Of Ghost Boys And Phoenix Momma's

“I only asked them to send me a couple…” The blonde woman sighed, shaking her head as she glanced down at the table she was sitting at. There were jobs littered all over it and Bastila was having a rather difficult time sorting through them all. It had been quite some time since she had last actually taken one on and that was part of the reason why she was so eager to get back on the trail again, so to speak. Some of the offers in front of her were ones she could simply not accept, due to her new status as a legal mage but there were at least a few that were tempting. Still, it was rather difficult for her to decide and as she took a sip from her cup, her blue eyed gaze would glance up briefly and look around.

She was in her favourite coffee shop, a place that she had been coming to for years and a local haunt that had been a place of comfort for her during the tough times in her life. Fortunately, those unhappy memories had long since passed and nowadays, she was simply happy to have been reunited with her daughter once again and to have found a new guild, one where both Sakura and herself could hopefully find a little stability and happiness. They had both been through enough and as she sat and drank from her cup again, a warm smile crossed her features, one that reached her blue grey coloured eyes.

Her moment of bliss was rather unexpectedly spoiled as her Phoenix companion Faeya decided to choose that moment to fly through the door of the cafe and land slap bang on top of all of the job papers, sending them all over the place and nearly sending the woman’s coffee flying too.

Yet, rather than scowl at her companion and scold her, Bastila would simply chuckle and stroke the beautiful creature’s head, resulting in the Phoenix starting to sing with joy. "You always did know how to make an entrance.”

(346 Words)

“Not to worry. There are days where I wish I could steal some of my daughters too.” Bastila replied to the young man with a smile, taking the papers from him and placing them in a pile beside her. “Thank you. I am glad that your son is so fond of my companion here. It is not often that Faeya finds herself being chased and I suppose she got a little spooked. I doubt she will take it personally though. Say hello to the little guy, Faeya.”

The bird sang a note in answer and rose into the air again, before flying over gently to where the young boy was lining up and swooping around his head a few times. She was a sweet soul in truth, as most of her species were and more often than not, other souls that were similar to hers tended to draw her in. That was how she and Bastila had forged their bond, many years ago and ever since then, they had become inseparable.

Taking a sip of her coffee, she would then add, mentally chiding herself. “Oh dear. Where are my manners? My name is Bastila Kisagami, a member of the Luminous Rose guild.” She extended a hand for the young man to shake, wanting to get off on the right foot. He seemed like a polite enough fellow and the tall blonde woman saw no reason to be anything other than friendly. She had to admit that he and his son looked so similar which eventually caused her to say. “I have to say that the resemblance between you and your son is striking.”

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It had to be said that Bastila had not expected the man to have shook her hand with quite so much vigour but she wasn’t upset in the least. “A pleasure to meet you Daniel. I’ve heard of Silver Wolf but haven’t had the chance yet to visit or speak to any of their members. I’m glad that I have the chance now. I considered your guild before choosing to join Luminous Rose instead.” A chuckle escaped her lips as he asked about hers and she answered honestly. “It is quite a lively place and I’ve never met such a cheerful and bright group of youngsters in all my life. The members have so much energy and I can’t help but feel that all of them are my kids, as silly as that might sound. My daughter, Sakura, is a member too and the guild has helped bring us closer together.”

His words regarding Sammy caused Bastila to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. “A special being? As in not human?” After a moment or two, she realised that the question might have been indiscreet or rude and swiftly added. “Forgive me for my curiosity, if you prefer not to answer that then I will not be offended at all.” She had some experience with non-human beings herself although in general, that was mostly her beloved pet, who was amusing herself with the customers. No one bothered the bird though as Bastila was a regular and so Faeya was too. The phoenix followed the blonde everywhere now.

There was an interruption then as both Sammy and the blonde young man approached, a figure that Danny soon introduced as Armi. Bastila turned her gaze towards him for a moment, her experienced eye seeming to size him up. There was a swagger to him that was instantly recognisable and judging by the fact he left Danny with the bill, Bastila reckoned that he was the troublemaker of the family, so to speak. There was always one. In the takeover mage’s case it had been her husband, a man that had only shown his true colours towards the end of their marriage.

As Sammy turned around to say hello, Bastila would turn to him and smile. “Hello there, Sammy, enjoying your milk?”

Faeya would choose that moment to reappear and land beside the boy, seemingly interested in not only him but his drink, a fact that caused Bastila to smile. “Behave, dear Faeya, let him drink in peace.” The bird chirped in response but did not move a muscle.

In response to Armi’s nod, she would return in kind curtly. “Nice to meet you, Armi.” She decided not to push him too much, as he gave off the impression that he did not want to be bothered. The legal mage could respect that, even if she was a little wary of him in return.

Turning back to Danny, she would then ask. “So, what brings you to Rose Garden? Here to do some shopping?”

(500 Words)
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The eyes of the tall blonde would briefly move from one to the other as they spoke about Sammy’s mother but she did not add anything more. From the sounds of it, Danny was quite the ladies man, a notion that brought a slight smile to her face. Her husband had been quite the charmer too when they had first gotten together although unfortunately that did not last once Sakura had come along. He had taken her condition badly and was never the same man again. How had the marriage ended? In flames, both figuratively and literally.

Bastila chuckled as Sammy replied to her and Faeya chirped, inquisitively peering at the boy's glass. “She has taken a liking to you. Not something she does all that often.” That was no exaggeration, as the phoenix had always been rather picky. Her close ally had always been drawn to sweet and innocent souls, those who had not been twisted by darkness and anger. The bird had certainly gotten over the boy having chased her earlier on.

Her eyes lit up when Danny spoke of the toy store, knowing of it rather well and answered rather swiftly. “Oh yes. There is a great one at the end of the street. I am sure that you will find something there to keep Sammy occupied, when there is no chocolate milk to do the job.” Her tone was tender and she smiled once again at the small family before her. There needed to be more happy families in Fiore, as so often had Bastila seen so many fall apart in her time, her own included. Seeing the three get along so well warmed her heart.

Danny’s last comment did cause an eyebrow to rise though, the gaze of the blonde mage turning from one twin to the other. “You look perfectly solid to me. Are you poltergeists or something?” She was simply curious rather than alarmed, having had a little experience with spirits herself.

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(2481 TWC)

Faeya was not awfully pleased about being grabbed by the neck and flapped her wings a few times in surprise. The phoenix did not overreact more than that though and thankfully did not shoot fire or anything like that. It was fortunate that the ancient being was generally a calm and gentle soul, meaning that although she gave the boy a bit of a dirty look, that was all there was to it and once she managed to get out of the boy’s grip, she would softly perch on his shoulder. The bird did not hold grudges after all and she was intelligent enough to know that Sammy did not mean any harm. She started to sing after a moment or two, a calming melody which would seem to affect everyone around them.

Smiling towards her pet and the youngster, Bastila would simply state. “Please be a little softer with her, Sammy, she does not like being grabbed too firmly.” Her tone was gentle enough though and she was not angry about the situation, knowing that the boy was just being affectionate in his own way.

It was then that Danny asked her if she wished to visit the toy store with the trio and after a moment of thought, she replied with a nod. “I will happily come along with you if you would like. There is nothing too important that I need to do today so I have some free time.” Ever since Sakura had set out on her own, making the most of her new career and status as a legal mage, Bastila had found herself with more free time than she had ever had before.

She chuckled as Armi spoke about how he had become able to take on a physical form and his ghostly status. “That must have been quite a spectacle to say the least.” Her eyebrows rose as she watched him give an example of his talents, causing her to add with a smile. “I bet you have pulled a fair share of pranks with that ability.”

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