted another cliche that was nevertheless true. Her life story was a giant cliche... a poor street kid who was down and just about out had been rescued from slavers by an unlikely hero. Said unlikely hero then adopted her and gave her a father figure as well as magic. Victoria was not complaining, though. Her story had taken a turn for the better after meeting up with Lawrence Sheridan and after a long series of events she was chatting with one of the most powerful mages alive as if they were longtime friends.

Victoria heard Samira's answer to her earlier question concerning whether she liked being a mage and did not object when the answer was more complicated than a simple yes or no. Samira was one of the most powerful mages alive and had much more experience than Victoria. She knew how she felt on the matter and her opinion did not have to fit the brunette's image of Samira as someone who knew all the answers.

" That's OK, Samira. You know better than anyone how you feel. Me, I think being a mage is totally worth it, but that's because I wasn't much of anything before learning magic." Victoria told the teal-haired mage and chimed in with her own opinion on how she felt about being a mage. The brunette liked her career because it gave her a chance to go from poor street kid to somewhat respectable career mage. It also paid well, something that the brunette always appreciated. As fun as bartending could be, the earnings in that field could not hold a candle to the money a mage who was part of a guild made.

"I'm not sure if I have any long-term goals, Samira. I've already found a couple of my family members. I've made pretty good money and have plenty put away for a rainy day. I've become powerful enough to defend myself against anyone who thinks picking a fight with me is a good idea." Victoria replied to the teal-haired mage's question and listed goals that she had already achieved. Aside from those goals she had the need for adventure and the need for money. She liked to travel and keeping up the Sheridan Estate was expensive, so those two things would ensure that Victoria did not become overly complacent.

"If I had to have goals, I'd say that they're to keep traveling and to keep earning money. They're not the most original or most noble of goals, but I like to travel and I've got bills to pay." Victoria summed up her long-term goals... if they could be called that. She did not see her career as a higher calling but as a means to an end. Samira was likely bound to be disappointed in the brunette who saw being a mage as a job instead of having more noble reasons for pursuing her career, but the brunette was not a complicated person. She was a simple person with simple goals.

"As far as the kind of sweets I like, I'd say that soda's one of my biggest ones. I really like Cherry Charge soda. It's cheap and plentiful and has a good taste. If you want to know what kind of sweet food I like I'd say any chocolate candy is good." Victoria replied to Samira's second question. She left out the fact that the interest in soda was an attempt to replace her previous fondness for alcohol with something that was more affordable and more socially acceptable. Not too long ago Victoria would take any chance she could to drink vodka, but nowadays she could often be found with a can of Cherry Charge soda in hand.

[Post Word Count: 652]
[Victoria's Word Count: 6,042]
[Total Word Count: 13,389]

'If only that were true', Samira thought, not quite sure how to put how she felt regardless of Victoria saying that she knew herself best. The truth was that she just didn't. Not anymore. She couldn't even say that she had a friend that knew her the best and could instantly pick up on it. Her closest friend that was still around was Leona, and even she didn't know Samira as well as some of those in the past to really know anything. That wasn't her fault, of course. Samira hadn't taken the time or effort to open up to anyone in ages, including Leona and now Victoria. Even right then she chose not to, instead remaining quiet as Victoria said her opinion on how being a mage was worth it. Samira couldn't disagree that it worked out well to put her fellow Sabertooth mage in a better position in life. That was all that mattered for that example.

Her silence continued to give Victoria time to answer the questions she had asked of her. "Oh, I see." Disappointed wasn't exactly the correct term. It was expected. Income and an enjoyable way to earn it was a noble goal on its own even if a very common one. Samira couldn't knock that down or judge it. It was basic civilized survival in the world they lived in. One could only respect that path. "I was just curious if you had some other sort of exciting motivation for what you do. I suppose not given your answer, but that is fine. At least you are looking out for your future and getting to see the world with your travels."

At the answer to the sweet treat question, Samira couldn't help but cover her mouth as she let out a small laugh. "You truly are a woman of simple tastes." The statement wasn't meant to be negative in any way or as a way to harshly judge Victoria. It was just with all the answers so far that was how Victoria could easily be described. Simple. Originally, she had expected some sort of cake or pie that would have at least required a little bit of effort to bake at a bakery or some type of sundae from an ice cream shop. Yet here was Victoria, fully content with a cheap soda and a piece of chocolate candy. Probably even the cheapest chocolate candy as well that could be picked up right at the register but Samira dared not ask. It was already funny and she wasn't sure how well her laughter would be taken. "I am sorry. I meant no disrespect. It was just humorous how easily content you are with simple things. I had expected something a little different as an answer."

As soon as her laughter had stopped, Samira put her empty cup and used plastic utensils onto her empty plate. She had finished eating a long time ago and by the looks of it, Victoria had too. It would be a tragedy if they spent all of their time sitting at the table when there was still so much left to do and see. "If you have forgiven me for laughing I think we can move on and see what more this festival has to offer. We can continue talking along the way."

(Word Count: 555
Samira Total: 7904
Thread Total: 13,946)

"It's OK, Samira. You didn't give me any kind of disrespect at all." Victoria accepted the apology with no issue whatsoever. What Samira said was the truth. The brunette was a person with simple tastes who did not have any grand goals like bringing about world peace. Victoria's concerns were on a much smaller scale and varied from "What kind of meal do I want tonight?" to "I wonder if I can find an exciting job to take because I'm bored out of my mind and want some excitement!" to even "I hope my sister Amy's doing all right."

That simplicity was a blessing and a curse. While it made Victoria's wants and needs quite simple to meet it also meant that there was nothing really exciting about her, nothing that made people want to learn more about her. What people saw was what they got. There was no mystery about her or her goals.

The brunette could live with that, though. She had spent a long time living alone as a street kid and was used to being by herself or with a few other people. She was also used to taking what she could get when she could get it instead of holding out and pining for something "better" or spending time chasing big dreams for an uncertain return on the investment.

One of Victoria's biggest dreams was to get a place of her own and she had achieved it when she inherited the Sheridan Estate, the very home she had lived in as a child. It was hers now and she was sleeping in the master bedroom that had belonged to her parents. She had no memories of the place or her parents, but that did not bother her much because now she had a home besides Sabertooth Guild Hall. She could figure out the mystery later if she had the time and inclination to do so.

Another one of Victoria's biggest dreams was to find Lawrence Sheridan and she had accomplished that one too. Well, she had not been the one to find him... he had found her, but the point remained. She had found Lawrence Sheridan and he had taken over the role of paterfamilias of the Sheridan family. That meant that the Sheridan Estate was Sheridan family property once again and would remain that way for the foreseeable future.

With those two big goals accomplished Victoria had not come up with other big goals yet. She tended to live in the present instead of making long-term plans. As long as she had money in the bank, a roof over her head, a steady food supply, and the occasional bottle of vodka she was a happy camper. Or a reasonably content one, anyway.

"I'm ready to get going when you are, Samira." Victoria informed her guildmate that she was ready to move on and see more of the festival.

