Springtime Priorities

The world was a bit different in current days. Had been for a while now. The war was always a topic of conversation for many, and one couldn't go to any public gathering without hearing something being said about it. Still, there were some things that did not change. Seasonal and holiday festivals were always ongoing. Whether the event coordinators just wanted to get everyone's mind off the war or they just didn't care about it was anyone's guess. The fact remained that a springtime festival was now up and running. Fiore itself was far from the battles that took place across the continent so maybe it was pretty easy to forget when springtime colors and decor were everywhere. Spring was the season of hope and renewal so maybe the citizens attending the festival found a reason in that to forget about all the current events and just go back to the simple times of carefree enjoyment. Or so some would think. Samira sort of had a similar thought process. She had not taken an official side in the war and, at least for now, she was so far from its immediate effects. It was easy to focus on the same old traditions and just live as she always had. Not that in any way meant it was any safer or uneventful, but it was normal. She could allow herself to get distracted by the springtime festival and look forward to whatever tomorrow brought. Again, at least for now.

It wasn't quite afternoon yet but the festival was already busy and lively. From Easter egg painting all the way to the relay races. There was something for everyone and each activity was popular among the attendees. Samira herself had already decided on doing something simple to pass the time. Painting easter eggs. Although, she couldn't really fathom why that called out to her first. Being that kind of creative was a rarity but that day she was quick to give it a try and amuse herself with the activity. It didn't take long for her to get to the point of realizing something was missing. Besides the paint that was supposed to be on the hardboiled egg in front of her. Not a single dab of paint had been brushed onto it yet. The noise of the spirit avatars around her went unheard as they fought and argued over their own egg masterpieces, causing other participants and spectators to stare and calmly distance themselves. Normally she would have told them to quiet down and behave, much like a child would a parent, but she was too distracted by that one missing thing. What was it? And then finally, it became clear. Her normal festival partner was absent. That was it. Leona was unavailable that day. So there Samira was. Alone. With the avatar spirits that craved attention and trouble on a daily basis. At a festival where they were bound to get thrown out for doing whatever chaotic plans they could come up with. Oh, dear. She needed contact with someone else for once. But, who?

Samira continued to ignore the egg that still needed to be painted. There was still plenty of time to do something with it so whatever time was left on the clock didn't worry her much. Her new priority was getting someone there that wasn't... Samira stared at the group of summons around her. The fight for dominance over the cup of yellow paint was real. "There is more yellow paint at the other egg painting tables..." The group looked at her and then at the other tables. Naturally, those other tables had other people paiting eggs, but no one seemed to take that into consideration. The group zoomed towards the other tables, leaving the original cup of yellow paint at her table all alone. Samira sighed in a mix of disappointment and exasperation. To conclude her earlier thought process, it would have been nice to have someone there that wasn't them.

"I wonder if anyone at the guild is coming here today." Samira thought aloud. It was the Ace of Spades, after all. The main town that Sabertooth had major connections with and watched over. Why she chose to visit the Ace of Spades over anywhere else Samira didn't know. She rarely ever came to that town or even the guildhall itself. Perhaps it was a subconscious choice in answer to her current small problem of company.

"I haven't seen anyone yet!" Serqet, the only summon that had remained because she was more focused on the color purple than yellow, answered. The spirit avatar clumsily painted on her egg. Not because of lack of skill but because she was wearing a massive bunny costume. It wasn't exactly made for performing detailed artistic strokes. Serqet didn't seem to mind though, nor did she mind the mess she was making on the costume itself. "They'll probably come though. Maybe. If they're not busy. Or dead."

"Hmmmm," Samira didn't know many of the guild members to even personally invite. And on such short notice too come to think of it. The most logical choice was Victoria. She'd likely be the easiest to find out of anyone and most likely very nearby if she still worked at the inn. That was fortunate. The whole thought of having company likely would have been extinguished permanently if she had to settle on Kite or Imai. It was almost enough to quickly switch towns. Thank goodness for the existence of Victoria and for the lines of fate having them meet in the past. Samira would enjoy getting to know the other Sabertooth mage a bit more and adding a guildmate to the list of friends. And so the decision was made and the plan set.

At the Red Dragon Inn, a magic portal materialized inside. It was the first place to look for the mage that was so known to be there. And, as expected, it would be the last. A spirit avatar that Victoria was familiar with came from the portal; Janus. He bowed politely towards her and began to greet her. "Heeeellllooooo, Ms. SheriDAN!" The master of portals yelped the last syllable as someone else came bouncing through the portal, crashing right into him and knocking him to the ground. It was the bunny costumed Serqet. "Hihi!" She hopped around and waved around her egg-filled easter basket a few times before stopping right in front of Victoria. From the basket she pulled out a colorful easter-themed letter. That was blank. She didn't exactly have time to fill it in or have Samira do so before hijacking Janus' portal. Nevertheless she offered it for Victoria to take. "You've been officially invited to join our uh... most esteemed summoner in the spring festival.... festivities! Do you accept?!"

"She means Samira," Janus added weakly from the floor. He was sure Victoria could put two and two together without that, but since Serqet failed to mention it herself he felt it polite to make it clear.

(Word Count: 1173)

-Red Dragon Inn-

Clad in her blue Steel Matron t-shirt along with black skirt with pockets, black bike shorts on underneath the skirt, and white tennis shoes on her feet, Victoria sat on her usual stool at the bar and drank from a can of Cherry Charge soda. Victoria had really wanted a Screwdriver today but chose to settle for a can of Cherry Charge soda instead. As time went on she found her "need" for alcohol decreasing and she reached for the bottle less and less, saving alcohol for important celebrations instead of drinking it every chance she got. While she could have used today as a good excuse to drink some alcohol without anyone batting an eye, the brunette decided to save the drinking for another day instead.

Victoria thought about checking out the Spring Festival in town just to see what it was about. She did not really want to look for a job today and was not wanting to go back to her room in Sabertooth Guild Hall just yet, so as soon as she finished this can she would get another can for the road and go see what the festival had to offer. If she liked what she saw she would participate in it. If she found it to be not to her liking she would just go back to her room and do something like go to sleep or look for a job, maybe even return to Red Dragon Inn and grab a bottle of vodka after all. She was halfway through the first can when someone called out to her from behind and she turned to see who it was.

Samira's summon Janus had appeared from a portal and had begun speaking to her. The brunette remembered the mechanical guy from the Ishgar Symposium and how his aid had made life a lot easier for the Sabertooth trio of Samira, Kite, and Victoria on that eventful day. She liked the guy because he was a lot more easy-going than some of Samira's other summons.

"Hey there Janus, how's it going... today..." Victoria started speaking to the mechanical summon when another person showed up unexpectedly and knocked the hapless Janus to the floor upon arrival. The new arrival in question was someone wearing a bunny costume, someone who Victoria had never seen before today... the new person was likely another one of Samira's summons. After a few moments of odd behavior the new arrival literally hopped over to Victoria and presented her with an object which turned out to be a letter.  Victoria opened it and began to read it to find that there was absolutely nothing written on the paper.

