Sommarsun Sojourn (Leonidas)

It had to be said that she felt quite at home walking past the docks of Hargeon, dressed in her usual attire. Felicia had only arrived in Fiore the previous night but had thankfully been able to find somewhere to stay for the time being. With the war going on, the locals seemed to be naturally wary of strangers but once she had explained that she was on their side, as she hailed from Ca-Elum, things had quickly cleared up and already she felt like she had been in the country all her life. Alright, that was a slight exaggeration and there were no doubt a lot of new customs that she’d have to get used to but for now, the blue haired woman was happy enough, besides the fact that any kid that heard her accented voice would make fun of her. The nerve of it!

The gunslinger had woken up that morning to find out that the country as a whole was in the middle of some kind of festival, one that most definitely was not one that was celebrated back home. Weeks of celebration because it was the nicer time of the year weather wise? It sounded a little odd to her and her father would no doubt have moaned for days about all the wasted hours that could have been spent working instead but she had to admit that it sounded like fun. Unlike her old man, the young woman enjoyed a little me time and that was part of the reason why she was so glad to have left home. Oh, she loved her family dearly but one more lecture about how she should enrol in the navy would have driven her right off the deep end. Felicia was not her father and the sniper knew that her abilities were better suited for something else. Yes, she would fight for her country but in her own way. She would not stick her fingers up at the Queen, just follow a different path in serving her.

Today though was not in service of Her Majesty and as she explored the town, admiring the stalls that had seemed to pop up overnight, pondering about just what to try. Each and every one had a wide selection of food and drink, many of which she did not recognise. The smell of roasting meat was tantalising though and she was soon asking for a plate, much to the bemusement of the stall owner, who had planned on just giving her some off the bone. Still, he was a friendly enough man and did as she asked, even providing some cutlery for the polite gun wielder.

With a polite smile, she would thank him before walking over to a table nearby and taking a seat, allowing her to take a look at the locals as they passed by. They all looked so friendly and cheerful that it was infectious, drawing a small smile from the woman as she ate. This was not how she had planned to spend her first day in Fiore but it was by no means unpleasant.

Dressed in an open olive green jacket over a white t-shirt and olive green cargo pants with black boots, Leonidas had arrived in Hargeon Town for the "Sommarsun Weeks" event. He had chosen to come here because he did not want to attend the one in Capital Crocus, where he might run into his neighbor Samantha Halsey. After Sabrina had interrupted their meeting at Capital Crocus Mall and exchanged verbal barbs with her Samantha had decided to put some space between herself and the scar-faced mage, so he was going to respect that and leave her alone until she wanted to establish contact again.

Now he was in Hargeon Town and he stood out from the other attendees because of his attire, his height, and the scar on his face. He did not care too much, though. Leonidas had not had much time to go shopping for more clothes because of going on jobs and wondering if he had lost his chance with Samantha thanks to Sabrina butting in. Leonidas was not sure if there was real attraction between him and Samantha or if it was just infatuation with the first pretty young woman to really talk to him after his arrival in Fiore, but he could not quite put her out of his mind despite his wanting to forget and move on.

Leonidas was walking past an area crammed full of food vendors when he spotted a blue-haired young woman wearing a style of attire he had never seen before sitting at a table and walked off to the side of the path so that he did not hold up the pedestrian traffic. His eyes lingered on her longer than they should have. Something about her made him want to approach and start a conversation, probably to avoid looking creepy by appearing to be doing nothing but staring at her. Without Sabrina around to make him look bad by acting possessive and slinging verbal barbs at other women he was free to talk to any young woman he wished, so he calmly walked over to the blue-haired young woman and stopped in front of the table.

"Hi there. I'm Leonidas Jarnefeldt." Leonidas introduced himself to the young woman. He was not sure if she was in a talking mood considering that she was in the process of eating. He would still try to talk to her, if only to try to avoid looking like a creep.

[Post Word Count: 408]
[Leonidas' Word Count: 408]

Her meal tasted divine and for someone who was used to rather bland food, Felicia was a little taken aback by the various spices she was tasting now. The sniper would have to go back and get the recipe from the vendor later although she expected it would be a tough task, given how secretive chefs could be. Still, she would give it a good go and maybe with some good old fashioned Ca-Elum charm, the blue haired woman might just be successful. Perhaps she could offer to hunt for him in exchange? Felicia was not a stranger to going after animals and had hunted quite a few beasts in her time. For the time being though, she was content with making the most of her food and the day as a whole.

As she ate, the young woman felt a pair of her eyes upon her and although she showed no real sign of worry or any other emotion, Felicia noted it nonetheless. It was not a surprise, she supposed, given that she probably stood out a bit due to her outfit, not to mention the fact she seemed to be the only person eating while sitting down. Say what you want about her family but they were always instant on politeness and etiquette, even when it came to a meal. Old habits die hard, she supposed.

For some time, Felicia did not do anything besides eat, calmly waiting for whatever the figure watching her was going to do. She did not think that he was hostile and remained perfectly tranquil and cheerful. Maybe he was just shy or something? She did not think that she was overly intimidating although her accent did sometimes make her sound more authoritative than she planned to be. The gunslinger blamed it on her upbringing, as she often had her father screaming at her to get up when she had overslept, when he was home. She was sure that he had caused her to become partially deaf.

