Spellheart

[★Under The Stars★]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin/Astra Collab[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra has the spark returned to her eyes as Meijin offers to train with her. This was a relief for Astra for 2 major reasons. The first was the obvious immediate concern that because she revealed her preferences, that she would be isolated from the group. The second reason was that she was worried that she'd be the only one who was training her SP pool for the day. Though, Meijin seemed to not respond at all to what she just said again. Usually, that kind of comment is like a bomb going off. Astra found herself in an odd combination of wishing a bigger deal of it, but simultaneously liked that she was accepted so unconditionally. Vocally, Astra speaks her mind, although too softly to really make out, "That is totally cheating you know…"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra instantly goes back to full speed however, absolutely oozing with cheer, "Well, we could take something, but don't you think it would be more fun to run there?"[/BCOLOR]


[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin walked over towards Astra, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Caelis start talking to Nonna. She smirked a bit and giggled. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]I wonder what they're talking about… Not that it matters anyway. That BULL deserves a little talking to anyway.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] She suddenly stopped and thought, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]What am I telling myself? When did I get this mean? [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She shivered a bit, and then heard Astra's reply to her previous question.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra, instead of wanting to get a ride to the facility, wanted to run. Meijin thought it would be quite delightful. "Astra! That's a great idea! That sounds like a lot of fun! But be careful," She winked at Astra. "I'm pretty fast." She smiled because she had no idea that Meijin had an ability up her sleeve to make herself faster. She looked Astra in the eye and then said, "Okay. Ready?" She looked toward the town and then realized that she had no idea where she was going.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra replies enthusiastically, "I was born ready. Lets try to go fast, but also not run into anybody. If you run into someone, you have to stop and owe them a favor. Don't worry about being fast though." Astra takes hold of Meijin's hand, and without warning takes off sprinting, "After all, it is more fun if we go together. Just try not to fall over kay!"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin looked completely befuddled that she had just challenged Astra to a race, when she didn't even know where they were going. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]WHAT AM I DOING?! I just challenged Astra, a girl who knows this place like the back of her hand, to a race? I'm definitely going to lose now…[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]After a few seconds of wallowing in her own stupidity, Astra had said the rules that they had to abide by. If they bumped into someone while in the midst of running, they owed the person they bumped into a favor. And right as she was about to ask if someone didn't need a favor, Astra grabbed her hand and started sprinting furious. "H-Hey! W-Wait! I wasn't…!" Astra told her that it would be more fun together and then she was happy that she had gotten pulled into it. "Oh, don't worry about me Astra! I'll be just fine! You better be the one to watch out for people!" And right as she said that, she tripped and fell.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She looked up towards Astra. "Keep going! I'll be right there in a second!" She got up and simply started to run to keep up with Astra again. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]At this point… I might have to use my ability so that I don't lose sight of her…[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra continues to keep going on. Since Meijin said to keep running, but she clearly couldn't keep up earlier, does that mean that she has some sort of trick to keep up? Astra can't help but think this as she mindlessly darts and weaves between all sorts of people. Many of whom watch on with curiosity, annoyance, and surprise. The one thing that was clear is that this was something Astra has done many times, as she reads the movements of the crowd even as she goes full tilt. In fact, she seems to become more furious, with her movements more rapid and dodgy as she goes. The answer however, is quite unspectacular. Astra simply loved the attention she was getting, and it fueled her to become more and more ostentatious. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra speaks out verbally, "Maybe she actually tripped because I pulled her too hard…"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin looked around as she was running. She wanted to find some buildings with small sunroofs to run onto and dodge all the people. Unfortunately for her, there were none. So, as she darted through people, many of whom gave her the look of death, she started to draw a magic circle on her hand. She thought her hand would've been most convenient to draw the magic circle on because she was moving and couldn't draw it on the ground. Meijin wouldn't lose to Astra, but ironically, she had to rely on her in order to win. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]As she finished drawing the circle, she had to stop because she had nearly ran right into someone. Luckily, she could still see Astra. And it seemed like she going strong despite how many people were in the crowd. Meijin put some of her mana into the magic circle and the effect of "Light As A Feather" flowed through her body. She immediately felt lighter and began to rush past people like no other.