This was getting stranger by the second.

She looked towards the summons for an explanation and soon got one from both of them. The letter was an invitation from Samira to meet up with the latter and participate in the Spring Festival together. Victoria did not need to be asked twice.

"Samira wants me to participate in the Spring Festival with her? Dude, I'm there!" Victoria replied enthusiastically to the question that Janus and the other summon whose name she did not know had asked her. It was not every day that the famous Samira Nassar herself asked Victoria to join her for anything. The brunette had better seize this opportunity while she could because should she turn this opportunity down she might not get another. Victoria was totally on board with the idea of meeting Samira, but first she had a question.

"I take it that stepping through the portal will take me straight to where Samira is?" Victoria asked both Janus and the costumed summon. It was probably a dumb question to ask, but she had to ask before stepping through the portal to make sure that she would get to her destination alive and in one piece. Traveling through portals was still new to Victoria and she did not want anything strange to happen to her when she stepped through one.

[Post Word Count: 672]
[Victoria's Word Count: 672/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 1,845/4,000]

"Yep yep! Just hop right on through!" The hyperactive summon excitedly replied. There was no doubt in her mind that Victoria wanted to participate in the festival. Victoria seemed cool. And fun. And super fantabulous. Granted she thought about that for most people and there was for certain a plan to push Victoria through the portal if there had been any objections. No one had to know those details though because they were irrelevant! The day was going to be great!

"It's my portal! I should be the one to answer!" Janus had been offended that Serqet had taken over. They were his portals! He was the portal master! In his old age, it was the one thing he could do! Some could say standing up was another thing he could do marvelously, but he decided to continue to lie there. Ultimately defeated. Serqet ignored his words entirely and instead just knelt down to roll him over and out of the way of the portal so Victoria could use it.

"Have fun fun fun!" Serqet waved and continued to grind happily. The two had not intended to follow Victoria through the portal. There was little need to when Samira acted as a destination point. They'd just pop back to the festival grounds when they were ready. Likely when Janus got out of his mood.

Once Victoria stepped through the portal she'd near-instantly find herself at the spring festival grounds. As told by the summons, it delivered her right where Samira was. Or more specifically, right where the empty seat across from Samira was. The portals made by Janus were generally accurate but he failed to take into account that he couldn't force Victoria into the seating position as she used the teleportation method. He also neglected to tell her to jump in while pretending to take a seat. The result was Victoria being at the festival all right, but she'd also be standing on the empty chair that had been saved for her. At the very least her fears of anything strange happening to her during portal travel might diminish somewhat if that was the worst that could happen. Then again, if that happened with a supposed master of portals the thought of an amateur portal maker could rightly be terrifying. Oh well. That was a worry for another day, right?

Samira had sensed the magic portal materializing and word from both Serqet and Janus had reached her telepathically. She hadn't looked up yet though to take notice of the other made having arrived standing on the chair. Her gaze was intensely focused on the egg before her. The tiny canvas was no longer the boring white object void of any creativity. Inviting Victoria to join her in the festival activities had finally freed her mind, allowing her to get a bit artistic. Already her egg had been dyed a pastel blue and tiny yellow details had been painted on the fragile surface. Yes, yellow. Her table was now the only one that had any of that color left. Too much, in fact. Her spirit avatars had dropped off their hoard and went off to do something else to ease their inability to focus on one activity for too long. Apparently stealing paint from other tables was more entertaining than painting the eggs themselves.

"Hello, Victoria," Samira greeted, still painting the egg and being extremely careful to not get any of it on her skin or clothing. Knowing that it was Victoria standing there and not a poor soul that was a case of mistaken identity was easy enough. The magical signature of her guildmate was unique enough and there were very few that matched its strength. "Sorry for the unexpected invitation. It was not until I was already here that I considered having someone I knew join me. How are your egg painting skills?" There were certainly many other things to do at the festival. Surely something that Victoria would enjoy more than the slow-paced style of painting eggs. But, well, Samira had already started on the painting activity and she intended to see it through. Her verdant eyes remained on the egg and her work as she waited for a response.

(Word Count: 703
Samira Total: 1876
Thread Total: 2548)

Having received the answer she was looking for, Victoria needed no further persuasion. She would walk into the portal and join the famous Samira Nassar for the Spring Festival... as soon as she finished her canned drink. Victoria chugged the rest of the cherry soda in seconds, then sought out the proper trash receptacle and threw the can in. She then returned to where Janus and the other summon were waiting for her.

"I'm gonna go see Samira now. Thanks for the portal, guys!" Victoria said to Janus and the other summon whose name she had not gotten. The brunette walked into the portal and when she stepped through it she soon found herself in a very odd place. When she reappeared she was standing on top of a chair. She was not exactly sure how that had happened, but she was certain that the outcome could have easily been a lot worse.

The brunette turned red from embarrassment and quickly climbed down from the chair before anyone really noticed how odd it was for her to be standing on a chair. Once she was not standing on the chair anymore she looked and saw Samira Nassar herself sitting very close by. Victoria wiped out the seat, then sat down in it and noticed that the teal-haired mage was busy painting an egg. Samira was also wearing an outfit that was noticeably different from her normal attire. The new outfit consisted of a long-sleeved white shirt under a black mini-dress and finished with black boots for the footwear; that outfit was a lot nicer than Victoria's, so the brunette felt a little shabby sitting next to the teal-haired mage.

"Hey Samira!" Victoria enthusiastically greeted the Goddess of Humility. Victoria forgot what the teal-haired mage liked to be called, so she use "Samira" unless told otherwise. The brunette looked in front of her and saw a plain white egg and different colors of paint along with a paintbrush sitting there ready for use. When she heard Samira's words Victoria put two and two together... she had ended up in an egg painting activity!

"Um, I've never painted an egg before, Samira, so they're not very good. If I have any painting skills at all." Victoria told her famous guildmate. The brunette was not the artistic type and had no interest in art of any kind other than music or anime, but she was only a consumer, not a producer. She would have to dig deep down and find her sleeping artist to get through this activity.

Victoria picked up the paintbrush and thought about what she wanted to paint. She thought for a minute or two and thought back to her iLac case, which was olive green with a white star. After coming up with a theme she looked down at the paint and did not see olive green, but she did see mint green. Mint green would be a good enough substitute.

Victoria picked up her paintbrush, dipped it in the mint green paint, and began to slowly paint the egg mint green, being certain to leave enough unpainted eggshell in the middle to make the white star. The brunette had an idea and decided to paint the outline of the star first, then paint around it. She did so after a few minutes and had a star shape with only a few minor wobbles here and there. After that she began to paint around the star, being absolutely certain not to paint in the middle and ruin the look she was going for.

Once the front of the egg was painted to her satisfaction Victoria gently turned the egg around so that the unpainted side faced her. After that she began to repeat how she had painted the egg on the front, starting off with the outline of the star and making sure that the lines were as straight as she could get them. Once the outline was finished she examined her work for a moment. She was not sure if she had put the outline in the right place or not, but it was too late to do anything about it now. She would just have to go through with her plan whether the star on the front and the star on the back were in perfect alignment or not.