[Post Word Count: 484]
[Victoria's Word Count: 6,526]
[Total Word Count: 14,430]

And so she was forgiven, although an apology seemed unnecessary. Victoria had not been offended at all by her outburst. Samira appreciated those words and also liked that about her newest friend. She wasn't the sort to take everything too seriously nor would she lash out negatively in a simple laid-back conversation. At least from what Samira had noticed so far about Victoria. Getting along and possibly working together in the future beyond festivals would come easy for them if things continued as they had been thus far. That was getting a little ahead though. Samira was content enough to just take one day at a time and so far Easter was going well.

"Very well. I am ready now." Placing her hands on the tabletop, Samira pushed herself up from her seat. To the side she stepped to remove herself from between the table and her chair, the latter of which was pushed in so it would no longer be in the way for someone to trip over. "I know I have mentioned my curiosity before," Samira began to say as she took hold of her small collection of trash. From there she began to leave the table to make her way toward the nearby trashcan, though part of her attention and sight was on Victoria while she moved. "If it gets to be too annoying you are welcome to tell me so. It is rare that I have the time to get to know anyone else. You might actually be the first one from our guild that I know something of besides a name that goes with the correct face."

It was a bit unfortunate really. Samira had been with Sabertooth for years but she knew so very little about the members and even parts of the guild itself. She may have met some of the main figures of the guild such as Itori, Gaia, and even Imai, but to say she knew much about them would be silly. They were short encounters and none of which Samira felt it appropriate to bother them with a question game like she and Victoria had been playing. As for the normal members like herself... she could not think of a single one she had come across that was still around. Kite she knew disappeared often for one reason or another but the rest who really knew? Not her. So, with all that considered, the chance to bond with Victoria was certainly a very nice change. Samira wasn't sure how long it'd last but for that moment she'd take whatever would be given to her.

Samira tossed her trash inside the properly labeled receptacle. One simple task was completed. Now for the harder one of finding something else to do. "Do you like shopping, Victoria?" The summoner recalled seeing some shop stands and small shops scattered around. She wasn't entirely sure what sort of things were for sale or if either of them would be interested in any of the products but, to her at least, it was worth checking out. If anything it was something to do before deciding on one of the major activities.

(Word Count: 526
Samira Total: 8430
Thread Total: 14,956)

Victoria got up from her chair and pushed it in. She thought about Samira's permission to tell her if and when her curiosity got to be too much for the brunette to bear and did not react right away. As she had said earlier she had been deliberately insulted in the past and the people who had insulted her had said a lot worse than her having simple tastes.

The insults had ranged from her being "street trash" for having the misfortune of living on the streets as a child to being called a "guy in drag" because of how masculine her former self looked. Victoria's new form was not immune to insults... Francesca Corlone, her enemy from her Black Rose days, had called her a "bimbo" and a "biker bitch" on multiple occasions. Anything Samira said short of a deliberate insult did not affect Victoria at all.

"I'm not bothered by your curiosity, Samira. But I'll say this much... I've never had anyone be curious about me before." Victoria told the teal-haired mage. The brunette had always been someone who did not really stand out from the crowd. She kept to herself and interacted mostly with her biological family, the maid in her employ, and her friend Abigail Windstrider. She also did not interact much with her guildmates, so she did not stand out very much in Sabertooth either.

She was surprised that Samira was actually interested in learning about her, but she kept that under wraps. For now. Having someone as famous and powerful as Samira wanting to learn about her was not something the brunette could remain calm about forever. Despite her name Victoria was not very refined and her guildmate might not react well to learning that.

Samira might also find out that Victoria was not the sharpest tool in the shed.

"I like shopping!" Victoria answered with great enthusiasm, forgetting her earlier doubts about Samira possibly finding her to be a mediocre companion. When she was younger she had not been able to do any shopping because she did not have any money to spend and she was a dirty street kid who would have been chased out of the mall, but now that she was older, more attractive, and had plenty of money she liked shopping quite a bit. Capital Crocus Mall was one of the few reasons she would willingly venture into the city... the other was the movie theater.

She was going to get to go shopping with Samira Nassar.

This was a great day to go shopping.

"Where do we start, Samira?" Victoria asked an important question of her esteemed guildmate.

[Post Word Count: 440]
[Victoria's Word Count: 6,966]
[Total Word Count: 15,396]

Huh. Victoria did not mind her being curious. It pleased the summoner to know that she was not overstepping any boundaries just yet, and even more so that she wasn't annoying Victoria just yet. As nice to know as that was though it was the last part of her reply that stood out. No one had been curious about Victoria before? Samira thought that was odd. There must have been a great mistake going on if Victoria managed to slip through the cracks in such a way. "Really? I am surprised no one has been curious about you before. You are one of the first faces people see when they come to find our guild."

It was no secret that many people went to the Red Dragon Inn when looking to join Sabertooth. It was also no secret that Victoria spent much of her time there. New potential members and the citizens of the Ace of Spades that visited the inn on the regular would always see the brunette. She was a familiar face that was approachable. It was a wonder why she wasn't an official Ace yet. Victoria was practically the greeter and mascot as it was. In Samira's opinion at least. There was no replacement for the significant part Victoria had played in the town and guild itself.

"Wonderful!" Samira shared in Victoria's enthusiasm. An activity they both could enjoy had been chosen correctly. "I cannot quite remember the last time I shopped with someone that was not a part of my magic." As peculiar as that was it was true. Some of her spirit avatars enjoyed shopping as well and others basically had no choice but to tag along due to the bond her magic formed with them. It was hard to find someone else to accompany her with her schedule and habit of not being around in the first place. The chance had finally come again!

Victoria had asked a good question. They had many places to start with their newest shopping adventure. Although Samira took the time to think the options over in her mind she had really already settled on looking around the festival first. "Hmm, let's start around here at the festival grounds. I would like to see if there are any cute and interesting items to buy. I do believe many of them are homemade. This is a great opportunity to support the local artists and shopkeepers of this town. We can expand to the more well-known places that are located across town later on if you like. Is this plan all right with you, Victoria?"

(Word Count: 434
Samira Total: 8864
Thread Total: 15,830)

"No one's been curious about me because there's not too much special about me, really." Victoria started giving her take on why she did not stand out a whole lot.

"I don't have much of a personality and I certainly don't have the charisma that you, Itori, or Gaia have. You three are magnetic. Everyone wants to know about you, everyone wants to be around you." Victoria elaborated a bit further. Her personality was kind of flat compared to her more colorful guildmates. Samira was a famous and powerful mage who was easy to get along with, Itori was the guild's older sister figure who had an incomparable mystique, and Gaia was the guild's unofficial mother figure. Imai was one of the guild's few males and was... well, Imai. Kenna was someone the brunette did not know very much about other than the fact she was the Guild Mistress.

"I also don't have a distinctive appearance like you guys. I kinda blend in. You, on the other hand, stand out in the crowd. In a good way. When people look at you there's no mistaking who you are." Victoria hypothesized that her ordinary appearance worked against her when it came to standing out. That was a mixed blessing. While she was not famous or popular like the aforementioned guildmates, she was able to do her work without being mobbed by fans or hunted down by dark mages who wanted to become famous for taking her down.

While she waited for Samira's response to her assertions she heard her guildmate's plan and that was to start their shopping trip at the festival and go from there. The brunette had no problem with that.