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]When she reached a small gap in the crowds of people, she decided to be bold and go at full speed to catch up to Astra. She ran across the gap so fast, and she had the image of people's belonging being blown in her wake. She giggled a little bit and that's when she broke her own concentration and landed right onto a person. She had purplish hair and was wearing something very fancy. She looked a lot like Astra…[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]And after a moment, she realized that it actually was Astra that she had accidentally tackled. "Ah! Astra! I'm so so [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]so [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]sorry! Are you alright? I didn't mean to do that… I just lost my concentration for a second and then I tackled you! I'm really [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]really [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]sorry!"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Although Astra had done an extremely good job with avoiding those in front of her, she had neglected to pay attention to everything behind her since she was usually the fastest thing on the road. Feeling something heavy land against her back, she feels her body begin to move forward, falling off of her feet. The only thing going through Astra's mind at the time was about how she didn't want to get scraped up from the fall, though this was bound to happen.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Landing out with her arms absorbing most of the impact, Astra slides from the sheer momentum of their run for a while before coming to a rest with a clumsy Meijin on top of her. Astra could already see the bloody marks across her hands from the fall, tearing up a bit, she turns back to see what caused her fall. It was around this point she heard Meijin's voice, but it was already too late to hide her face. Astra felt embarrassed for being such a crybaby, but she really was upset that she was all banged up now, while simultaneously not wanting Meijin to have to worry about it. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra reassures unconvincingly, "It's alright. I just wasn't paying attention. I'm fine anyway…" Trying to divert the topic futilely, "And you were so fast, I was surprised. Is it your spell?" Astra tries to wipe her tears away, but it only makes her look more pathetic.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin looked at Astra sadly. Astra had started to look at her with teary eyes. Meijin felt horribly bad for making Astra cry. Crying definitely didn't suit her, which made Meijin feel even worse. She started to feel the urge to cry too.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra then told her that she was alright and that urged Meijin to suck in her tears like Astra was doing. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]I have to stay strong like Astra is doing. I'd be insulting her if I started to cry too. She's being so strong. It's really admirable. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Astra asked her if she used a spell, and shyly, she nodded and rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah… I have a spell to make myself or other people faster."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Then she realized something [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]crucial[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Hold on. I-I just ran into a person, right? A-And that means that since Astra is a person… I owe her a favor! M-Maybe s-she hasn't noticed yet… So… I won't bring it up.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] She looked a bit alarmed with this thought at first, but then played herself off as slightly shocked and nervous.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra smiles, letting herself try to think about other things besides how obviously beat up her hands looked, but in doing so, she became more aware of the obvious nature of the situation. Astra at first was only thinking about telling Meijin how cool she thought that spell was, but then as she really became aware, she realized Meijin was still laying directly on top of her. It might be considered hypocritical to on one hand hug and lean against people without even asking them if it is ok, while simultaneously getting defensive when someone does something similar to yourself, but such a concept was lost on Astra, who simply blushed with embarrassment.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Laughing softly, "Um, anyway, if you don't have anything else to say, or maybe if you do… maybe not being on top of me anymore… I mean, we should probably not be late to training and all."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]After Astra had told her to get off of her, she knew [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]exactly[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] what she meant. She blushed red as a tomato and stood up. "U-Um… Yeah… We need to hurry up." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]I can't believe that I was sitting on top of her and didn't even notice! How could I be so clumsy? How could I be so stupid?[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin then made an attempt at helping Astra up. "If it's not too much trouble, it might be better if we just walk…" Meijin didn't look at Astra while she said this, because she was way too embarrassed to do so.