When he finally decided to approach her, Felicia’s eyes would rise to meet his, before briefly glancing over his form. He sure had a rugged look to him and the scar running down his face was certainly distinctive. There was no doubt that he had seen some action in his time and the sniper had to admit that she was curious. Her smile growing slightly, she would chuckle and reply. “I was starting to wonder if perhaps my outfit was out of place or that I had maybe broken the law or something, seeing how powerfully you were gazing at me.” The tone of her voice was calm, with a subtle touch of dry humour to it. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Leonidas, my name is Felicia Enfield.”

Offering the seat beside her, she would add politely. “Please take a seat if you like.”

Leonidas did not know what to expect when he had walked up to the young woman after looking at her like he did. He had expected a stern verbal reprimand, a sudden departure with an admonition to not follow her, or some other negative consequence, but to his surprise the worst he got was a remark about the power of his gaze, which was a fair point for her to make. His facial scar sometimes made him look intimidating when he did not mean to be, but he could not help that. Now that he was not going to chase her away or otherwise get into trouble Leonidas began to speak to the blue-haired young woman, whose name was Felicia.

"Hello, Felicia." Leonidas calmly greeted Felicia before starting to explain himself.

"I admit that I probably didn't make the best first impression with the way I looked at you. Sorry about that." Leonidas calmly started off, conceding that she had made a fair point before apologizing for causing her any trouble. He took the seat that was offered to him and sat down so that Felicia did not have to look up at him the entire time they were talking. Once he was seated he turned his head to face her and resumed speaking to the young woman.

"I also admit that your style of clothing was what caught my attention. I can't say that I've seen anything like it before today." Leonidas made a second admission to Felicia by stating that her distinct outfit had caught his attention and that was what prompted him to look at her. It was not like anything he had seen in Fiore or Desierto. Aware of how his statement sounded, Leonidas again hoped that he did not come across as creepy to Felicia, who was rather attractive. While she was an attractive young woman who seemed to have a good personality, she did not need to worry about the scar-faced mage hitting on her because they had just met, he did not know if she already had a boyfriend or not, and he was interested in another young woman.

[Post Word Count: 356]
[Leonidas' Word Count: 764]

“Not to worry. It takes more than a gaze for me to lose my cool.” Felicia replied with another smile, amused more than anything by his method of introduction. She supposed that it might have come off as creepy to some but call it her hunter’s intuition or something like that but the woman had reckoned that he was not hostile. Now that he was speaking to her, the sniper thought that perhaps he was just a little awkward maybe or struggled when it came to introducing himself. The Ca-Elum native had no problem with that and now that he was beside her, he seemed confident enough. Shrugging it aside, she would then take another bite of her food.

A laugh escaped her at the mention of her clothing and she wryly nodded her head, her tone turning slightly more dry. “I am not all that surprised by that. This outfit was made by my mother and she always has had her own sense of style. Made with all the best fabrics that can be found in Ca-Elum or that is what she said. It was a going away present for me before I left home and I do rather treasure it, even if it does make me stand out a bit. Fortunately, my father has not seen me in it, as he would no doubt go on about how short the skirt is. He is a moaning old fossil who still thinks that we are in the days of his youth rather than ours.” There was no real malice in her voice and it would be fairly clear that she was just making fun of her family rather than actually insulting them.

Her curiosity regarding the blonde mage beside her was growing and she felt no nervousness about asking him a question. “I apologise if this is a personal question and by all means tell me to mind my own business if you like but where did you happen to get that scar? That does not look like an animal scratch to me and I have seen my fair share of them in my time.” She was fond of listening to the tales of others, knowing that they could well end up being a useful lesson for her.

Leonidas felt like he had been pushing his luck with the statement about Felicia's clothing, but to his silent relief she did not take offense to it. Instead the young woman explained where it had come from and who had given it to her. Leonidas immediately knew what Felicia meant when she talked about the difficulties of dealing with a parent who was old-fashioned. His mother Sophia was just like that... the scar-faced mage had lost track of how many times his mother leaned on him to marry and give her grandchildren.

Leonidas had heard that "request" so many times that he had grown sick of it. It was like his mother did not see him as a person with his own needs and wants, but a means for her to get grandchildren. His sister had gotten her fair share of being badgered to marry and have children, but unlike him Leona had managed to get out of Sophia's grasp by being exiled when she was sixteen. It was safe to say that Leonidas knew what living with an old-fashioned parent who refused to get with the times was like.

When he heard the question about his facial scar Leonidas decided to tell Felicia the story behind it.

"I got it in my home village in Desierto, where I lived until several months ago." Leonidas started explaining how he had gotten his facial scar.

"One day a couple of years ago my home village was raided by bandits like it had been so many times before. I managed to help stop the attack, but not before one of the bandits got close enough to try and bury his sword in my skull with a downward chop. I managed to react quickly and step back far enough that I got a scar instead of losing my life. I didn't miss when I closed in and swung for his neck in retaliation." Leonidas told Felicia a condensed version of the story. He was lucky that he did not lose the eye thanks to the tip of the sword passing so close to it. Instead of losing his eye he gained a scar and an interesting story to tell people who were curious about it.

[Post Word Count: 372]
[Leonidas' Word Count: 1,136]

It was certainly not a pleasant tale and Felicia sadly shook her head as she listened. Her knowledge of Desierto was all second hand and the sniper had never actually been there herself. Apparently it was simply a pile of sand, which was not something that the blue haired woman was all that fond of. Sand was a pain in the rear and ended up everywhere, not to mention that places surrounded with it were always so blasted hot. She was used to a mild climate rather than an overly hot one and Felicia did not think that she would have enjoyed growing up where he had at all. It sounded rough all around and a far more deadly place than Ca-Elum.