"I think that's a good idea, Samira. We'll start small and go from there." Victoria readily agreed to her guildmate's proposal. Victoria was not interested in "shopping local" or anything like that. She was all about finding interesting stuff to buy no matter if it came from a small business or a big business. She would gladly peruse the wares of the local vendors and give them a chance, but if they had nothing that caught her eye she would just keep looking and save her money for something later. No matter whether she found something good to buy or not she was just glad that she had the chance to go shopping with Samira Nassar.

[Post Word Count: 398]
[Victoria's Word Count: 7,364]
[Total Word Count: 16,228]

Samira politely listened to Victoria as she spoke. Interrupting was a temptation that was difficult to fight off. She heavily disagreed in many ways. Although perhaps it was because she could never give herself such descriptions. Further thought led her to believe that she was of the same train of thought as Victoria. The brunette didn't see herself as interesting or worth even a basic curiosity. Samira was the same with the examples Victoria had mentioned.

Magnetic was a term that she would never use for herself. Boring was a better word. If anyone desired to know anything or be around her it was because of her title and power and nothing more. For most people. Her long-term friendships and acquaintances she thoroughly believed had true intentions of befriending or working with her as a capable mage and individual. Not just because she happened to be one of the few Wizard Saints around.

In the example of appearance alone, Samira couldn't disagree too much. Many people stood out in crowds for one reason or another. Although she was human like many others she wasn't the typical one. Her hair color alone was a rarity, or so she had come to notice. She considered it possible to copy her look even without magic but even she had to admit that it was harder to accomplish than trying to impersonate Victoria's. People knowing who she was though was just because of her history and current status. If Victoria had been given the same no one would forget her face. Samira was sure of that.

Since it had come to light that Victoria and herself were similar when it came to thinking about themselves Samira saw no reason to argue against Victoria's stance on herself. It would have been hypocritical and even then such a topic was better suited as an agree to disagree solution. Else they'd only be talking in circles all day. Victoria seemed too strong-minded to have a change in thought process too easily so why bother?

"I do believe we are of the same mind. I often think negatively about myself as well." Samira replied to keep the conservation going. Opting to state the fact of how similar they were in that aspect was the best choice, she thought. Slowly Samira walked through the crowd, leading the way but also staying by Victoria's side and keeping pace with her. It wouldn't take too long to reach the festival's stands and shops but even if it did Samira was in no hurry. Unless Victoria needed to be somewhere later on they had all day to do their shopping.

"I think what separates us is opportunity. If you were in my place or even that of someone equal to an Ace or Guildmaster you would probably think differently in at least one of those examples. I cannot say for sure since that is not my overall experience but it is possible." Another curious question was trying to take over her mind, obliterating nearly anything else she would have liked to ask. "Have you ever thought about taking on a leadership role like guild mistress or ace?" With how Samira viewed Victoria it was a wonder why she had never been promoted or started a guild of her own. Maybe her guildmate just wasn't interested in leadership roles or titles. Victoria did agree that simple pleasures were enough for her. Leadership was a far cry from being simple. It was a very common goal for many mages though so maybe at one point Victoria had considered going for that type of life.

(Word Count: 600
Samira Total: 9464
Thread Total: 16,828)

As the pair walked in the direction of the shops they continued to talk about the topics from earlier like Samira's distinctive appearance and how magnetic she was.. to Victoria anyway. Samira insisted that there was nothing magnetic about her, but since she was the Goddess of Humility it was obligatory for her to say that. Victoria was not sure if the teal-haired mage said that of her own volition or because she was the Goddess of Humility, but she was not going to question it too much. What Samira had said after that caught her attention and gave her a good excuse to change the subject for the time being.

"Yeah, I don't have the best opinion of myself because there's nothing special about me." Victoria reiterated her earlier point. She was probably beating a dead horse until it threatened to become dead horse jelly, but she was going to be straight with Samira.

"I look attractive. I'm the ugly duckling who became a beautiful swan, but anyone can do that with enough plastic surgery or the right magic." Victoria remarked about her looks. While she was not nearly as attractive as her teal-haired guildmate, the brunette did not look half bad. But there was nothing special about her appearance.

"I'm a strong mage. Yeah, I've got enough Requip weapons to be a walking arsenal, but anyone can do that with the right magic. I can give the Wizard Saints a run for their money, but anyone can do that if they put enough effort into getting stronger." Victoria remarked about her Merces Letifer Magic. It was a strong and somewhat versatile magic and it was suited to the brunette's preferred style of combat, but it was hardly unique. She was sure that there were plenty of other gunslingers with Requip Magic roaming the land.

Victoria was about to go further when Samira's question took her by surprise.

"Me, consider being a Guild Ace or a Guild Mistress?" Victoria asked Samira. The brunette was not faking surprise. She was genuinely surprised and her face showed it.

"At one point I considered maybe looking into becoming an Ace of Sabertooth, but I'm not sure if I have what Sabertooth's looking for in an Ace. I'm strong enough for the job, but I'm not very smart. I'm also not very good with paperwork." Victoria replied to the question and cited a major reason as to why she was probably not Ace material. She was fairly sure that Sabertooth would want someone who could do more than fight in a position of leadership. The guild probably needed able administrators as well as good fighters.

"As far as being a Guild Mistress, I'm definitely not cut out for that. I'm not nearly smart enough for that and I'm not a good leader. I don't have the personality and adminstrative skills needed for that kind of responsibility." Victoria answered the second part of her guildmate's question. The brunette was a follower, not a leader. She needed someone smart like Samira or Itori to give her a solution whenever she encountered a problem that firepower could not solve.

[Post Word Count: 524]
[Victoria's Word Count: 7,888]
[Total Word Count: 17,352]

Victoria certainly was a woman that was very critical of herself. Overly so. All the way from physical appearance to magical skill and capability. Samira supposed she could agree with the argument when it came to appearance. In a way. There were many options out there that just about anyone could turn to in order to alter their appearance in an attempt to make themselves more attractive. Not that just anyone did turn to those options or could even afford it if they didn't already have the skills to do it themselves. But, it was possible and accessible for a good amount of the population. Samira had no better argument against it.

When it came to Victoria's point regarding her magical and combat abilities Samira had to hard disagree. Inwardly, of course. The Goddess of Ishgar saw no reason to make it a debate. If that was how Victoria saw herself one simple conversation with someone she was just getting to know wouldn't change it. Even if it were wrong in her own opinion. Reaching magical heights and being competitive against the most powerful mages out there couldn't be described as simply as she put it. Nor was just anyone and everyone capable of doing it.

Samira let the conversation have its focus entirely on the question she had asked her shopping companion. That was an answer she was curious about and judging from the brunette's reaction she had been surprised that such a question had even been asked. It was something else that confused Samira. No one had ever asked before? Victoria had been in two guilds so even if the topic never came up in Sabertooth there had always been her time in Blackrose.

Her question had been more in general than any specific guild. Victoria claimed that she had expressed interest in being an Ace of Sabertooth at one point but wasn't sure if she was qualified for it. A point Samira had to understand and agree with. She wasn't sure what their current guild looked for in that position or if they were looking to fill positions at all. Although she was sure that if Imai was capable of fulfilling what was required of the role then Victoria could as well easily. The summoner had only met him once and he didn't seem to be the type that excelled at paperwork or... Well, she wouldn't think of him as dumb but he did have... issues. There was a reason she believed him to be an imposter when she had first met that particular Ace.