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra had been embarrassed about the previous proximity, but in typical fashion, that doesn't seem to stick with Astra. Right after Meijin got off of her, she was already back to her usual self. Although Meijin offered a hand up, Astra didn't want to show her bloodied palms, so she just hopped to her feet by throwing her upper body into it. Although she wanted to hold hands with her walking companion, Astra realized in time this wouldn't be the best idea, so instead she leaned up against Meijin, invading the already embarrassed girl's personal space. Although it was pretty obvious she was actually hurt, Astra just hoped Meijin was too embarrassed to take any notice. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]"The training facility is just ahead. We ran pretty fast, so it won't be too much longer."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin watched as, instead of taking her hand to get up, Astra got up on her own. She felt a little sad she didn't take her hand, but she knew that after landing on Astra, now wasn't the time to be sad. Plus, she was really embarrassed, so that emotion won out over her sadness.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin heard Astra say that the training facility was pretty close to them. She thought that maybe, while they walked, she could apologize again for what she did. She started to walk and looked at the ground the entire time, too embarrassed to say anything to Astra.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Upon arrival to the facility, it might seem a bit underwhelming. The building appeared completely ordinarily, much like all the stores around it. If it didn't have a sign that read, "Underground Meditation Room", one might not even know it was the place, especially considering the facility was not in fact located underground. On entry however, it became obvious, as it contained nothing but large elevators at each corner of the room, descending the incoming mages into the actual meditation room. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The meditation room definitely appeared to be ornately decorated to appear magical and mystical. The theme seemed to be that of magic, with runic carvings of some of the most powerful magic circles to ever be casted. These of course, were harmless replicas, only intended to appear the same, but they were an impressive sight nonetheless, and caused the room to become bathed in cyan light, contrasting heavily with the black wall. In addition, the room felt heavy with the flow of mana. At these deep levels, the leyline felt intense, like a weight was on top of you. Although one need only remain in the room for your body to adapt to this weight, and carry a greater amount of mana, even that could be a chore. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra speaks up, "Thanks for coming here with me Meijin. This kind of training is really boring by yourself. You just have to sit in a room by yourself until afternoon arrives. Honestly I don't even want to think about what it would be like to be here by myself."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin walked towards the building that Astra had walked into, and at first sight, she didn't think it was much. She thought it would be some boring, ugly brown room at the bottom of a bunch of stairs, which would be a lot of work. She got tired just thinking about the endless amount of stairs.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Though, surprisingly, she entered the bland building and saw a few elevators, which she thought led down to the meditation room. Upon entering the elevator and using it, her theory was correct. It led straight down into a beautiful room. Meijin almost cheered because it was so beautiful. The cyan light with the black walls made her think of a beautifully executed spell, which excited her.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]As she glanced around the room, she was awestruck at the different kinds of art that were present. And then Astra started to talk to her. Astra admitted that it was boring down here when you were by yourself. She blushed a little bit as she heard her say that. She giggled a bit as she looked at Astra. "That kinda sounds like you need me here… And it's no problem. I'm training what I need to train, so here I am. Coming with you and talking is just a sweet extra bonus!" She winked at Astra. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]H-Hold on! W-WHAT AM I DOING?! I JUST WINKED AT SOMEONE I JUST MET! HOW DESPICABLE AM I?! [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She tried to keep a calm disposition while she was having an internal panic.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra looks over Meijin curiously, not completely sure which way she was trying to take her comments. Astra did make sure to let people know that she was interested in girls, and Meijin is either flirting, or completely oblivious. Astra wasn't willing to rule out that she was just being awkward, but it didn't seem likely just judging by how embarrassed she seems to be around Astra. Then again, Astra wouldn't know what a typical reaction would be to just falling flat on top of someone would be, especially if you thought the other person might like it… That little fact probably has no place coming out right now however. Astra didn't really think about having that relationship with someone so close to her.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra takes a seat by one of the runic carvings that takes her fancy. Nonchalantly, "Careful, if you act like that, people around us are gonna think it is flirting."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]While Meijin was continuing to have her internal panic, something came out of Astra's mouth that made her want to hide… Far away. Astra told her that if she kept talking like that, that people might think that they were flirting. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]W-WHAT?!?! N-NO!!! I-I didn't mean to flirt… I mean… I don't think I did… Fuko, am I flirting? [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She tried to stay calm on the outside, but it definitely wasn't working. She was blushing bright red and tried to sit where Astra couldn't see her face. "Y-Yeah… I guess so…" She awkwardly laughed.