Still, she found herself desiring to know more and soon enough replied. “I must admit that you handled the situation far better than I would have. Give me a rifle and a good vantage spot and I am happy but put me up against someone in a sword fight and I would not have the slightest clue. Your home sounds like a tough place to get started in life and I cannot imagine what it must have been like to have constantly been attacked. Did you not have a local guard or something to help defend you from the bandits? Someone who could help you protect the ones you love and care for?” Deep down, she had a good idea about what the answer to her questions would be but felt the need to ask nonetheless.

As she waited for answers, the gunslinger would briefly ponder about her own past, comparing it to his. It was almost as if she had lived a sheltered life compared to his and Felicia briefly pondered about just what she had gotten into by making the journey abroad. She had given it plenty of thought, of course but it was only when hearing just how merciless the world could be, that the danger seemed to truly hit home. She was not in Ca-Elum anymore and had entered a far more treacherous world.

"I didn't have to fight on my own, thankfully. My village had its own militia... if it could be called that. It wasn't a professional fighting force by any means. It was made of anyone who could hold a weapon, which was most of the adults in the village except for the elderly and infirm." Leonidas told Felicia about his home village's defense. Life in the desert was tough and it was even tougher when there was not an organized and "official" defense force with adequate training and weapons to repel bandits and slavers looking for an easy target. Leonidas had managed to survive as long as he had partially by his magic and partially by virtue of being able and willing to fight without holding back. Against the enemies he had to fight he always went for the kill.

"Children also had to fight. Me and my sister had to learn to fight as soon as we could hold a sword. Our mother trained us because if we didn't fight we'd be killed or carted off into slavery." Leonidas revealed that children were not exempt from the dangers of living in a village that was a frequent target of bandit and slaver attacks.

"My mother didn't like it, though. She trained me without any issue because I was a male, but she balked at training my younger sister Leona because she believed that it was my sister's place to marry and have children, not fight. I had to argue with our mother many times before she finally relented and even then the training for Leona was... half-hearted. I had to step in and teach my younger sister what our mother couldn't be bothered to teach." Leonidas told Felicia an example of the burdens of living with a parent who adhered to old-fashioned ideas despite how impractical or self-defeating they were. He had had to help teach his younger sister swordsmanship because Sophia was too stuck in the past to be much help. At least their mother had taught them both how to use magic as an equalizer against a larger force of enemies. Magic had helped both Jarnefeldt siblings survive battles they "should not" have gotten through when they were younger.

[Post Word Count: 372]
[Leonidas' Word Count: 1,508]

The more she heard, the further her heart sank with the answers given being even worse than she had been expecting. Felicia could not imagine what it must have been like for the children to have to fight but she understood that it had been a necessary evil, so to speak. It was all so different for her, as her nation was defended by a massive naval force which was all too quick to deal with any opposition. For a long time, Ca-Elum had been the dominant country in terms of naval might but as time had passed, a new rival had come out of nowhere to compete, Enca. They had joined the forces of the Pergrande in the war against her own country and so Felicia rightly believed them to be the enemy.

“It could not have been easy for you to have had to grow up in that environment. I confess that my own could not have been any more different in some ways. My father is a military man and he personally dealt with any issues that I or my family faced. He is an incredibly overprotective figure and I could not so much as talk to another person sometimes without him becoming defensive.”

She paused for a moment and then sighed. “I understand how your sister must have felt though, as I went through the exact same issue with him. When I discovered my first magic, I had to beg him to teach me how to shoot. He is a sharpshooter himself but the thought of his daughter taking up the trade caused him to lose his mind. It was only when I said that I would find someone else that he consented and even then, he never seemed comfortable.”

A smile crossed her features then. “I am pretty sure that my mother had something to do with it as well though, as she could be as formidable as him when she wanted to be. She was the one who always encouraged me to forge my own path. When not dress making, she dabbles in potions and it was always her who patched my father up whenever he got hurt while on duty. Putting up with him as a patient would make anyone tough.”

Intrigued, she then asked. “Was it the same for you and your sister? Did you just have to get out as I did?”

"Yeah, it was rough. Daytime was bad enough because of the heat and threat of bandit raids, but nighttime was even worse because that was when the slavers liked to attack. Sometimes they would attack and sometimes they wouldn't. The uncertainty was the worst part of it." Leonidas told Felicia in no uncertain terms that life in a desert village was harsh. He did not like it and he would not wish his childhood on his worst enemy. He had played the cards he had been dealt and managed to make it out alive, but having to grow up under the threat of constant raids had dampened Leonidas' outlook on life.

"Our mother was... strange. While she saw both of us as a means to get grandchildren, I was at least allowed to learn swordsmanship and learn a trade. Leona, on the other hand, was only meant to marry and have children... at least in our mother's plan. Of course my sister didn't buy into it and fought the idea every chance she got. I've lost count of how many arguments my sister and mother had." Leonidas commiserated with Felicia, who had been held back by an overly protective father. The scar-faced mage had been exempted from the worst of his mother's outdated beliefs because he was a man and was supposed to be a provider, but the hapless Leona was expected to conform to old-fashioned "values" that were impractical considering where the Jarnefeldts lived. If Sophia had had her way Leona would have been nothing more than a housewife whose primary duty was to have children and care for them. The worst Leonidas had gotten was constant questions asking when and who he was going to marry.

When the question of how the Jarnefeldt siblings escaped their mother came up Leonidas went with the honest approach.