"There is nothing wrong with that," Samira said after Victoria had finished explaining her lack of interest for one day owning her own guild. "At least you are honest with yourself and know your leadership capabilities. Not everyone has the talent to excel in that role, including myself." Samira couldn't exactly label herself as much of a follower as Victoria was. In the past, she surely could be labeled as a follower and was very dependent on others to do everything and make decisions. The Goddess of Ishgar was more independent now after being forced to be but she'd never be comfortable enough for full leadership like what a guild required. She didn't envy anyone that wanted or already had that heavy responsibility on their shoulders. "I have known quite a few that had that as a goal for some point in their lives so I was just wondering if you did as well."

Samira began to glance at some of the stands and booths of various sizes that had stuff for sale. It was a spring festival so of course that was a huge theme among many of them. The scent of flowers was strong and the vibrant colors were hard to miss whether it was decorative or the real thing for sale. There were, of course, regular normal ones too to advertise for their main chains in town. Clothes, music, plushies, anything anyone could think of along with discounted specials and coupons exclusive to the event.

She wasn't sure if anything would interest Victoria but so far Samira was interested in browsing everything. There was a chance she'd make small purchases at every single stand and booth. The first to catch her eye were the small objects that sparkled as the sun shined on them. Samira knew that sparkle anywhere. It was the sparkle of jewelry. There were other accessories there as well but jewelry always got her attention first. That should not have come as a surprise to anyone. She did, after all, tend to wear a good deal of it on a daily basis.

"Oh, I wonder if they have some nice pieces over here." Samira thought aloud as she continued to stare that way. She quickly gave in to curiosity and temptation, making her way over there to see for herself just what was being displayed.

(Word Count: 820
Samira Total: 10,284
Thread Total: 18,172)

Victoria listened to Samira opine that being honest about what she could and could not do was not a bad thing. The brunette did not respond to that because she did not see any need to. Victoria had a lot of problems, but denial about her lack of leadership skills was not one of them. Before she turned her attention to the shopping that they were about to do she decided to address what her guildmate had said.

"It's true that for a time I wanted to become a Sabertooth Ace, but it's OK if I don't become one. Sabertooth's already given me plenty. They gave me a place to stay and they gave me a source of steady work. I can't really ask for much more than that." Victoria summed up how she felt. While it would be a step up in the guild hierarchy to become a Guild Ace, she was not really pursuing that goal because she was not capable of doing everything it took to be one. If fighting ability was all that was needed she would be much more qualified, but she suspected that administrative ability was needed too. Oh well... she was perfectly happy where she was.

Now that the serious conversation was over for the time being it was time to start shopping. Victoria looked at the shopping opportunities ahead of her and saw quite a bit of merchandise available. She did not really care for flowers because they had no special appeal to her. They cost money that would be better spent going towards new armor, new weapons, a new vehicle, a can of Cherry Charge, or the occasional bottle of alcohol. Besides, Victoria was a busy mage and did not have time to properly care for them even if she had a mind to buy flowers to start with.

Victoria looked towards Samira and noticed that the teal-haired mage was busy looking at something. Victoria looked in the direction her guildmate was looking in and saw that her companion's attention was focused on jewelry. That was another thing that the brunette did not care for, but it was obviously something that appealed to Samira. Before the brunette could say a word the teal-haired mage was trotting off for a closer look at the jewelry.

Victoria, who did not share her guildmate's attraction to the fancy stuff, walked towards her guildmate at a more leisurely pace, looking around for something that did interest her. Flowers were of no interest and jewelry did not really interest her, but what did interest her was the music that was being sold and the plushies. She would check them out once she had talked to Samira.

Victoria soon reached her guildmate and stopped at her left side, then took a glance at the jewelry that was on display. While all of it looked to be well-made and was quite shiny, she was not interested in any of it and she did not know if Laura or Amy would like any of the pieces, so the brunette opted to save her money for music, plushies, or anything else in the area that might catch her eye. With her mind made up she turned right to face Samira.

"Hey Samira, I know it's probably too soon to ask since you just got here, but do you see anything that interests you?" Victoria asked the Goddess of Humility to try and make conversation, but if the latter did not respond right away that was no problem. She probably wanted to have a few moments to browse in peace before she began answering questions. That was fine with the brunette.

Victoria had no idea that her friend was so interested in jewelry, but she did not know very much about Samira before this day other than she was part of Sabertooth and that she was the Goddess of Humility. Samira was still someone Victoria did not know very well, but that was already starting to change. Maybe the brunette would learn more about her guildmate as the day went on.

[Post Word Count: 680]
[Victoria's Word Count: 8,568]
[Total Word Count: 18,852]

Samira knew there'd be a small variety of options to sell at the festival and make customers curious enough to visit the main store but there were pleasantly and surprisingly a lot of pieces on display and ready for sale. Necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and much more. They too fit with the spring theme. Some had shapes of flowers or butterflies, others had beads, metals, and stones that shared the colors of the season. Regardless of what made each piece unique from another, they were all quite pretty and impressive. At least in Samira's opinion. That was really the only one that mattered to her right then.

There was nothing there that was too terribly expensive. After all, it was outdoors in a crowded festival. The shop owner's most prized and expensive pieces were likely locked away within the main location. Still, Samira did have a budget in mind so while she did take a moment to browse everything she had most of her attention on certain pieces with a more comfortable price tag. It had dawned on her that it had been a while since she bought gifts for her avatar spirits, and if she bought for one she had to buy for all. That was difficult to do most of the time but the shopping spree with Victoria would finally give her the opportunity to do so. Not many of the avatars valued jewelry but that was probably fortunate for her bank account.

"Quite a bit, actually," Samira replied to Victoria's question, her gaze still drawn to the sparkling jewelry. "I do not make a habit of buying new jewelry but I do like to look when given the chance." As much as she liked jewelry and accessories Samira already had preferred pieces that she wore near daily. More were also already stored away in jewelry boxes from years of modest collecting. She really did not need any more at all because she already owned far more than she'd ever wear.

It was then she noticed Victoria seemed to be doing more waiting around for her than browsing. That was understandable. Samira just went with her temptation to check out the jewelry without asking if that was even something her companion was interested in. Although she didn't want to assume anything more than she already had Victoria didn't seem the type to wear fragile accessories. Maybe weaponized ones that fit her magic but that was probably the extent of it. "I will just be a moment longer. Fortunately, I am not the type of shopper that thinks time stands still while browsing." There may have been times when the summoner was indecisive, true. Samira was still in and out of a store when compared to those that took a decade to browse a single aisle in a small store. 

"Is there anything in particular you wanted to look at, Victoria? I suppose I should have asked before what sorts of things you normally liked shopping for." The question did work to keep the conversation going but it also helped with planning the rest of their time together. The brunette could be in for a boring time if she let Samira wander around browsing everything. They needed to narrow it down just a tad, preferably to something they both could enjoy. Besides a shop stand that had chocolate candy and cans of Cherry Charge she couldn't guess what Victoria shopped for during her downtime.

(Word Count: 575
Samira Total: 10,859
Thread Total: 19,427)

"This jewelry's nice, but it's not for me." Victoria told her guildmate the reason she was not paying much attention to the wares that were on display. It was true. Victoria did not care very much for it and would not browse at it, but she was not going to make Samira rush through a chance to look at something she liked. For one thing angering Samira was a bad idea. For another thing Samira could easily return the "favor" by rushing the brunette later when the latter found something she wanted to look at.