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin sighed as she continued to bear the weight of the room. It definitely didn't help her feel less awkward, and it definitely didn't make her feel any better about the things she had done today. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]This day has been more eventful than a lot of my life. Well, except for the day that… [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She shook her head. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]No, I'm not going to think about that. I can't. I'll start crying and then I'll make Astra feel bad.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra felt a little bad for that little remark. She had only meant to give Meijin a small reality check, but that kind of reaction made it feel like she was just bullying Meijin. Considering she had begun hiding her palms by pressing the sores into the floor of the meditation room, it was obvious that Astra had not intended to hurt Meijin's feelings. Sympathetically, "I know it probably feels pretty awkward after everything that has just happened, but could you come sit next to me? This is my first time training like this, and everything feels pretty heavy."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin was still a little embarrassed and somewhat sad, but when she heard Astra call her over, she felt a little bad. She didn't think about how Astra might feel in this situation. She felt selfish and inconsiderate towards Astra. She had just knocked her down and she said she was alright, but Meijin knew that that was a blatant lie. She slowly scooted over to Astra. "Yeah… I know how you feel." She laughed to try to make the depressing situation a little bit better.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]After a short pause, she asked Astra, "So… How are you feeling? I mean, how are you feeling after I fell on you? And I know you're not okay, so please don't tell me that. It's okay to tell me if you're hurt. I'd like to help you." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]S-Should I admit to her that I owe her a favor? I mean… If she really did hurt herself, then I might need to get something to help her… [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra looks a bit guilty as she is called out on her lie. She made sure not to show it on her face, but her behavior was suspicious enough, and she did cry at a point. It was probably a dumb idea to even try to hide it. But, if Meijin really wants to know, then I guess there is nothing else to do about it. Astra lifts her hands, showing how the skin peeled leaving sores and scrapes across her palms. The essences Astra wore did shield her to an extent, but because they were moving so fast, the damage from the skid was still done. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Sorry, I just didn't want you to feel guilty. It was my game that lead to this, but I just knew you'd blame yourself if I showed you." Astra looks curiously at Meijin, wondering how she'd react to such a thing.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin looked at Astra and realized that she was actually hurt. She felt bad that she had caused her to have the cuts, but she was happy that Astra was someone who trusted her. She showed that by actually owning up to her bluff. She frowned as she looked at the cuts. Astra told Meijin that she didn't want her to feel guilty, so she kept it as secret and she even came up with an excuse to blame herself for the accident. "Astra, you are right that I am blaming myself, but please don't blame yourself. Your game was all in good spirits, it was just by some chance that I happened to ruin it." She laughed as she started to tear up a bit. "I know that I'm clumsy and sometimes I mess things up, but you don't need to put all of the weight of this situation on yourself. It was my fault you got cut. No matter what you say, I know that it's my fault. Now… S-Since I ran into you, I…" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Should I really say that? She might ask something weird from me.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra smiles softly, then lays her head on Meijin's lap, closing her eyes. "It is really ok. I get hurt all the time. It is all part of the course of being a mage. I don't like that it makes me look all gross, but the pain isn't really so bad. I mean, if you are scared of getting hurt or hurting others, mage is really not the job for you. You don't have to owe me anything because in the end I'm the type of person to take what I want without asking. If you gave me a favor, it would just be an excuse." Astra turns over to face Meijin, "So you don't have to finish that sentence or anything." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin looked away from Astra for a moment, and that was her mistake. Right as she did that, Astra laid her head on her lap. She felt extremely embarrassed because of all the things that had happened and then, suddenly, it was all better. And then there was the fact that she was being touched. On her lap… Near her- She didn't even want to think about it because it made her blush. And as Astra was talking to her, she was trying to cover up her bright red face, but wasn't doing it very well. Luckily, Astra's eyes were closed. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]This is wrong, this is so VERY wrong. What would Fuko think of me? Umm… Well… She would probably think, "You can do whatever you think is best." So… This isn't so bad, right?