"My sister got out in an unconventional way. At a banquet one night the chief's son got handsy with her despite her telling him multiple times not to touch her. She gave him two black eyes and some other bruises and she got exiled from the village. She left when she was sixteen and hasn't returned very often even when the exile order was lifted a few years ago." Leonidas told a condensed version of how Leona had managed to get out of their home village.

"As for me, my way out was more conventional. Several months ago both me and my mother wanted to get out of Desierto, but after we accounted for all the expenses moving would create only one of us could afford to leave. My mother gave me her blessing to go and I traveled to Fiore by myself. When I got to Fiore I exchanged my Desierto currency for Fiore's currency and I ended up setting down roots in Capital Crocus. That's how I got to Fiore." Leonidas told Felicia the much less exciting story of his arrival in Fiore. After telling her the story he paused and gave Felicia a chance to speak.

[Post Word Count: 506]
[Leonidas' Word Count: 2,014]

It was difficult for Felicia not to feel sympathetic towards both Leonidas and his sister as she listened. The picture he was painting was incredibly bleak and while occasionally taking a bite of her meal, she mostly just sat in silence as he spoke. She was amazed that anyone could survive, living in such tough conditions and the fact that his family seemed to be so successful was impressive indeed. That was bad enough but to have the pressure of their mother continuously weighing them down must have made things even worse. Her father had said similar things to her at times but the simple truth was that Felicia…could not be what he wished her to be. He wanted her to find a husband and have kids but she could not provide that, not only because it was not her wish but because she was not interested in men in that way. It was a secret that she had kept to herself. She expected that her mother probably knew but he certainly did not.

She had to hide a smile when he spoke about how Leona had managed to get out. “He deserved every bruise that he got from the sounds of it and given how tough things must have been for her, I cannot blame her at all for lashing out like that. I hope she looks back on it fondly because surely her life is better now than it had been back then. The start of a whole new life for her.” Of course, Felicia understood that being cast out must have hurt but from what she had been hearing, it had hardly been a great family life anyway. The gunslinger had almost felt relieved when she had finally left her own home and hoped that both Leona and Leonidas had felt the same.

Deciding to go down that particular route, Felicia would reply after taking in his words for a minute or two. “Hopefully it felt the same for you too. I felt like a great weight had been taken off my shoulders when I came here, free to live my life the way I wanted it. Stepping onto the docks here yesterday felt like I had just entered a new world, one where I could do whatever I wanted, without the need to worry about my father looking over my shoulder all the time.”

Leonidas was visibly amused by Felicia's assessment of what happened between his sister and the chief's son.

"He thought that his status would protect him, but he was wrong. He should have known better than to put his hands on Leona without her consent. Backing her against a tent wall was an even worse mistake on his part." Leonidas summed up the results of the "fight" between the chief's son and his sister. He was not happy to learn that his sister was to be exiled, but it was either that or be burned at the stake. In the end he doubted that Leona was particularly bothered by being exiled, especially since their mother had no say in it and thus could not get it overturned to keep Leona under her thumb.

When it came to the topic of freedom Leonidas knew exactly what his acquaintance meant.

"I agree with you completely, Felicia. I can't speak for my sister, but I know I'm glad to finally be free. It sounds awful for me to say that considering my mother's still in Desierto, but I'm free to live how I want to... within reason. I don't have someone constantly badgering me to get married and willfully ignoring what I want for myself. Even though I'm in a country I'm still not familiar with I'm in control of my life now and that feeling's hard to beat." Leonidas commented on his freedom to Felicia. It was weird that he was talking about his family with her, but it seemed like the pair shared a commonality in the form of a controlling parent they had recently gotten away from and how exciting it was to be able to live their own lives without said controlling parent dictating their every move. The scar-faced mage was glad to be free and able to talk to young women and be platonic friends with them without his mother pushing for marriage and grandchildren every other day, if not more frequently. Whether she realized it or not Sophia had pushed away her children with her controlling behavior and had pushed them to the point that going to a foreign country and starting from scratch was preferable to putting up with her seemingly endless "requests" for grandchildren.


[Post Word Count: 378]
[Leonidas' Word Count: 2,392]

It was apparent that Leona was not a woman to mess with and Felicia did not feel even the slightest amount of sympathy for the idiot who the woman beat up. He sounded like a scumbag to her and the blue haired woman was rather sickened that there were men out there who would act in such a way, so entitled and believing that only what they wanted mattered. Now, the sniper was not all that great at close range fighting but even she might have been tempted to throw a punch if she had been in the same situation. The best she could probably do at the moment was summon her shock pistol and give them a bit of a jolt. Still, if she was lucky, that situation would never happen to her. Was she asking too much? Maybe. She was aware of her own attractiveness and although she was modest about that, a part of her was concerned about being hassled.

“That is definitely how I felt when I arrived yesterday and I am quite looking forward to exploring this country. I confess that my knowledge of Fiore is rather limited besides the maps that my father owns but I am hopeful that I can make my way around without too much trouble. Just being able to do that without any trouble means a great deal to me and I am looking forward to making my mark.” She replied, agreeing with his viewpoint and glad that she was not the only one who felt that way. The sense of relief that he felt must have dwarfed hers, considering how tough his childhood had been. Bandit attacks and a constantly nagging mother, what a horrible combination.

Finishing the last few remnants of her meal, savouring the delicious taste, Felicia would then ask. “So, has your time here so far been as satisfying as you had hoped? Have you been able to do some exploring of your own and had an adventure or two since arriving here? After spending so much of your life fighting bandits though, I would not blame you if you wanted to relax instead and leave fighting behind you.”