"You look all you want, Samira. We've got plenty of time." Victoria assured her famous guildmate that there was no need to hurry. The brunette gave the jewelry another perfunctory look before turning her attention elsewhere. Her attention was soon directed back to Samira, who had asked the brunette what items caught her attention when she went shopping. Victoria folded her arms across her chest as she came up with an answer.

"I like to look at music Lacrimas and anime merchandise. On occasion I also look at collectible figurines, usually anime-related." Victoria answered with a list of what kind of thing caught her eye. It was a small list, but those items were what she liked to look at whenever she went shopping. She needed to expand her interests a bit, but she was still stuck in the mindset she had when she was a street kid, which was to save what Jewels she had for the bare necessities like food. Now that food was no longer a major concern and she had plenty of spending money Victoria should have been looking for a hobby or two to get into so that she would have something interesting about her, but she was still hoarding money like she was still a poor street kid, a problem that she would have to address at some point in the future because today was set aside for spending some time with Samira.

"It's kinda a small list, I know, but you were right when you said I had simple tastes." Victoria told her friend that the latter's earlier statement was absolutely right. The brunette was a simple person who did not have to have name-brand luxury items to be satisfied. That was not something she did to feel superior to other people but was a real part of her personality and shopping habits. Deciding to let Samira have a chance to respond to all that had been said so far, Victoria stopped talking and waited for the teal-haired mage to respond before she said anything else.

[Post Word Count: 438]
[Victoria's Word Count: 9,006]
[Total Word Count: 19,865]

Victoria's patience was appreciated. Samira wasn't planning to take it for granted though. She'd choose something for the two summons she thought would like jewelry and maybe a small extra piece for herself. Then the two could be on their way to browse wares that may tempt Victoria to spend some jewels. That apparently happened to be items within the music and anime category. Only one of those did Samira have any knowledge about to an extent.

"A small list is not so bad," Samira replied as she reached for a bracelet with jeweled butterflies along its outer base. "I know nothing of anime but I do know music is very extensive. That single item on the list could entertain us for a long while. The anime items added on even longer. I have seen cute collectibles of that category in the past so even if I know nothing about it I would enjoy taking a look at the very least." As she spoke she looked over the bracelet, turning it to view the piece from different angles. In the end, she was satisfied with it. Nu Wa would probably like it. Isis was the other spirit avatar that would enjoy jewelry of all kinds. A simple golden pendant in the shape of a typical sun design was chosen.

Samira handed both of the pieces to the owner of the shop display. The lady had originally been busy with another customer but she was aware of the pair of Sabertooth mages browsing. She happily took the chosen items so she could box, bag, and properly ring them up on the old-fashioned portable register. "You two look familiar," the old woman stated, pausing her task and adjusting her glasses to get a better look at the two.

"Perhaps you have seen us around town before. Maybe at other festivals or even earlier today." Samira suggested, purposely not mentioning who she was or even her ties to Sabertooth. There was no reason to. If she could get through the day without someone recognizing her that would be nice. If Victoria preferred giving information then that was up to her. At least she could say she was in the Ace of Spades nearly daily as a reason for familiarity. That would have been a lie for Samira.

"Ah, yes. Maybe." There was an awkward pause of uncertainty after that.

Before the old woman could have too much more time staring and thinking, the tealette spotted something to get for herself. It was a set consisting of a jeweled comb and hair clip. "These too, please," she said as she grabbed and then handed them to the seller.

"Lovely choice." The old woman took them and proceeded to continue ringing everything up. Getting distracted seemed to be a bad habit. After the exchange of jewels she stopped again. "I heard you two mention anime collectibles? A friend of mine runs a doll shop. Her son convinced her to also add in this anime stuff to the inventory. You should find what you're looking for there. They set up their mini shop a bit further down. You'll know you found it once you run into all the stuffed dolls." Back to the job, the woman handed over the small plastic bag that held Samira's purchase.

"Thank you," Samira gratefully said as she took claim of her bag. "We will take a look." Truthfully the mention of dolls made the summoner inwardly cringe. She didn't like them. She wasn't entirely convinced that plushies were any different than their porcelain cousins either. But, the anime stuff Victoria was interested in was there. Suffering temporarily shouldn't be all that bad.

"Where to now?" Samira asked Victoria after turning to face her. The jewelry adventure was over so it was time for the next stop. This time it was Victoria's choice. "Should we head for the anime displays or see about what music lacrima are here?"

(Word Count: 658
Samira Total: 11,517
Thread Total: 20,523)

Victoria felt a little bad for sounding like a teenager who was bored with what was going on, but it was too late to take back her words now. At least Samira was not angry at her... at least on the outside. Victoria might get a verbal reprimand behind closed doors later today, but she would cross that bridge when it came. Right now she would focus on the present and try to have some fun.

"I like metal music, especially the band Steel Matron. You've probably seen me wearing the band t-shirt on several occasions. My mother figure and mentor introduced me to that band a couple of years ago and I haven't looked back." Victoria spoke about her interest in music, which was as simple as the rest of her interests. She tried to make it sound like she had some diversity in her interests, but the more she tried the more she sounded one-dimensional. That was the price the brunette paid for simplicity.

"As far as anime goes I like Fortunate Meteor and Cram School Soda Break. They're slice-of-life shows about young women in high school going about their daily lives and trying to complete high school while planning for their futures. There's no fighting supervillains, no fighting for their lives against supernatural enemies or extraterrestrials bent on world conquest. It's low-stakes and entertaining to watch, but your mileage may vary." Victoria told Samira the extent of the anime she had seen, which was rather limited. There was that street racing anime about the unbelievably lucky protagonist who always benefited from deus ex machina whenever they were about to lose and that mecha anime with the protagonist going on and on about fighting for justice, but she detested the former and had not formed an opinion on the latter. Victoria had told Samira about the anime she had seen and taken a liking to.

After talking about her music and anime preferences Victoria decided to give looking at the jewelry one last serious try and browsed at it again. She looked at what Samira found irresistible and saw that her guildmate had good taste, but it was nothing Victoria wanted. She was not into fancy things like that because she just did not want them. She watched Samira pick out and pay for some items without comment. Victoria spoke only when the elderly woman running the jewelry stand spoke to the pair and claimed that she found them familiar.

"I tend bar at the Red Dragon Inn from time to time. If you recognize me you've probably seen me there." Victoria stated, citing her work at the Red Dragon Inn as proof of her claim. That was the truth. Victoria did bartending there to stay in practice and earn a few extra Jewels whenever she did not feel like going on a job. She also liked to learn new drink recipes so that she could make new drinks for the inn's patrons and her older sister. So far she had learned to make the Silver Bullet cocktail, the Blue Hawaiian cocktail, the classic vodka martini, and the Silver Martini cocktail, but Victoria was not going to stop there.

Victoria heard the elderly woman give them the location of a shop boasting anime collectibles and was pleased to hear that. She let Samira do the talking and when the teal-haired mage was finished with her transaction the Goddess of Humility faced the brunette. Moments later the fateful question was asked and Victoria had only one answer.

"I want to look at the anime displays first, please." Victoria replied to her guildmate's question. The music could wait until later. She was sure that it would be waiting for them when they got back from the anime store.