Victoria began painting the rest of the egg, being careful to leave the white star in the middle.

[Post Word Count: 740]
[Victoria's Word Count: 1,412/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 3,288/4,000]

"Oh? We have that in common then. I am not very skilled at it myself," Samira admitted to Victoria while also sending a small smile in her direction. It was an attempt to reassure her guildmate that skill mattered little with the activity. It was just for fun and they were both allowed to be completely terrible at it. "I practiced more pumpkin carving than painting in my free time. At least this is not a contest so there is little stress to do exceptionally well."

Once she saw Victoria pick up a brush to try out the activity, Samira went back to her own egg painting. Although, she was pretty much nearly done. The summoner took her time with slow motions to add more details, all the while glancing up to get a peek at Victoria's work. At first, she couldn't tell what was being done aside from the mint green color, but eventually, Victoria turned the egg around to reveal a white star had been painted onto the egg's surface. Samira thought it looked good, but she chose to wait until Victoria was done to say anything. Interrupting might have popped Victoria right out of her artistic focus.

"Your egg looks-" Samira had begun to complement Victoria's work now that it seemed she was well on her way to completion of her egg masterpiece. However, she was interrupted immediately by two event coordinators that walked by to see the artwork. The pair were dressed in uniforms of pastel coloring and they both wore a hat that had bunny ears sticking right off the top. They each enthusiastically slammed a small plastic egg onto the table by each mage. "Oh. My. Eggs. These look fantastic!" The woman said as she stared at the eggs with wide eyes. Although, the tone was one that clearly told Samira the enthusiasm was a bit overdone and was an act. She probably had said the same line to everyone several times already that day.

"I have never seen such works of art on eggs." The other coordinator, that one being a man also commented. His over-exaggerated tone was quite the same. At the very least Samira found them to be amusing. Annoying to some, she supposed.
"Nope. Never."
"Never."
"Truly fabulous."
"Worthy of the reward indeed."
"Indeed."
"They should try out the other activities."
"They should!"
The two each took a flier out of their shirt uniform pocket and slammed those down on the table too. Enthusiastically, of course.
"You both look young and energetic. You should try the relay race."
"Or the egg and four-leaf clover hunts."
"Dancing at the maypole is also fun."
"Or if you're hungry you can try out the feast. There's so much food."
"Tons of food!"
"Tasty food."
"Very tasty."
"This festival has a lot to do."
"Many things."
"All the things."
"And they all reward eggs."
"Turn them in for a special reward at the end of the day!"
"Have fun!" They both said in unison before running off to the next table to speak the same speech they had mastered to another group.

"Well that was entertaining," Samira commented as she picked up the flier and decided to move on. They did make it a bit easier to see what all the festival had to offer. She had a general idea, but it was best to be accurate about the options. After all, she wasn't alone at the festival anymore. "They were not over exaggerating. There are quite a bit of activities listed. Is there anything in particular that you would like to do?"

(Word Count: 601
Samira Total: 2477
Thread Total: 3889)

1/3 Small Easter Eggs earned

Victoria thought that she heard her esteemed guildmate talking to her, but the brunette was so busy put the finishing touches on her egg that she could only make out a little bit of what she had been told. While most of it had been unclear because she was preoccupied, Victoria knew that it had something to do with pumpkins. Victoria thought she heard Samira say that the latter was adept at carving pumpkins, but she was not sure beyond a reasonable doubt that that was what Samira had said.  

Victoria eventually finished painting her egg and turned it around to see that the white star on the back was indeed out of alignment with the star on the front. It was out of alignment by a good few inches to the left, but there was nothing that could be done about it now. The paint was drying and she did not have time to fix the mistake even if she could. How she could fix it was another matter entirely. She had little knowledge of how to work with paint other than "put it on the brush, paint, then put some more paint on the brush."

Before she could give the issue any more thought two people dressed in bright and unusually colored attire that was nevertheless in keeping with the festival's theme walked up to the two Sabertooth mages and began to talk to the pair about their respective eggs. Victoria put the paint brush down on a paper towel and listened to the spiel from the event coordinators. At the end of the spiel she received a small plastic Easter Egg for her painted egg, which in the brunette's opinion was not a bad effort considering that this was the first time she had ever painted an egg.

Victoria put the plastic egg in her right skirt pocket before picking up the flyer that had been left for her, then faced Samira, who had asked the brunette what activity the latter wanted to pursue next. Looking down at the flyer she had just been given by the event coordinators, Victoria glanced over the list of activities that she had to choose from. True to Samira's word there was a lot to choose from. Once she had looked over the list to her satisfaction Victoria made eye contact with Samira and spoke to her guildmate.

"I'm definitely interested in the Easter Feaster activity, but we don't have to do that right away. We can save it for last if you want." Victoria announced one of her choices to Samira. Victoria took a glance at the flyer again and tried to figure out what activity she wanted to do before Easter Feaster. After perusing the list a second time Victoria faced Samira again.

"I'm looking at doing the Easter Egg Hunt before we do anything else, but if you have a suggestion I'm willing to listen to it." Victoria told Samira. Victoria was not sure how her suggestion came across to the Goddess Of Humility. She was not sure if Samira felt like running around looking for Easter Eggs or not, but Samira would likely let the brunette know if that activity was not one she was interested in.

[Post Word Count: 540]
[Victoria's Word Count: 1,952/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 4,429/4,000]

Victoria has earned one Easter Egg from completing the Easter Egg Painting activity. She has gained one out of three small Easter Eggs required for event completion.

Samira stared over at Victoria patiently, waiting to hear what her fellow Sabertooth mage would like to try. She certainly had no problem with picking the next activity if she had to, but this was an opportunity to get to know Victoria a little better. What would she choose out of that entire list? First mentioned was the Easter Feaster. Samira glanced at the page again to read its short summary. Much like the summertime festival that occurred the previous year, it was a feast filled with high-quality food and drink. All for free. That sounded nice. "That is most certainly a stop I would like to make. A bit later." Painting an egg for all that time did create a bit of an appetite for snacking. Not enough for a meal quite yet though, and Samira couldn't imagine doing any of the more mobile activities after eating. For that reason, she had made her thoughts vocal. She hoped that had not been the only thing to catch Victoria's interest. Else, they might have been better suited just spending time at a mall or, like their previous festival together where they had met by happen chance, at a theme park.

The next thing that attracted Victoria's attention was the Easter Egg Hunt. Now that Samira could get on board immediately. Thankfully her summons had not decided to make trouble over there just yet. Some were busy trying to figure out the point of dancing around a maypole. Others were teamed up for the relay races. They kept themselves busy and distracted. For now. "Easter Egg Hunting is a delightful choice. I have not participated in one in quite a long time. This should be entertaining." Locating hidden eggs could be a bit of a challenge. Samira liked little hunts like that as it was when it came to artifacts and other things during her adventures and mission-taking. She did not expect to be the fastest or win with just her natural self and without magic, but she was just in it for the fun. As always.