"I don't know Fiore very well yet and I've been here several months. It's OK, though. I learn more about the country as I travel though it." Leonidas admitted that despite being here longer his knowledge of Fiore was not the best. That was not a handicap for the scar-faced mage, who did not let small things like that stop him from exploring his new home country. He could stare at a map all day and not learn much from it... only by actually walking the land and seeing things for himself would he learn anything about it. That was what he had done in Desierto and that was what he would do here.

On the question of how his stay in Fiore made him feel the scar-faced mage took a moment to think about his response before giving it.

"I'd say that I don't regret traveling to Fiore. Life here's a lot easier because I don't have to constantly be on the lookout for bandit or slaver attacks. The climate's also a lot more bearable." Leonidas started his take on life in Fiore. Life in the desert might have made him suitable to being an adventurer because of learning how to cope with a lack of resources and the need to be ready to fight at a moment's notice, but life in central Desierto was also harsh and unforgiving. Leonidas was glad to be out of such an environment and living somewhere safer and with more abundant resources.

"As for adventures in Fiore, I've been on a few so far. I've fought zombies in Silent Cemetery and ghosts in Haunted Guild and I've met quite a few interesting people. I've even met a talking and floating sword." Leonidas told the blue-haired young woman a short version of all of his adventures to date. He would not bore her with every last detail... unless she asked. If Felicia did inquire he would be glad to regale her with some details such as those of his exciting trip through Silent Cemetery in search of a floating sword.

"I admit that I don't have to fight here like I did back home, but that's not a bad thing. In fact I want to get enough money to move my mother to Fiore so she doesn't have to worry about having to fight for her life every day." Leonidas added, revealing to Felicia one of his goals. Even though it sounded like the scar-faced man did nothing but harp on his mother's flaws he still cared for her. He wanted to move her to Fiore, a much safer place than Desierto. Here she would not have to worry nearly as much about bandit and slaver raids and the climate was much more bearable.

[Post Word Count: 460]
[Leonidas' Word Count: 2,852]

His answers made perfect sense to her and Felicia found herself nodding in response. Compared to what he had been through already in Desierto, Fiore must have seemed like an absolute paradise to him, both in terms of safety and the climate. Ca-Elum had a decent climate, fairly similar to Fiore’s and at the moment at least, it had been no shock to the system for her. Of course, she was aware that her new home was much more variable and that there was pretty much every climate you could want, somewhere in the country. It seemed to be the centre of things, which only caused the blue haired woman to feel rather excited about exploring the place.

She was a little surprised to hear that one of his goals was to bring his mother to the country, given how much torment she put both Leonidas and Leona through but family was family, after all and it made sense. There was no chance that she would do that for her own though, given that they were more than happy where they were and content with their lives. Her father was always so busy with the navy but seemed pleased with his progress through the ranks and her mother adored her work, so why should she try and spoil that? They were natives through and through and did not seem to share her desire to explore other lands. “I hope that you are prepared to receive more nagging about your lack of a wife then.” She replied with a chuckle, amused by the notion. “I would be willing to bet that will be the first topic that she brings up when you do.”

Thinking back over his response to her question about his adventures, she rose an eyebrow and asked. “A talking sword and ghosts in a cemetery? That sounds like a story that my mother would read to me when I was a child. I would love to hear more about your mission, if you are willing.” Her green eyes were sparkling with curiosity, her attention firmly upon him.

"You're probably right, Felicia. The only reason my mother isn't nagging me now is because we're so far apart, but if I brought her here she'd go back to her old ways in no time. Still, it'd be a lot safer for her here than it is in Desierto." Leonidas said to his conversation partner, taking the joke about his mother badgering him to marry in stride. He could not deny that what Felicia had jokingly claimed was true. Were he to bring Sophia here today she would immediately start pestering him to find a young woman to get engaged to.

Felicia asked him about the adventure in Silent Cemetery with the floating sword that could talk and he was happy to oblige her by providing details.

"Sure, Felicia. I'll tell you about it." Leonidas voiced his willingness to tell the story.

"It started out in Capital Crocus. I heard rumors that a floating sword was in Silent Cemetery and I decided to go see if they were true or not. I got to the cemetery gates around midnight and took a moment to draw my Silver Falchion before I went inside. I'd been there before, so it was a good idea to get ready for all the zombies that were going to be shambling around inside." Leonidas started the story with a brief description of what led him to Silent Cemetery.

"I opened the gates and went inside and from then on there was a lot of fighting to do. There were zombies all over the place and I had to fight my way through them all with spells and my sword. I forgot how many zombies I had to kill, but it was a large number. Eventually I reached a section of cemetery that had several small mausoleums and quite a few tombstones plus a large statue of an angel in the center. The angel was looking up at the sky and holding its hands up into the air like it was pleading to a higher power." Leonidas told a short version of the trip to the section of cemetery where he had found his quarry before imitating the upward gaze and hands raised towards the sky for a few moments so that Felicia got an idea of what the statue looked like. He spared her the details of fighting the zombies because it was repetitive and he doubted that Felicia wanted to hear about how he had disposed of his undead enemies. After doing the imitation of the statue he faced Felicia again before resuming the story.

"Once I found the statue I noticed that all the zombies in the area were already dead. They had deep stab wounds in their heads that went to the brain. I looked up at the statue and noticed that something was off about it. The first time I saw it it didn't have a weapon, but that night it did. It was a double-edged sword that looked a lot like a broadsword." Leonidas told her about what led up to actually meeting the floating sword and described the sword itself.