[Post Word Count: 628]
[Victoria's Word Count: 9,634]
[Total Word Count: 21,151]

Steel Matron? Samira could honestly say that she had never heard of that band before. Then again a lot of bands fell into that category of absent knowledge. As most could have probably guessed, Samira did not exactly headbang while jamming out to metal music. That wasn't her preferred style of music at all. It was loud, intimidating, and at times annoying for her ears. She could understand why some people enjoyed it but that certainly wasn't for her. The pair of mages were once again on different spectrums; that time with very different music preferences. Samira opted not to say anything though, instead nodding and smiling to show that she was at least interested in what Victoria was telling her. She was afraid that if she said the wrong thing or the truth that Victoria would backtrack on the idea of glancing at the music lacrima selections. That would just be unacceptable.

"The second title I can believe that synopsis, but Fortunate Meteor? That name would never lead me to guess that it is about high schoolers just living their lives. Interesting." It sounded... spacey? That could account for the culture, time, and place of the story perhaps but Samira would have still expected more than a simple slice-of-life story about high schoolers. Huh. Well, the title was unique either way.

The time had come at least though. The choice had been made. Instead of music lacrima they were going straight for the anime items. The ones that were combined with the doll shop. How absolutely dreadful. Samira could already feel the flips in her stomach and the anxiety of being near those evil abominations. It was a silly secret fear to be sure. She had encountered so many at that point and had even faced enemies that used them to her disadvantage. The Goddess of Ishgar was over it to the extent that she no longer fainted or froze immediately upon one being thrown at her. That didn't mean she was thrilled to ever be surrounded by dolls. Already she was planning to stay as far away from them as possible while somehow not giving away how uncomfortable she was. There was zero intent on revealing her fear of dolls to anyone, much less a guildmate that might have thought it silly.

"Of course. I am sure it will be easy enough to find. If there is as much there as we are led to believe then it should cover a large space." Samira wasn't wrong. Uneventfully she followed the direction the old woman had told them to go. Other small companies had set up their portable shops and displays for the day and the two mages had passed them along the way. Nothing could have prepared them for the size of the doll and anime portable shop. If that was what it could be called. They may as well have called that the second permanent location.

At first, Samira thought they had gone too far. Surely no festival shop would be that huge. But the spring festival decorations were still all over and the crowd never got any smaller. The huge tent with dozens of large tables, shelves, and displays of products had to be what they were looking for. "The jewelry shop owner must have meant to describe this place as the opposite of mini," Samira commented with surprise in her eyes. The old woman had said a mini-shop had been set up. If that was mini she was almost afraid to imagine the size of the main location. The anime aside, that was so so so many dolls. An army of them. Armies of them. Samira fought the urge to shudder. If she could handle a haunted mansion of attacking dolls of all sizes then she could resist fleeing from a shop of dolls that remained idle.

"It appears they have more than collectibles," Samira observed, having seen various poster rolls, pillows, lunch boxes, and other anime-themed things set up. Unfortunately even away from the porcelain doll section there were still plushies everywhere. Their cutesy faces were all disguises though. Samira knew better than to trust them. Still, she had to act normally if she were to browse anything in the store that wasn't right in front. "This is your interest so I will follow your lead." It was probably one of the kinder ways of telling Victoria that it was her idea so if they were walking into hell she was going to have to walk in first.

(Word Count: 755
Samira Total: 12,272
Thread Total: 21,906)

Once the pair got to the anime merchandise shop that was housed in a tent Victoria was so visibly pleased to see it that Samira could see it if she took a glance at her. Merchandise as far as the eye could see and all of it anime-related. She could not even begin to name all the anime series that the collectibles hailed from because she had not seen most of them, but she recognized three names. She recognized characters from Cram School Soda Break, Fortunate Meteor, and Midnight Sprint, that racing anime with the unbelievably lucky protagonist who was so annoying that they made Arik from the mecha show look likeable.

"Oh hey, Fortunate Meteor characters!" Victoria exclaimed and jabbed her right index finger in the direction of the collectibles in question in case the teal-haired mage wanted to follow her, then began walking briskly towards the left side of the tent. When she reached them the first figurine she picked up was that of Kaede, the blue-haired member of the protagonists of Fortunate Meteor. She had shoulder-length blue hair and was wearing a white schoolgirl uniform with blue sailor collar with white stripes and a knee-length blue skirt and black dress shoes. Her right fist was raised in triumph and she had a wide smile on her face.

"A Kaede figurine!" Victoria exclaimed in delight. She was buying this. She switched the figurine over to her left hand and looked at the area to try and locate Momo, the bespectacled pink-haired genius of the protagonists. After a few seconds she located the figurine and looked at it.

Momo was dressed in the same uniform as Kaede but her pose was different and her hair was only shoulder-length. She was carrying a stack of books in her arms that went up to her chin and she looked worried about something, possibly keeping hold of the books while preventing them from falling. Her mouth was turned in a small "o" shape and her eyes were focused downward on the books.

"Momo too?" Victoria said. She picked up the figure and claimed it for herself. Next in the trio was Kasumi the white-haired young woman who seemed to be the most level-headed of the protagonists. Victoria was going to try to get figurines of all three main characters.

The brunette looked again and spotted a Kasumi figurine. She had waist-length white hair and was dressed in the school uniform. Kasumi's pose had her holding a bottle of water in her right hand as she took a drink from it. Her left hand was planted firmly on her hip.

"Three for three!" Victoria said with satisfaction as she carefully picked up the Kasumi figurine and added it to her collection. She should have stopped there, but then she saw the plushies of the main three and was drawn to them. This was probably going to be an expensive shopping trip.

"Hey look, there are Fortunate Meteor character plushies!" Victoria informed Samira, who probably had better things to do than watching the brunette act like an overexcited fangirl of anime. The brunette was probably embarrassing herself by acting like she did, but anime was one of the few things besides alcohol and fighting that she was genuinely passionate about. It was also more socially acceptable than taking swigs of vodka from a flask or straight from the bottle.

Focusing back on the plushies, Victoria noticed that they were all high-quality ones that looked exactly like the characters and had facial expressions that matched each one. Kaede had a wide smile, Momo looked like she was stressed by something because she had wide pink eyes and a small "o" for a mouth, and Kasumi possessed a calm facial expression and a bottle of water in her right hand. It went without saying that she was going to buy all three.

"Hey Samira, do you see anywhere I can get a bag for these collectibles?" Victoria called upon her guildmate for help. She already had a decent Fortunate Meteor collection going and was going to add the three plushies to it. She still wanted to browse the Cram School Soda Break merchandise and possibly the Starting Line merchandise... if Samira could bear hanging around and waiting, that was.

Victoria felt even worse about the jewelry shop now because she felt like she had forced her guildmate to hurry up while browsing something she liked to accommodate Victoria's wants. The brunette kept that fact concealed form Samira, but the thought was now on the brunette's mind. It was too late to do anything about it now, but Victoria would try to make it up to her companion later.