Samira stood from her seat and pushed it in so it was under the table and out of the way. "We should go sign ourselves up right away for the next round."

(Word Count: 378
Samira Total: 2855
Thread Total: 4807)

Rolling for the Easter Egg Hunt.

The member 'Victoria Sheridan' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

---

'Normal Dice' :

Victoria did not expect Samira to agree to the Easter Egg Hunt activity so quickly or so easily, but the brunette was not going to complain. She had never been on an Easter Egg Hunt before... not that she could remember, anyway. There was a lot about her childhood that she did not remember. She had definitely never been on an Easter Egg Hunt with Samira Nassar before. Today she would get to do both.

"Yeah. We should get to the registration area as soon as we can. I doubt that we're the only ones who want to participate." Victoria said to her esteemed guildmate. She got up, pushed her chair in, and began to walk towards the Easter Egg Hunt registration area at a reasonable pace so that Samira could keep up with her.

-At the Easter Egg Hunt registration area-

Victoria followed signs that were placed throughout the festivity area and eventually found the registration area for the activity, a table which was helpfully flanked by two large signs that were made in the shape of pink Easter eggs. Victoria turned to make sure that her guildmate was behind her and spotted the teal-haired mage not too far behind her. It would be very hard to lose someone with as distinctive an appearance as Samira Nassar.

"Here we are, Samira. We'd better hurry." Victoria said to Samira before walking briskly to the table. Luck was on her side because no one was in front of her, which meant that the brunette would get to sign up without having to wait. Victoria quickly signed up and was directed towards a stack of plastic Easter Baskets, where she walked over and picked up a green one because green was her favorite color. Once she got her basket she returned to Samira and spoke to her.

"All right, Samira. I'm signed up for the activity. You should get signed up too." Victoria suggested to the teal-haired mage. There was no telling when more people would come streaming in to sign up or when the activity would begin, so time was of the essence. Samira did not need Victoria to tell her that, so the brunette would just stop talking and let Samira sign up when she was ready to do so.

[Post Word Count: 380]
[Victoria's Word Count: 2,332/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 5,187]

With Victoria's agreement, the two were off. Samira followed the brunette through the festival grounds until they reached the spacious section that was set up for the egg hunt. She gave a nod when Victoria said that they'd better hurry. There was no line as of yet but that didn't mean one wouldn't form if they took too much time standing around and taking in the sights. Samira followed Victoria but stopped to look at the others that were there. There wasn't anything that stood out as abnormal. Everyone looked excited and ready to start. By the time she was done with checking out the other easter egg hunters, Victoria had come back from sign-ups to remind her that she needed to do it as well. "Right. I will be back in a moment." And so Samira went to get herself signed up and ready.

The overall sign-up process was simple, allowing the summoner to quickly move on to picking an egg hunting basket for herself. There were so many colors to choose from! Which one should she pick? Surely they wouldn't allow her to take all of them. Requesting for a magical one that changed color was probably also out of the question. Finally, Samira had decided on a normal pastel yellow basket. A mental game similar to that of eenie meenie miney mo had to be done first to decide, but a basket had been chosen nonetheless. Satisfied with her choice, Samira happily returned to Victoria's side. "All done!"

Funny enough, the moment Samira made her accomplishment known the egg hunt coordinator announced that the activity was about to start. She had taken so long to pick a basket that there was no time left to talk before starting. That was a little disappointing but the day was still quite young and they could talk all they wanted afterward. "Good luck, Victoria!" Not that the brunette really needed it. Samira was sure the other woman would collect numerous eggs. She looked athletic and agile enough anyway, more than many others present, including herself.

Samira slowly walked off to start the egg hunt. The activity wasn't exactly a tag team type so it wouldn't make much sense to follow Victoria around. They'd just meet up again once the event was over. Not that it'd take long at all. Many of the other participants dashed forward in random directions, trying to spot any eggs that were hidden away or even just sitting there in plain view. Samira chose not to run around like the rest. She walked and took her time. She'd spot an egg here or there. Most of them had been passed unnoticed by the rushing crowd. By the end, she hadn't collected a lot, but it was an amount that was fine with her. She had never expected to find the most and was just interested in participating. Anything was better than finding none at all!

A loud buzzer rang and then it was officially announced that all the eggs had been found and the event was over for that round. There'd be another in the next hour for those interested in trying again or for any new hunters to join in. That was all well and fine but Samira was ready to move on to something else. For now, she walked back to the starting area to meet up with Victoria so they could properly plan their next activity.

(Word Count: 573
Samira Total: 3428
Thread Total: 5760)

1 Small Easter Egg earned from Easter Egg Hunt
2/3 Small Easter Eggs earned for event completion

Victoria waited with her basket in hand, but at the exact moment Samira had returned from doing what she needed to do the activity started and a crowd of participants surged forward into the park. Victoria was wished luck by her guildmate and the brunette faced her.

"Thanks, Samira. Good luck to you too." Victoria wished Samira before hurrying off into the park to claim as many eggs as she could before everyone else got to them. That was a tall order, though. The other participants had gotten a sizable headstart, but that was OK. Hanging out with Samira was more important than an Easter Egg Hunt, especially when there was no big prize to be won or enormous prestige to be gained.

-At the end of the activity, one hour later-

An exhausted Victoria walked out of the park with only five eggs in her basket. The other contestants were blessed with speed and good eyesight because everywhere she went the eggs had already been found. On a couple of occasions she had spotted an egg and moved to get it only for someone quicker to grab it and add it to their collection before she could take four steps towards it. As a result Victoria had to content herself with a few eggs she had found in out-of-the-way places like hidden deep in a bush or nestled close to a tree root in a patch of grass. It was OK, though.

Victoria had not expected to win and nothing was at stake, so the brunette was not terribly upset. She had found five eggs and that was five more than she had anticipated finding because the other participants ran around the park like they had chugged their body weight in energy drinks before the activity. Just as Victoria approached the starting area where Samira stood she was gifted with a small green plastic Easter Egg from an event coordinator and put it in her skirt pocket with the first small plastic Easter Egg she had gotten from the Egg Painting activity. After that she thanked the event coordinator for the egg and finished walking the rest of the way to reunite with Samira.

"Hey Samira, how did your Easter Egg hunt go? Me, I found five eggs." Victoria said and tilted the basket towards Samira to show her the proof.

"What activity would you like to do next, Samira?" Victoria asked the teal-haired mage.

[Post Word Count: 406]
[Victoria's Word Count: 2,738/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 6,166]

Victoria has earned one Small Easter Egg from the Easter Egg Hunt activity.

Victoria now has two out of three Small Easter Eggs required for event completion.

"I found some eggs. Not a lot, but I am content with it." Samira gently swung her basket around so its contents were easily viewable. "It could have been zero with the way I was moving compared to everyone else." A soft chuckle was let out as she found humor in her slow pace. She certainly could have moved much faster but purposely chose not to. Looking down at Victoria's basket Samira couldn't help but frown a bit. She had been wrong in her prediction of Victoria doing above average. In fact, they had about the same amount of... acceptable progress. "I am surprised that you only managed to find five though. I suppose the others were much quicker on their feet than I originally expected them to be." That or they had the eyes of an eagle and spotted those eggs from very far away. Maybe both. Or both the luck of Victoria and herself was just plain bad that day. Who knew? Samira wasn't going to overthink it and neither did it seem Victoria would be. The brunette's next question made it clear that she was ready to move on.