"Within a few seconds of spotting it the sword jumped down from the statue's hand and tried to stab me through the top of the head, but I dodged it with a jump to the side and the blade lodged itself in the ground. After that it got weird. The sword actually begged me for help and explained why it had attacked me in a voice I could hear, not telepathically or anything like that. Anyway, it thought that I was just another zombie... apparently the zombies had tried to catch and eat the sword several times before I got there, so it killed all the zombies it could find, which explained why I saw dead ones in the area." Leonidas described the sword telling him why it had attacked when they first met.

"We talked awhile and I learned that the sword once belonged to a mage who died over one hundred years ago. It was looking for a new master, someone who was strong enough to be worthy of serving. Long story short, I wasn't the master it was looking for, so it's roaming the world in search of the right person. I haven't heard anything about it since then, so I guess it's still searching for someone. Or maybe it finally completed its quest." Leonidas finished the story on a note of uncertainty regarding the floating sword's fate. He was not sure if Felicia liked his style of storytelling or not. He remained silent and waited to see how Felicia would respond to the tale.

[Post Word Count: 778]
[Leonidas' Word Count: 3,630]

At least he knew what he was getting himself for and Felicia sincerely hoped that one day his mother would perhaps back off and not pester him so much. Somehow, she doubted it, knowing how stubborn a parent could be but still she could hope. In honesty, the blue haired sniper had almost given up on her father ever doing the same. He had been in the navy too long and was well and truly stuck in his ways. It was odd though, or had always appeared so, that her mother was so much more forward thinking and had always encouraged her daughter to do whatever she wished. “No doubt about that.” She replied, agreeing with his statement about her safety.

His tale was certainly eye opening and the eyebrows of the gun wielder rose more than once as he spoke. It sounded like a nightmare in her opinion and fighting zombies was definitely not something that she had thought about doing. He had some skill with his storytelling  and Felicia’s mind was soon filling up with images about what she was hearing. It was a daring adventure and gave the sniper a good idea as to just what she may end up encountering one day, even if it was not what she particularly wanted to face. Criminals and beasts? Sure, she expected those but the undead? That was something else entirely.

The part about the sword was particularly bemusing and the blue haired woman was unsure about what to make of it. Yes, she had heard of such things but they had only been her mother’s stories, never actually real. She actually felt some sympathy towards the weapon though and hoped that one day it would find the one who was supposed to use it. The world was a large and lonely place or at least that is how it could be seen. No one deserved to be truly alone, whether they be animal, human or something else entirely.

By the time his story came to a conclusion, Felicia was smiling again and she finally answered. “That is one heck of a story and I must say that you rival my mother when it comes to telling. If you ever get tired of fighting then you could probably find a role for yourself as a bard.” Her words were genuine and she meant every word. “I would like to think that one day, the sword will find its owner and reach the end of its journey.”

Leonidas thought that Felicia was giving him too much credit for his storytelling skills because he was not very good at the nuances that brought a story to life. He thought that imitating the look of the angel statue might have been a bit much, but he had thrown that part in because it was a plot point in his story that explained where the sword had first been sighted and explained how it was in place to try and descend on him from above. Without that context Felicia might have thought that the sword had come out of nowhere or that the angel statue had its hands by its sides, which would make the sword's aerial attack a lot less believable.

"The sword claimed that it wanted to serve a strong owner, but it didn't explain what kind of "strong" it meant. It could have been physical strength. It could have been strength of character. It could have even been strength of resolve. All I can offer is conjecture." Leonidas addressed Felicia's statement about the floating sword.

"I used to be a blacksmith back home. I apprenticed under the main one when I was ten years old or so, so I started learning a trade early. Working metal the old-fashioned way with hammer and anvil builds strength pretty fast. So does constant fighting against bandits and slavers, but as strong as I am the sword didn't choose me." Leonidas added that he had physical strength in abundance because of his former trade, but that asset did not lead to him being chosen. He told that seemingly unrelated part of his life story to support his statement that the sword's definition of "strong" had been vague. When Felicia expressed her hope for the sentient weapon Leonidas quickly seconded her statement.

"I agree with you, Felicia. I hope the sword finds someone worthy of serving, but I have to admit that I'm kinda worried about who it sees as strong. For all I know I might run up against it working for a bandit who's absolutely convinced that he or she has a right to take what they want from people who can't defend themselves. Or it might end up being used by a serial killer who sincerely believes that they're justified in killing whoever they want." Leonidas agreed with the young woman's sentiment about the wandering weapon finally finding what it wanted and added a concern of his. He was not particularly concerned about that possible outcome because he was a strong mage who had spells to allow him to handle multiple opponents at once, but he hoped that the sword would pick a good owner even if that owner was not him. Maybe it had good enough judgment to choose someone with good moral character, but in the end the matter was out of his hands.

[Post Word Count: 478]
[Leonidas' Word Count: 4,108]

“It sounds to me as though it wishes to serve someone with a kind heart and a desire to protect.” Felicia opined in answer to Leonida’s first point. “It seems to have some form of honour and the fact that it asked for help rather than test your battle skills sounds to me as though it is looking for more than just pure physical might. I am just guessing though and perhaps it is just wishful thinking on my part but maybe the mage who first wielded it had been a mage on the side of law and that the sword wished to continue fighting for that purpose. I am not saying that you do not possess those traits but maybe it has its own values of right and wrong. It is truly impossible to say.” She was unsure if her words had come out all that well but they were said now so that was that.