[Post Word Count: 782]
[Victoria's Word Count: 10,416]
[Total Word Count: 22,688]

Victoria's excitement could be seen immediately. Samira probably didn't really need to tell her to take the lead at all. The brunette's gaze and interest had already spotted the first item of interest. To say Samira had zero clue what Victoria was pointing at would be an understatement. She had negative clue. Assuming that negatives of the clueless scale were even a measurement. With how stupid Samira felt it had to be. What Victoria pointed at could be any collectible over in that direction as far as she knew. At least something there interested Victoria though. For that Samira was glad and could appreciate the existence of that shop... Even if there were dolls within an uncomfortable range.

Samira quietly followed Victoria as she made her way around to find the treasures that would ultimately one day complete an entire collection. Even if she wanted to get a word in she doubted anything she said would have been noticed by her guildmate. The excitement only seemed to grow with each figurine found. That didn't bother the summoner in the least, however. There would be an opportunity to speak with a slimmer chance of being unheard eventually. She'd let Victoria have her fun uninterrupted unless she had a question or something. Though it was doubtful she'd have any worth asking right then. While Victoria was occupied with her search Samira decided to entertain herself by also browsing what was right there in front of her.

The number of collectible figurines was crazy. It had to be admitted that many of them were nicely detailed and cute. Much better than the typical action figure of a child's toy. Each one had a lively expression and unique pose that made it stand out from the rest. Of course, every single one was alien to her either way. She'd pick one up just to show a bit of interest in it and then set it back down. Samira did like collecting things but typically they were more of the artifact or something old variety. It was doubtful she'd buy a figurine of a show she had never seen or heard about regardless of how cute or amazing it looked. Maybe next time, after she had looked into anime more, that would be different.

When it came to the plushies Samira narrowed her eyes suspiciously. They were not to be trusted. It was a crazy thought, true. The summoner knew that quite well. She wasn't so crazy as to think it wasn't. What did that make her then? Paranoid? Overly superstitious? It was best not to put much thought into it else she'd begin to think an appointment for psychiatric help was in order. Just in case her feelings about the matter were accurate though she wasn't about to let her guard down around them. A distraction was needed right then to remain comfortable while passing through the plushies with Victoria.

A display of a variety of bookmarks caught her attention. It was pretty much right there so she didn't have to stray far from Victoria. Books were something she liked. Not exactly the ones in that place but a bookmark worked just the same. Some had characters on them, others were plain with words that were likely popular character quotes or titles, and some were just colors with a design of symbols. The symbols probably meant something based on the anime but they still looked nice and were vague enough that only anime fans would understand their meaning. She could get one of those and be happy.

Before one could be selected for purchase though Victoria had asked if she saw any bags around. The fact they didn't think about that earlier surprised her. Such things normally were right at the front so they must have somehow passed them without a thought. "Oh, let me see if I can find some," Samira replied, giving the area around her a quick glance but seeing nothing that would be a viable solution right there. She'd have to walk further away. "I will be right back." With that said, she left her companion to continue her shopping while she went back the way they came in.

Samira was much more attentive on the way back. It didn't take long to spot little baskets that other people were getting for their anime shop adventure. Naturally, all of them were shaped as cheap plastic Easter baskets for the holiday. Some better quality ones could be purchased. Those had fun designs with anime titles and characters but she was sure Victoria just wanted one of the freebies that had to be returned during the transaction process. With that assumption in mind, Samira opted to grab one of those for her. There was just one slight problem though. By the time she got to the stack a small group of men and women surrounded it, blocking her way to them. That wasn't their intention, of course. They had been meaning to make their departure from the shop. They got distracted though by an argument. Something about the best waifu. Whatever that was.

Samira stood there, staring and then blinking in a mix of confusion and amazement that those people were so passionate about their side of the debate. Now if only they would move out of the way... Well, she supposed she could give them a minute to notice they were blocking the way and get out of the way on their own. It was the polite and patient thing to do before she solved the matter herself. Sixty seconds. Fifty-nine. Fifty-eight...

Meanwhile, there was someone else with Victoria. Not that she or even Samira would have known that prior. The small spirit avatar didn't really know they were there either until he caught sight of them only a short moment ago. He had been looking for cookies and other treats when he came across the anime-inspired part of that shop. The other summons were busy doing who knew what at the festival and he wasn't interested in being a part of their shenanigans. So there he ended up as a way to pass the time.

Much like Samira, he avoided the normal porcelain doll area but for different reasons. He was about the size of one thanks to a prank that had yet to fade away even after years had passed and he was much too prideful to beg for a reversal. He had to just adapt and get used to it, which he had over the years. That spirit avatar was Hades, though he was far from an intimidating representation of the original thanks to the unplanned transformation.

As Samira walked away the spirit faded and then reappeared behind Victoria and floated over her shoulder. His green glowing eyes looked at the collectibles she had already grabbed for herself and the plushies she was eyeing. He recognized them from Fortunate Meteor. Unlike Samira he had some knowledge of anime, having watched several episodes of many while snacking on countless bags of cookies. It helped with the depression. Anyway, technically Victoria had not claimed those plushies for herself. Hades wasn't much of a plushie collector but he was a bit bored. He'd have a bit of fun while Samira was busy.

All of the Fortunate Meteor plushies rose from the tables, floating in the air as if they had been possessed. At first, they just moved around in the air in a dance but then they turned on Victoria. They all began to giggle, the voices matching the ones in the show but more... menacing. If cute little plushies could be deemed as such. Then, the plushie group rushed at her and attempted to poke her with their soft appendages. Ha. Take that Fortunate Meteor fan.

(Word Count: 1296
Samira Total: 13,568
Thread Total: 23,984)

Victoria heard Samira answer her call for assistance and promise to return soon. That was fine with the brunette. She was in no big hurry because she was debating the wisdom of adding plushies of the three main characters of Fortunate Meteor to her nascent anime collectible collection. She definitely wanted them, but the trouble was where she was going to put them. Her room in the Sheridan Estate in Capital Crocus was the best bet... it needed a few decorative objects and she was sure that Laura would take good care of them.

She also doubted that Amy would want them because as far as she knew her older sister was not an anime fan, which was good because Victoria did not want to have to share the adorable plushies. They would be hers and hers alone. If Amy wanted her own all she had to do was go to Capital Crocus Mall and go to Animated Merchandise.

Victoria set the figurines down on an empty space on the table because she would need both hands to examine the plushies. She reached out for the Kaede plushie when it and its brethren began to levitate straight up into the air, causing her to step back. Once they were all floating on the same level they began to perform a cute little dance that was simple but still impressive... all of them danced in perfect unison, which was an achievement for collectibles that were never meant to dance due to their lack of articulation. Seeing the plushies dance made Victoria want them even more.

They somehow became even cuter when they began to giggle, but that soon changed when the giggling became deeper with each passing second. The brunette put her hands on her hips and tried to figure out what was going on. She wondered if they had defective voice chips that changed the character voices from the normal voices to deeper ones that did not fit the characters at all. They sounded more like voices that belonged to metal band vocalists, something that would be kind of funny if not for what was currently going on.

The floating plushies stopped dancing before charging as a group and surrounding Victoria, then began poking her with their arms like a swarm of angry hornets if hornets were larger, made of whatever plushies were made out of, and had deep voices. All of a sudden the collectibles went from very cute to somewhat frightening. While their "attacks" did not really hurt because plush material was far from the most damaging thing to the human body, the pokes were numerous and came from all sides. Their evil little death metal vocalist giggles did not help at all. Victoria could not employ her magic without causing a lot of property damage, so it was time to call for help from the Goddess of Humility.