"You did mention the Easter Feaster earlier so I think we should head that way. We should not go too long without eating something. I have also heard that the dishes are a promotion for a famous chef so it would be quite a shame if we waited too long and everything was gone before we could eat anything." This wasn't just some basic hamburger and hot dog grilling cookout. There was supposed to be some really good stuff there. Samira wasn't overly famished but she was interested in trying some things. As long as the Easter Feaster wasn't a tribute to that horrible egotistical chef from a cooking contest some time ago. Her appetite would vanish in an instant.

"Are you fine with this idea or did you want to do another game first?" Although Samira was a bit hungry she mainly did choose the Easter Feaster because Victoria had brought it up earlier. She was basically going through the checklist to make sure everything that her guildmate wanted to do was done first so she'd enjoy the outing more. There were only two things on that list so it was a bit on the short side. That was fine though. They'd just do the other activities anyway in a random order.

(Word Count: 405
Samira Total: 3833
Thread Total: 6571)

"I must have been going up against a bunch of track runners. That or they all chugged their body weight in energy drinks before the activity started. But I'm OK with the outcome. Getting some eggs is better than getting no eggs at all." Victoria said to her companion regarding the outcome of the Easter Egg Hunt. It could have been much worse for her than the mild disappointment she was currently feeling. With that being said she turned her attention to the name of the next activity that Samira wanted to do, which was Easter Feaster. Victoria made eye contact with her guildmate and listened to the latter talk.

Samira had stated that some chef of considerable renown was responsible for preparing the dishes for the Easter Feaster activity. Victoria was not familiar with celebrity chefs and had no knowledge of cuisine that was high-class or otherwise, but she appreciated good food no matter how fancy or plain the presentation was. Getting a chance to eat food prepared by a famous chef was not an opportunity that the brunette would willingly pass up, especially when it was free.

"Easter Feaster? I'm ready to go whenever you are!" Victoria made her willingness to go to Easter Feaster known in no uncertain terms. Her disappointment over the outcome of the Easter Egg Hunt had been all but forgotten now that she was going to participate in another activity with Samira. The fact that it was an activity that involved free food made the disappointment go away even faster.

"Lead the way, Samira!" Victoria said to the teal-haired mage. Moments later she realized what she had said and felt it wise to make a quick addition so that Samira did not think Victoria was trying to boss her around.

"Lead the way whenever you're ready, of course!" Victoria quickly added.

[Post Word Count: 308]
[Victoria's Word Count: 3,046/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 6,879]

The Easter Feaster it was! Samira began to walk towards the area that was set up solely for the feast. She didn't take Victoria's words as bossing her around at all, although she did think the rephrasing of the brunette's words a little odd because of that. The choice made was to say nothing regarding that and simply smile while moving on. The thought of a free good meal made letting simple little things like that easy to let go and forget about.

Finding the street for the feast was easy enough. If not found by the collective aroma of all the dishes that spread throughout the entire city there were signs all over that led the way. In no time the pair of Sabertooth mages would find themselves in quite the setup. Whoever took the time to decorate the feast area of the festival did some great work. Colorful flowers and fabrics were everywhere, perfectly designed to wow anyone who took the time to look and observe. Plenty of long tables were set up for everyone to have a place somewhere, all of them covered in spring-colored tablecloths and even chairs scooted under to match. Then there was that obvious huge collection of food. It was insane how much of it there was and even with so many people going up there to get some the amount available never seemed to decrease. If anyone was worried about food running out before the end of the day, such as Samira had pointed out earlier, they were concerned for nothing. There was no way the food ever run out. It seemed magically never-ending.

"Here we are. I guess it makes the most sense to start over there," Samira told Victoria while pointing to the setup that had clean plates and napkin-rolled utensils. So, taking the lead once again Samira walked on over and grabbed herself an empty clean plate and utensils. After that, it was a simple matter of just grabbing whatever you wanted to bite into and adding it to the plate. Not being one to eat all that much in general, Samira's plate was light. Most would have likely just considered it to be a snack. There was always a chance for seconds though, but there was also that thought of not wanting to have to be rolled out of the festival just because she ate too much and turned as round as a ball. That overly stuffed feeling was always miserable. As for the beverage, Samira chose a simple lemonade. There was much more to choose from, of course, such as the alcoholic variety that she immediately turned down as an option, but in the end, something citrus spoke to her more than anything else.

An empty table was chosen close by to make it easier for the two to go back and forth to get more food and drink if they so desired. Samira took her seat but didn't dig in quite yet. She thought it more polite for Victoria to first also take her seat and get comfortable.

(Word Count: 512
Samira Total: 4345
Thread Total: 7391)

Victoria followed Samira to the Easter Feaster area and was greeted by a wide array of sights, sounds, and smells. There were plenty of flowers appropriate to the season in flower pots that boasted bright colors that fit the occasion. There were a number of beautiful fabric banners with bright colors hanging in carefully chosen locations that made the area look lively, not busy like it could have had more banners been hanging or had they not been so carefully placed. A professional decorator or two must have been hired to provide the decor and they had done a great job.

The decorations were just a side show... the real star of the show was the food and the celebrity chef had certainly delivered. There was food of every kind that the brunette could imagine and several different kinds of food that she never knew existed waiting on her and the other participants. She was paralyzed by indecision because there was so much food to choose from, but for once she was not in danger of suffering negative consequences if she did not act right away. Whenever she finally decided what she wanted there was all but guaranteed to be food waiting for her because so much of it had been prepared. That was good because Victoria would need a few moments to make a decision.

"You're right, Samira. I'll follow you." Victoria agreed with her guildmate's plan before following the teal-haired mage over to the area where an abundance of napkins and plates were available and grabbed a plate first, then put the napkin and some utensils in it. She then walked over to one of the numerous long wooden tables that had plate upon plate of food on it and took the napkin and utensils out, jamming both in her left skirt pocket. Finally she got a reasonably sized serving of fettucine alfredo and a small portion of salad without dressing along with two slices of provolone cheese just because she wanted some cheese.

Once her choice of food was in her plate Victoria carefully ferried the plate over to the table Samira had secured for them. The brunette did not need to worry about some random people trying to claim the table in her absence because Samira's presence would make all but the most foolish people think twice about trying to contest the teal-haired mage's claim to the table. After dropping off her plate Victoria walked over to the beverage area and looked over her choices.

She could choose from a small selection of alcoholic drinks and a wide selection of non-alcoholic drinks. That was not a difficult choice for her because alcohol's grip on her was starting to weaken. She walked over to the non-alcoholic beverages and chose a clear plastic cup of a variety of strawberry soda named Strawberry Slam. She was not sure how strawberry soda, fettucine alfredo, salad, and two slices of provolone cheese would taste when she started eating, but she was about to find out shortly.