His mentioning of his work as a blacksmith kind of reinforced what she had been thinking which caused her to continue. “That kind of goes along with the idea that maybe it is the heart of the person that it is truly focusing on. There are so many muscular guys out there who no doubt fight on the side of evil and yet the sword has never attached to one of those, even after all this time or maybe it is just destined to be with one person and them alone.” It was an intriguing story and one that gave her something to ponder about.

“I sincerely hope that it does not turn to the side of evil but I am not too worried about it myself. It sounded compassionate enough when you spoke to it and most likely has enough sense not to be corrupted. Who knows? Perhaps you are the one after all and maybe you were just not ready to wield it when you came across it last.” It was a pleasant thought and she knew for certain that it was not her that the sword wished to meet, given her uselessness with such a weapon.

"You might have a point, Felicia. It didn't grill me on my beliefs or anything, but it didn't jump right in my hand. I'm not sure if it developed its own set of morals over time or if it was given them at creation. Either one's possible... we live in a world full of magic and it's a world we don't fully understand." Leonidas answered Felicia's first statement by assuring her that her remark about his moral virtues was not taken as a jab. Leonidas knew that he was not the most upstanding person alive and accepted that. He fought as much for the thrill of it as he did to protect people who could not defend themselves and that was not what a moral person would do.

"If that's true I can see why the sword didn't take to me right away. I can't stand slavers and bandits. I've spent so long fighting them that I have nothing but hostility for them." Leonidas started off, admitting that his moral character was to some extent flawed. Few people would have had a problem with the scar-faced mage's hostility towards detestable people like slavers, but apparently the sword saw that as a flaw. It could be because Leonidas was so eager to eliminate them that he might go too far and end up a villain.

"They think it's fun to ride into a village and kill or capture people who have done nothing to them other than be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I can't tell you how many people I've seen die or be taken away at their hands. Men, women, children, the elderly... it didn't matter. Anyone was fair game." Leonidas said to Felicia, giving her a glimpse of his intense dislike for bandits and slavers. He calmed down enough to not have his face turn red, but he knew that he might have come across as a powder keg just waiting for a spark to set him off. He could not blame Felicia for politely excusing herself and getting as far away from him as possible.

Changing the subject before he made himself seem even more unhinged, Leonidas focused on the sword's morality.

"I don't think I have to worry about it ending up on the wrong side either. It seems to have a good set of morals and won't be easily duped. I'd be content if the sword found a good owner, even if the owner wasn't me." Leonidas told Felicia, hoping that his earlier remarks did not drive her away. She was a good conversationalist and did not seem repelled by his facial scar or his occasionally frank demeanor.

[Post Word Count: 446]
[Leonidas' Word Count: 4,554]

It was a great relief to hear that Leonidas had taken her words as they had been intended and Felicia relaxed her shoulders a bit. Despite his rough and rugged appearance, he truly did seem to be reasonable when it came to a debate, which she certainly appreciated. It was nice to be able to actually talk with someone rather than he talked at for a change and she hoped that there would be many more chances for her to have a decent conversation. It had not been that way back home and her father had been about as approachable as a rutting rhino with a hernia.

Leonidas’s body language changed just a little as he began talking about his intense hatred for slavers. Felicia could understand his reasoning and it was only natural that he would dislike them in such a way. If it was her in his shoes then she more than likely would have as well. “Their world is one of greed and violence with their only care being about money. I do not blame you whatsoever for feeling as you do towards them and I do not think that anyone else would either. They have made life a living hell for your family and that is enough to anger anyone with a heart. I certainly do not think any less of you for that.”

“I am sure that the sword will one day find the owner that it seeks and will start a new chapter in its life. It has a good head on its shoulders, if you get my meaning and honestly seems to be on the right path, one that will hopefully cause its legend to grow. My knowledge of magic is rather limited but a weapon of that magnitude surely knows what it wants and judging from the fact it did not attack you, I think that it wants a kind and fair owner.” Her voice was just as calm as ever, not having been bothered in the slightest about her conversation partner's previous outburst.

Leonidas was somewhat surprised when Felicia did not take the chance to leave and put as much distance between herself and him as possible. Bandits and slavers were a sore point with him and he made that known in no uncertain terms.

"Thanks, Felicia." Leonidas thanked the young woman for not thinking he was a violent person who was looking for a reason to go off on someone. He only behaved violently towards people who threatened him and even then he tried to talk them down before resorting to fists, magic, or weapons. His facial scar probably made him look more threatening that he meant to be, but thankfully Felicia did not think poorly of him... yet. Leonidas really needed to tone it down because he believed that very few people liked bandits and slavers, but his fury towards them was that sort that came from firsthand experience.

When Felicia brought up the fact the sword did not attack him after the first contact he figured that she had a point. She had made a lot of good points during their conversation and Leonidas liked that. He also liked how tactful she was when making them; she used a calm voice and made it clear that in the process of making her points that they were not intended to be personal attacks.

"You're right, Felicia. If the sword didn't attack me again after I pulled it out of the ground, I guess that it knows what it wants. It just has difficulty putting what it wants in specific terms, but that's OK. People have different personalities and so do magical animated objects. I never thought I'd be saying that last part, but it's true." Leonidas commented on the mysterious floating sword and its odd but seemingly strong moral code. He did not need a new sword that badly... his Silver Falchion worked for him just fine. However, the appeal of owning a floating and talking magical sword was something Leonidas could not quite explain. Maybe it was because he was a former blacksmith and had an unusual fondness for swords.