"Samira, these plushies are attacking me! Get the holy water, get a holy book, call an exorcist, anything!" Victoria called on her guildmate for aid combating the unusual threat while slowly and carefully backing away from her tiny attackers. She had no idea what was going on here other than things that were not supposed to float and move were floating and moving. She had not had any alcohol yet, so she knew that she was not seeing things while under the influence. Something weird was definitely going on and she hoped that Samira could help her take care of it before the situation got any weirder, possibly even life-threatening.

[Post Word Count: 592]
[Victoria's Word Count: 11,008]
[Total Word Count: 24,576]

Three. Two. One. The minute of patience had passed. The group members were still having their debate. Still they did not notice her or the fact they were blocking the small shopping baskets. Enough was enough. Samira didn't care about the characters of Bubblegum Pheonix, the ones from Night Shift Diva, or whatever else were being listed. She couldn't keep up with the conversation nor did she care to put any mental power into understanding anything that was being said between them. They just needed to move!

"Excuse me," Samira said politely. It was a weak attempt to get noticed for sure but it was always best to start off cordial. They didn't seem to hear her and just kept talking. An exasperated sigh was all that would leave her mouth now. Words would be a waste. She'd just jump straight to action. Nothing harmful, of course. She wasn't crazy. Just a small spell or two to move and possibly startle them all was in mind.

There was some quick thinking in her mind. How would she get rid of them? There were so many options and since they were so enthralled by the topic of their debate she had all the time in the world to come to a decision. Not that such an amount of time was needed. Simplicity was chosen over anything complicated and fancy. There didn't need to be a scene and she was over trying to talk to them, though the temptation to call them out on their less than courteous behavior was strong. She'd just remove them completely and leave them wondering what had happened.

With a flick of her hand, a small surge of magic formed in the air and spread forward. The pale blue colored energy touched and enveloped the strange people. Before their senses and mind could even process what was going on they blipped seemingly out of existence. The next thing they knew they were right outside the Ace of Spades, completely on the other side from where they were. Even if they decided to get back to where they were it'd takes what seemed like an age and a half on foot. More than enough time for Samira and Victoria to finish browsing the hellish doll and anime shop.

Samira felt a great satisfaction from seeing them disappear. The frown of disapproval was replaced with a smile upon seeing the area now clear and her goal once again reachable. Was it a bit much? Possibly. But they were fine. She had zero guilt or concern over it.

Now that the Easter themed small shopping baskets were free, Samira approached them and grabbed one. Just one. Victoria may have needed one for everything she saw and wanted but Samira was the opposite. So far she was only interested in the bookmark and that didn't exactly require a basket to hold it, though the image would be amusing.

It was at that point that she heard Victoria shouting. It was more than to get her attention based on the tone and words used. Something was going on. What it was she wasn't entirely sure. Nothing about it made sense. Plushies were attacking? What? Even to Samira, who had that mild paranoia regarding dolls, found that to be unbelievable. They weren't in a haunted area. It wasn't Halloween. They were in the Ace of Spades! Nothing like that ever happened there. It was easier to believe that Victoria had somehow found out about her unease when around dolls and was trying to joke around and make fun of her.

Sure enough though once Samira turned around she saw the scene. The very plushies of one of Victoria's favored anime were floating midair and attacking her... If that was what it could be described as. The amount of damage they did had to be a huge zero.

The Goddess of Ishgar stood there passively, watching without so much as blinking her eyes. It was a ridiculous sight. At the same time though Samira felt justified. Her embarrassing fear wasn't just from an unexplainable sense of paranoia after all. She had been right. Even plushies were evil soulless creatures that stood by waiting until the perfect opportunity to attack.

Finally she blinked as her mind came back to focusing on the reality before her. The plushies so far were harmless with their only damaging aspect affecting the tolerance of annoyance. They still needed to be dealt with though. But how? As much as Samira wanted to torch them and watch as their soft plush bodies burned and transformed into an unrecognizable pile of ash that would be a bit much. Unless the paranoia in her was right and they'd be immune to that tactic. In which case it wouldn't be enough. But that was silly... Yes. Completely silly. The thoughts were starting to become overly distracting.

The currently mischievous spirit avatar of Hades watched in amusement as the prank got an immediate effect. He wasn't all too sure what would happen when he started it. The Sabertooth mage was a powerful one from what he knew so he half expected her to destroy the dolls with a slap of her hand. Yet she was at their mercy. It was so entertaining. Now he knew why Loki enjoyed annoying the other spirit avatars with his own magical pranks. Watching the reactions was thrilling and satisfactory. Hades wasn't as foolish as he though. He'd keep it rare instead of habitual.

Funny enough Victoria had not noticed him at all. Who could blame her though when she was the victim of merciless plushies? When she shouted for Samira though he remembered that he had not turned himself invisible. He did so immediately before his summoner turned around. The small spirit even soared through the air to hide behind a hanging large doll of a random anime character.

The decoration began to swing slightly from the air that was created when he moved. The green glow of his eyes widened in a panic. There was no breeze. It'd be too obvious! He reached out to stop it but quickly opted to instead go into the doll, his very body turning into dark purple particles that disappeared upon touching the large plush. He was now possessing it and with that power, he forced it to stop swinging and keep still. There he remained to watch and listen while also hoping he didn't get caught. Not to say that he was too afraid of the pair of mages. He wasn't. But why risk it regardless?

As for the dolls he had already been manipulating with his abilities, they still continued to move around, but their assault on Victoria had ceased. All at once, each doll turned around to face Samira. The stitching of their mouths magically morphed into the shape one would make when surprised. The dolls gasped in horror. They were acting on the spirit avatar's own sense of self preservation in a sense but they had also taken a life of their own now. The adorable plushies scattered to various spots of the shop to hide, knocking things over, startling other customers, and causing other messes in the process.

Most of the flying pin cushions had disappeared before Samira could come up with a proper way of dealing with them without causing property damage or satisfying her desire to destroy them. One took to flying in her direction. As it did, Samira moved the handle of the basket she held out of the way and then turned the basket upside down. As the plush flew by and over a table full of books she slammed the basket down, trapping the thing inside. She kept holding the basket down as it budged and popped up as the plush bounced around inside. She shifted the force needed to hold it down to her left arm while the hand of her right reached for one of the books. The book was set on top of the basket, replacing her as the weight that would hold the plush in its cage. A few more were added to the stack for even more weight just in case. The unhappy plush character ran into the walls of the small trap a few times but soon found it to be a wasted effort. It stopped moving and sat on the table. Almost it seemed to be back to its unliving state but Samira was not about to lift the basket cage to test out that theory. Until they figured out what was going on and properly reversed it that thing was going to stay in there.

"That is one down." Samira thought aloud before switching her gaze to Victoria. "We should try to find and catch the rest before they can cause any more of a scene. We will figure out what to do with them after, though I suspect destroying them will affect our jewel amounts greatly if we are made to pay for the loss. Let us keep that as a last resort and be gentle while dealing with them."

(Word Count: 1517
Samira Total: 15,085
Thread Total: 26,093)

4000 words used for Spring Event 2022
22,000 words used for 100Y Freeform
93 left over for next freeform