Victoria returned to the table Samira had claimed earlier and sat beside the famous mage. The brunette then made eye contact with her guildmate.

"I'm ready to eat whenever you are, Samira." Victoria calmly stated to Samira.

[Post Word Count: 542]
[Victoria's Word Count: 3,588/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 7,933]

"You do not have to wait for me to eat before starting your meal," Samira told Victoria gently, though with a small kind laugh following those words. "But I suppose I am ready to eat now." It was kind of cute really. Originally Samira had taken Victoria as the sort that would be more independent with a strong personality. Currently, she was experiencing a good example of someone that could easily deceive early perceptions of a person. Was Victoria always like that? Luckily for her guildmate, Samira was not the sort of person to be annoyed by what others would have considered timid or clingy. The company was enjoyed and appreciated.

True to her words, Samira unrolled the napkin to reveal the utensils inside. Using the knife and fork she was able to cut into the grilled lemon chicken that was on her plate. Beside that was the small portion of lightly sauced steamed veggies. A modest healthy meal, yes, but if she were honest with herself the pasta dish that Victoria on her plate looked pretty appetizing. Perhaps she'd get up and try a little of that later. The grilled chicken had to be devoured first, and after taking that first bite she was in no rush to replace it with something else. The taste of amazing.

As the two Sabertooth mages began to eat their meal, a pair of dressed-up event workers were going around table to table, guest to guest. Both of them held baskets of plastic eggs. Each Easter Feaster participant was given two eggs as a reward. It may not have been a game of any sort like the Egg Painting or Easter Egg Hunt, but it was a festival activity regardless. A special one at that that promoted a local chef celebrity. The smiling pair reached the table Victoria and Samira were sitting at and gave each of them two plastic eggs of their own, placing them beside their plates and then walking off to the next participants. Samira caught them looking back and whispering almost too excitedly amongst each other. Likely they had just recognized who Victoria and herself were but they either didn't have the will to come back and say anything or were just too polite and considerate to interrupt their meal. The thought of letting it go came and went quickly. She could be grateful that there were no interruptions from the other festival attendees just because of who she and Victoria were.

Speaking of, that was an intriguing thought. Just who was Victoria? As a person, of course. Everyone knew of her as a renowned Sabertooth mage. One of the most powerful on the roster even. The two had now been to two events together and had even teamed up for the Ishgar Symposium guard duty but still, Samira knew very little about her guildmate other than her abilities as a mage and name. She stared inquisitively at her guildmate as she slowly chewed her food. That might have been a bother or had come off as just creepy if Victoria had noticed but Samira didn't put much thought into that sort of reaction. Too busy was her mind pondering over Victoria's mystery. Had she really never asked such basic details in the past? Well, she supposed now was as good as time as any.

Samira finally swallowed her food and spoke what was on her mind. "As odd as this realization is, it has just now occurred to me that I do not know much about you, Victoria. I imagine the same is true with you knowing very little about me." Unless Victoria was secretly the world's best detective or super stalker. Even then it'd be very difficult to get that much information about her. Certainly nothing that was even the slightest bit interesting. Maybe. That was a thought for another time. "We should remedy that."

(Word Count: 648
Samira Total: 4993
Thread Total: 8581)

2 Small Easter Eggs earned from Easter Feaster
4/3 Small Easter Eggs earned for event completion

"I thought that waiting on you would be the polite thing to do." Victoria explained why she had said what she did. Even though she barely knew Samira the brunette liked her famous guildmate's company and did not want to alienate her by being rude, so she thought it would be polite to wait for the other mage. Now that Samira had given the brunette her blessing to eat the latter did so without further delay. Victoria got out her utensils and began with the fettuccine alfredo, which was a dish she had been introduced to by Laura Warren, the maid who worked at the Sheridan Estate. Victoria probably should have branched out and tried a different food or two today, but she wanted to try the celebrity chef's take on a dish she liked, so fettuccine alfredo was what she had picked.

The taste of the fettuccine alfredo was very good and Victoria could taste the freshness of the ingredients. Next she tried the salad and bit into a piece of it that she had put on the end of her fork, doing her best to show some table manners by slowly and carefully spearing it instead of violently stabbing it with her fork. The salad was fresh as well. Finally Victoria tried a slice of provolone cheese and liked that as well. She then looked at her drink and her enthusiasm faltered for a moment.

Maybe she should have gotten a cup of plain water instead of a cup of strawberry soda.

Victoria set down her fork and lifted her drink cup just as two people carrying Easter baskets showed up. The pair deposited two plastic eggs for each Sabertooth mage next to their plates and departed as quickly as they had arrived, leaving Victoria to the task of drinking the Strawberry Slam in her cup. The brunette took a sip and was surprised to find that the taste of the strawberry soda mixed with the taste of fettuccine alfredo, salad, and provolone cheese was not as bad as she had imagined.

The taste told her that she definitely should have gotten plain water, but the taste was not revolting like she had anticipated. It was... strong. "Strong" was the best way to put it.

Victoria started eating her salad again while listening to Samira talk. Victoria immediately put down her fork and made eye contact in order to focus all of her attention on her guildmate. At the end of the conversation the brunette finally addressed the teal-haired mage.

"I don't know a lot about you either, Samira." Victoria confessed that she knew very little about the famous mage. The two had interacted only a few times before today and they had not spoken to one another for any appreciable length of time. Victoria was interested in learning more about the Goddess of Humility.

"I wouldn't mind getting to know you better, Samira." Victoria indicated her willingness to try and interact with Samira in a meaningful manner. Even though the brunette was secretly intimidated by the intelligence and power of her famous guildmate Victoria was willing to make the effort to get to know Samira.

[Post Word Count: 528]
[Victoria's Word Count: 4,116/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 9,109]

Victoria has earned two small Easter Eggs from the Easter Feaster activity.

Victoria now has four out of three Easter Eggs required for event completion.

Splendid! The conversation was going somewhere far away from awkward silences. Samira couldn't be any happier that Victoria was just as interested in the topic of getting to know each other better. It made sense, right? They were guildmates. There really should be much more known than just the name and a vague idea of combat capabilities. Perhaps in time, she'd get to know more of the Sabertooth members in greater detail. For now though. Samira was excited that Victoria would perhaps be the first actual true friend to be added to the shortlist since Leona Jarnefeldt. Technically speaking, Victoria might end up knowing more about herself than Leona by the time their festival outing had come to an end. How funny. Leona and herself would have to have a fun little talk about each other one day as well.

"Alright! Let us play a little game then. It is simple really. We just ask each other a question we would like to know the answer to and the other answers it. Of course, if either of us is uncomfortable with the question or simply does not want to answer it then the option to skip is available. I am not interested in forcing you to answer questions that are too personal and such no matter how curious I can be." Not that either of them could force the other to answer regardless without some kind of guilt tripping or pestering to the point of ruining the fun. That would be too unacceptable indeed. "Sound fun? Would you like to go first?"