[Post Word Count: 350]
[Leonidas' Word Count: 4,904]

The blue haired sniper was a little taken aback when he thanked her, not honestly expecting that response. Perhaps he had expected her to chide him for feeling as he did? Well, she supposed she could do that but who was she to criticise him and as she had said, it was perfectly understandable. Felicia was not overly fond of violence but she was mature enough to know that sometimes it was inevitable and considering how bandits and slave dealers lived their lives, encountering them would always lead to combat. There were not any in Ca-Elum as far as she knew although she would admit that crime in her country was sometimes hidden by the government to avoid a panic. The Queen ruled with an iron fist and while she was adored, respected and almost worshipped by some, there was some fear there too. Felicia believed that she was probably more frightening than any criminal when angered.

There seemed to be little left to say about the topic of the sword and Felicia was grateful that he had taken the time to talk about it with her. It was a tale that she would think about for quite some time and had opened her eyes to just what might be out there during her travels. She would have to adapt rather fast to her new way of life, otherwise she would probably end up getting caught with her skirt down, sooner rather than later. She was not afraid of learning though and not arrogant enough to believe that she knew it all. There was so much that she had yet to experience and hopefully her time spent in Fiore would help her with that.

Changing the subject slightly, she went back to something he had stated before. “You mentioned that you used to work as a blacksmith? That must have been a tough job for a ten year old. How did that all come about? Do you still have any of the weapons you made back then today?”

"I started as a blacksmith when the village blacksmith needed an apprentice. For some odd reason he chose me out of all the other young men in the village. He never explained why I was chosen, but whatever his reasoning was it got me started on the path I'm walking today." Leonidas began the explanation to Felicia as to how he had gotten his start in the trade. He decided not to go on and on about that particular part of the story, instead deciding to discuss how it went.

"I started my apprenticeship when I was ten years old. When I first started it was hard for me to pick up a blacksmith's hammer with one hand because it was so heavy that it could pass for a weapon in its own right. It was hard to wield the hammer with one hand while holding the tongs that held a hot piece of metal in place with the other hand. And we didn't have any fancy modern tools in the village... it was done the old-fashioned way with old-fashioned equipment." Leonidas started off, making a point of stating that all the work was done with old-fashioned blacksmithing tools.

"I recall spending many days and nights working metal and feeling the heat of the forge on my face as I hammered the metal into shape and felt the steam near my face when I plunged the finished product into a metal trough of water to cool it down. In the early days I made quite a few mistakes and got quite a few tongue-lashings because of that, but I was never hit once. That was good because my teacher was so muscular that if he ever decided to hit me in the early days I'd end up outside the village borders. By the time I finished my apprenticeship I'd gotten so much muscle that he could only send me outside the tent." Leonidas told of the early days of his apprenticeship and made a bit of a joke about how much muscle the work gave him. Leonidas' face then turned a bit sour.

"My teacher was killed in a bandit raid a few years ago and I got promoted to village blacksmith because no one else knew how to do it. Luckily I had finished my training only a few days before. Unluckily the village was still one that relied on oral traditions to pass on knowledge, so there wasn't a blacksmithing book for us to consult to make training future blacksmiths easier. I didn't ever expect that to happen, but that just goes to show you that life's full of surprises." Leonidas told her the fate of his teacher and his unexpected promotion. It was quite clear that he took no joy in what happened to his predecessor and his tone and facial expression matched how he felt.

"I managed to train an apprentice to succeed me before my trip to Fiore, but I have no idea how they're doing now. I don't know if they're training an apprentice of their own or if they're even still alive. I might find out one day." Leonidas added. Maybe he needed to move on from the unpleasant topic, so he seized the opportunity to talk about one of his creations.

"I don't have any of the weapons I made way back when, but my sister Leona does. It's a knife I made a long time ago. I gave it to her shortly before she was exiled from our home village and she carried it with her to Fiore. As far as I know she still has it with her." Leonidas informed Felicia that while he himself did not have any of the weapons he had made his sister did. Hopefully she still had it in her possession.

[Post Word Count: 636]
[Leonidas' Word Count: 5,540]

He spoke with such passion and conviction that Felicia could almost feel how difficult his training had been, which again was testament to his storytelling skills. It must have been rough for a young boy to wield such heavy tools and the sniper had to admit that it was not a skill that she had any affinity for. She had tried making a pistol once but it had quite literally blown up in her face, much to the annoyance of her father. Fortunately, she learned how to use her requip magic which solved the problem and they had never exploded on her or up until now anyway. She smiled as he spoke about his teacher, noticing the fondness that Leonidas seemed to have for him, despite the various tongue lashings. “Sounds like he was a hard but fair teacher which the best ones seem to be and if he was even more muscular than you then he must have been a giant.” It was a compliment, of course, as the blonde haired male certainly appeared to be jacked from what she could see.

Unfortunately, he soon explained the sad end for the master blacksmith which caused Felicia’s smile to slip away. “I am sorry for your loss and I hope that he went down taking a load of bandits with him.” She expected as much, given the impression that Leonidas had given of him. True, it was not a particularly comforting thought that the man may have died killing other men but considering how hard a life Leonidas and his people had led, perhaps it was considered an honourable one?

When he spoke about training someone new, it briefly brought her smile back, imagining the scenario of Leonidas in his masters place. “Did you deliver a few tongue lashings of your own to your student?” She asked with a small chuckle.

At the mention of the fact he no longer possessed any of his own creations but his sister did, she would nod. “Well, it is nice to know that somewhere out there is one of your weapons, defending the weak and innocent from the unpleasant people of the world.”