(Word Count: 262
Samira Total: 5255
Thread Total: 9371)

Victoria listened to Samira agree with her and had mixed feelings. On one hand, she was glad that she would get the chance to learn more about her famous guildmate. On the other hand, she was secretly more than a little intimidated by Samira's power and intelligence, so Victoria would have to be careful to keep her emotions in check while talking to the famous teal-haired mage.

When she heard Samira's idea on how the two should get to know each other the brunette paused for a moment. She managed to avoid blinking or showing any other obvious sign of disbelief, but she was definitely surprised. Victoria soon pulled herself together and made eye contact with the teal-haired mage.

"Sure, Samira. I'm willing to play the game." Victoria voiced her agreement to the idea. It was not often that the brunette got a chance to talk to the famous Samira Nassar in such a casual setting. This opportunity did not come along very often, so it would behoove the brunette to take the chance while she could.

"My first question is..." Victoria asked Samira, mostly to stall for time to come up with a decent question that Samira would be inclined to answer.

"My first question for you is... where are you from?" Victoria asked Samira the first question. The brunette was not sure if it was a good one, but it was the first thing that came to mind. If it was a bad question there was no way to take it back now... Victoria had already asked it.

[Post Word Count: 260]
[Victoria's Word Count: 4,376]
[Total Word Count: 9,631]

The little question-answer game was now on with Victoria agreeing to go first. The question asked of her was a simple one that fell into the basics of basics. A reasonable and pleasant start. No one really knew where Samira was from. Not to say that she had any reason to hide it. There was no reason. It was just a fact that no one had ever asked before for it to even be common knowledge. Perhaps most could take an estimated guess that she was Fiore and that was all they needed to know to satisfy any small amount of curiosity they may have had on the topic.

"In my earliest years I lived in Oak Town with my grandfather, but for most of my life after and before joining Lamia Scale in Hargeon I lived with another part of my family in Peace Village." Samira kept her grandfather's death out of the answer as a reason for why the move had been done. As much as she had moved on from that loss she still didn't like thinking about it often. Nor did she spend any time thinking about that other portion of her family. They were very much disliked. And probably dead. Details that were not asked, and as such, she did not bring up. The Goddess of Ishgar just smiled as she happily answered the question.

My turn!" Now she needed to think of a good question. Something beyond that of a favorite color or asking the exact same thing Victoria had just asked her, although knowing where Victoria came from was a curious thing to know as well. That could be asked later! Several questions down the road. "What made you decide to become a guild mage?" Aha! Perfect! A great question in her mind. There were so many reasons that someone could decide to join a guild. Knowing the answer would give Samira a little more insight into the sort of person Victoria was indeed.

(Word Count: 331
Samira Total: 5586
Thread Total: 9962)

Victoria was not sure if she was supposed to tell where she was from, but she was going to anyway. She did not want to make Samira spend all day guessing where she came from.

"As for me, I'm from Capital Crocus." Victoria answered plainly. Samira did not need to know about the brunette's family situation just yet... unless it came up during their game. She listened to Samira's question and tried to find the right words with which to answer. She already knew what her answer was going to be, but the phrasing was important.

"Why I became a guild mage?" Victoria repeated the question. By the time she finished repeating the question she already had the phrasing she wanted to use in mind.

"I became a guild mage because I didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up. I got my magic when I was a teenager and decided that I wanted to be a traveling mage because I wanted to get out of Capital Crocus. After several years traveling around I ended up in Rose Garden and found Black Rose... they had an opening, so I joined up. It sounds like a cliche, but becoming a guild mage's one of the best decisions I've ever made." Victoria explained some of the story, deliberately leaving out the parts where she lived out on the streets, when she ate out of garbage cans, and that time she was nearly abducted by slavers when she was ten years old. While she was sure that Samira could handle those unpleasant details, Victoria felt that she was already killing the good mood by all but stating that she was poor growing up. Samira did not ask to hear a sad tale... she wanted to have some fun and get to know the brunette better.

"My next question is: How long have you been a mage?" Victoria asked Samira. She was not sure if she was crossing a boundary by asking that kind of question. The brunette was not trying to imply that Samira was old but was really curious as to how long the teal-haired young woman had been a mage. Victoria would wait to see how Samira responded to the question before deciding whether to panic or not.

[Post Word Count: 380]
[Victoria's Word Count: 4,756]
[Total Word Count: 10,342]

"The Capital?" Samira's eyes widened slightly. That was something that impressed her a bit. She couldn't imagine what it was like to grow up in the capital of Fiore. The city where the royal family itself occupied. Of course, she had seen the city herself. The tasks of her life had taken her there a few times as well as some of the seasonal events that were held often. Never had she stayed long enough to know what it was like to live there long term. Although, from what little she had seen the capital was a busy and exciting place to be. "Now that does sound interesting. You must have quite a few stories to tell from living in such a lively place."

Samira pushed her curiosity aside about that for now, instead wanting to hear the answer to her question. It was a simple answer that was quite common, but it was respectable all the same. Being a guild mage was all too often a very dangerous career for many, but very profitable. In more ways than one actually if one cared about more than just the jewels that filled their wallets from the missions. Sure plenty of mages could do just fine without a guild. After all, there was a time when she was guildless herself. However, even she thought being a part of a guild was a much richer experience. It seemed Victoria thought the same based on her words. "I do not think it is cliche at all. I too am of the same mind. Or maybe I just like cliches enough that I fail to recognize them for what they are." Samira lightly joked with a small laugh. If anything was to bother her or make her cringe it wouldn't be a cliche. Well, at least not one from Victoria. Her little cliche was far from terrible or embarrassing.

"But Black Rose was your first guild, hm? I do remember when that one was around. It is a shame they are no longer around. Many of my predecessors were members there." Naturally Samira was unaware of what Black Rose really was within its most inner circles and whatever the reason for its downfall was. All she knew was that many of its members hadn't been seen since. Many of them were former Wizard Saints. Regardless of the reason for Black Rose no longer existing Samira still felt the absence of the lost mages that she once looked up to. The defenses of Fiore certainly were less without them and in the time of war that was unfortunate.

"Do you mean how long I have shown magical properties or how long I have been labeled as adequate enough to be called a legitimate mage?" Samira asked with zero sarcasm intended. They were two different things with two different answers. She supposed anyone could call someone a mage as long as they had even the smallest amount of a magical aura or talents. As a personal preference however she preferred to look at them differently, separating the meaning in her mind. "If you meant the former, well, I suppose since I was around ten years of age. Quite late for my family line as I understand it since it is usually present at birth. It was thought that I would not have any magical talents at all. I had also come to think many mages showed signs at a very early age, but you mentioned you did not have magic until you were a teenager. Intriguing. I am not the only one to start out late. I wonder how common that is."

(Word Count: 606
Samira Total: 6192
Thread Total: 10,948)

So Samira had gained her magic at a later age than normal. The brunette was a bit late to the world of magic herself, so not getting magic until an older age was something she and Samira had in common. She did not know any magic until her uncle Lawrence began teaching her Merces Letifer Magic in those exciting days when she went from a street kid who had to fend for herself to a street kid with a burly guardian angel.

"I do have some stories of life in Capital Crocus, but there aren't very many good ones. They all involve life in the bad side of town." Victoria dropped a big hint concerning her youth. Her story of life in Capital Crocus was not one full of happiness... it involved a lot of scavenging for food in dumpsters and trash cans, running from bigger and stronger people she had no chance of successfully standing up to, and running from stray dogs that wanted food and were willing to kill a human to get it. Those were stories for another time because she did not want to kill the good mood with tales of woe.

Besides, she did not like to tell others that she used to be a homeless street kid because she was afraid others would look down on her if they learned of her past.

"Yeah, I learned my magic when I was a teenager. I think I was around twelve or so when I started learning it. I know it sounds dumb, but I can't remember the exact age I learned it because back then my life circumstances were... complicated. I definitely know that it took me a lot of practice to learn magic... I wasn't a prodigy or even a quick learner." Victoria summed up her status as a latecomer to being a mage and gave another hint pertaining to her past as a former street kid. Meeting Lawrence Sheridan was a turning point in Victoria's life. Not only did he protect her from street hoodlums and raise her the best he could, he also taught her the magic that kickstarted her career as a mage.

"Yeah, Black Rose was my first guild. They gave me my start as a Legal mage and helped me earn money at a time I really needed a good start as a mage. If it hadn't been for them I probably wouldn't have had enough confidence to try and join Sabertooth. I probably would have become a Guildless mage trying to make it the best I could." Victoria summed up her membership in Black Rose and the benefits it gave her. In addition to money and a safety net, Black Rose also gave her confidence, confidence which allowed her to try and join Sabertooth instead of trying to make her way as a Guildless mage. After talking a bit about her first guild the brunette had a question of her own about their occupation.

"This one's kinda tough and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I'd like to know something... do you like being a mage?" Victoria asked her teal-haired guildmate. The brunette liked being a mage and would not trade it for anything, not even having her dead parents back. That undoubtedly sounded more than a little callous, but after being a poor street kid for slightly over four years learning magic from Lawrence Sheridan and becoming a mage was a huge step up for her. Magic was the very foundation of her "rags to riches" story.

Besides, she hardly knew her parents, so she did not really mourn their loss.

Maybe there was some residual resentment over being abandoned on the streets coloring her judgment of her parents, but she would deal with that later.

[Post Word Count: 634]
[Victoria's Word Count: 5,390]
[Total Word Count: 11,582]

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that." Samira was saddened by that. Her thought had been that Victoria had had some amazing stories to tell. A bad one or two would surely have been in the mix. That was life. Even she had some terrible ones to tell. For most of them to be bad though? She was sorry to have even brought it up. It made her question herself. Had she forgotten that even the best towns have a dark side to them and that many children are unfortunate enough to grow up within them? Or was it because of the fact she was face to face with Victoria that she had not considered it? Either way, she had been corrected and felt foolish. The amount of struggle Victoria must have gone through if that indeed was a part of her childhood. Samira could only imagine. She was an outsider to that part of life and would never understand what it was like to grow up in a bad environment. Well, at least not in a bad town environment. Her past had its demons too. Still, at the very least Victoria seemed to have turned out as a good enough person despite her history. Many often walked the darker path in order to survive as they grew up. It was all they knew.

"I think you have proven well enough that it does not take being a prodigy or even the trait of quick learning to become powerful and skilled with magic. You are part of a very small fraction of mages that have reached levels once thought impossible. You should feel very proud of yourself." Samira smiled, hoping the compliment was well received. It was a true fact, after all. As far as Sabertooth went, Victoria was second when it came to her potential. The magical aura around her was indicative of the rank. The raw power might have been lower when compared to others but Victoria clearly had the experience and room to finely tune her power further. She would make a fearsome adversary for many that tried to harm her or anyone and anything she cared about. It was a good thing she was with Sabertooth and sided with legal mages.

As far as the details for Black Rose, Samira nodded in understanding, showing signs that she was listening. During this, she took a sip from her cup of lemonade. It would need a refill soon, but for now, she was stubborn with herself, instead wanting to keep the conversation going. The time for her to ask a question had come. Although, it seemed as if she had been too slow. Victoria had surprised her with a question instead. Samira laughed in her mind. There were no rules made for skipping turns so Victoria had the right to keep asking the questions, she supposed. Now instead of one question, she needed to think of two in order to catch up. But first, there was a question to answer. One that Samira had been surprised about was asked and needed a moment to think of the answer. Yes. As some would be shocked by, Samira did not have an immediate answer of "yes". The question was much deeper and more complicated and thus deserved an answer with some thought put into it.

Samira stayed silent as she thought about how to answer. Actually, she needed to find out the answer itself. The start should have been a simple yes or no before thinking of all the reasons why, but even that was difficult. In all those years of being a mage, of all those years of being a Wizard Saint and Goddess of Ishgar even, no one had ever asked her if she liked it. At one time it would have been an instant yes. Being a mage was a part of her and she enjoyed learning and growing in power. She enjoyed the company her spirit avatars gave her and their wisdom, despite their own flaws that could cause chaos or annoying circumstances. She had met many other mages, made friends, and helped others in ways a normal person could not. But, there was a lot of bad that went with all of that. Being a mage opened a lot of doors, including those that led to horrible destinations. As a mage one couldn't always pick the nice flower-picking missions, even less so for those mages looking for power, or who had already gained it and thus had expectations set on them. Samira had seen many of those friends she made disappear to who knew where. Many mages she had met had fallen or also disappeared for one reason or another. Missions that were failures were horrible. Then there was what happened at the Ishgar Symposium. That was a massive failure for all mages involved. Well, a failure for those that would have wanted that prevented. The single mage or group behind that had very much succeeded.

The simple fact remained if she had not been a mage at all much of her history would have been different. Perhaps even happier as she lived a life of normal expectations and goals, oblivious to all that mages go through and the obligations that many of them had. Would she have traded her magical life for a normal one if given the option to go back and time and do so? To not have those hurtful experiences? To not be so drawn to power that she wound up being in the position she was as a result? To not race to be like someone else as some kind of strange way to remember them? As her thoughts raced about in her mind, she could feel her spirit avatars tuning in, their fun having been paused in concern when they felt something off with their summoner. There was doubt and they didn't like it.

"I am sorry," Samira said with a small apologetic smile. It was she could do to hide the disappointment in herself. There really should not have been a percentage of no to that question but there was. More than she'd like to admit. "I cannot answer that question right now because I do not know it. I would like to say yes, but a part of me is not in full agreement. It is complicated and I fear any direct answer I give you beyond what I have said would be a lie. You have given me much to think about now though. I appreciate it."

Now it was her turn for some questions. Hopefully, Victoria wasn't too disappointed with receiving a not answer. "I have two questions for you. First, what goals have you set for yourself? You started as a guild mage to earn money but surely, by this point, you have considered your future past that. As for the second question, what is your favorite type of sweet treat?"

(Word Count: 1157
Samira Total: 7349
Thread Total: 12,739)