[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Then, without thinking, she vocalized the words, "Oh… Okay…" As an attempt to make herself feel less awkward, she asked the question, "Are you feeling a bit lighter? B-Because I am." Truthfully, she wasn't really paying attention to how heavy she felt. She was just really embarrassed to know that someone she had gotten to know closely was laying on her.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra ponders this question for a moment, closing her eyes and putting her finger to her lips. "Well, I guess I don't really know what you mean." Astra kicks out her legs a bit, seemingly unbothered by her ability to give a real answer to the question. "Do you mean that you don't feel embarrassed anymore or something? I see that you blush a lot, but I'm never really sure what you are getting worked up about." Astra realizes she misunderstood, "Oh, the actual weight, sorry, that was kinda rude to say out loud huh?" Astra giggles, making her seem a lot less sorry than she likely intended, "That was a pretty big slip huh? Anyway, I think that it might seem that way since your body has adjusted, and you aren't getting as much of an effect anymore. The training isn't effective if you do it too long, so maybe you are feeling that? Tomorrow it will probably feel just as heavy as you started today."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin watched Astra as she, quite naturally, put a finger to her lips. She looked away from her and listened to what Astra had said to her. She had dodged her question, at first. Then, after she had said a few somewhat embarrassing/hurtful things, she answered her question. Astra seemed to know quite a lot about the training process for mages, which she thought was interesting. I mean, it was as much interesting as it was mysterious. But after thinking about it for a little bit, it did make sense. Astra had lived in this place her entire life. She must've known quite a few more things than she did about… Well, everything. Astra seemed quite knowledgeable, especially since she had told her that this kind of training wasn't effective if you stayed in the place for too long. "M-Maybe… I don't know if that's the case. If you're feeling lighter, than I suppose we should leave. But, it's up to you. I-I… I don't really care when we leave… As long as I get my pool up more."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra look curiously at Meijin, whom she fully expected to get mad at her for all that stuff she let slip. Honestly, Astra didn't really mind the prospect of getting Meijin mad, so much as the lack of mention or reaction about anything she was doing was growing worrisome for Astra. Meijin was probably just being polite, a measure Astra only ever took to half-measures, but it really was unique to find someone who just let someone do anything to them without a word. Moving from Meijin's lap, Astra pulls herself off and to her knees, giving Meijin a concerned look and tone, "Are you really comfortable being so polite? If I'm being troublesome or anything, it is ok to say so you know." It is almost hard to take Astra seriously when she acts this way since she is constantly acting cutesy, like she has no cares in the world.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin looked at the ceiling because she was really uncomfortable and embarrassed. She wasn't going to express that she was, but… When Astra asked if she was comfortable being so polite, she was going to answer. But then, she continued. Astra, adorably, implied that she was being troublesome, which Meijin didn't think at all. "You're not troublesome! Not at all! Please don't say that. I really don't mind being shoved around a bit. As long as you try not to take it too far, in which case, I'll fight back or get mad. But, please don't say things like you're troublesome because it's not true at all." Meijin grabbed Astra's scabbed hands. "Please don't worry about things you say in front of me. You can say whatever you like and I'll try not to get mad. I'm here to help everyone. Including you. I'd much rather listen to mean things that are sincere instead of half-hearted nice things." She internally laughed at herself. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]I am such a hypocrite. I can't even tell people the real things I'm thinking. I can only say things that I think will be pleasant for them to hear. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She whispered to herself, maybe a bit too loudly, "I'm so pathetic."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra by this point very strongly understands that Meijin more than likely has feelings for her. Although it would usually be a bit of a leap to assume that someone likes people on the same gender without something a bit more definite, everything Meijin was doing seemed to suggest that she felt ashamed, or at least at odds with her internal motives, especially when Astra made physical contact with her. Combine those instances with her reaction this morning, and you have a pretty plausible case. Not to mention, Astra did feel a little something herself, especially knowing that Meijin really did enjoy Astra's behavior. And because subtlety is not her style, Astra only really had one means of dealing with this, bluntness. Astra smiles, and in an almost teasing way, "You are totally hitting on me aren't you!" Astra looks Meijin directly in the eyes, not letting her escape her gaze.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]At this point, Meijin was starting to feel a bit awkward because she was the one that initiated physical contact. And she admitted something about her terrible inner personality. She felt emotionally naked in front of Astra. She felt embarrassed, awkward, angry, happy, all kinds of emotions at the same time and she was so confused. She wasn't sure what was happening. And then… Astra said that she was hitting on her. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]WHAT?! A-AM I HITTING ON ASTRA? DID I DO THAT? AM I A FLIRT? D-DOES THAT MEAN I… I… I LIKE ASTRA?!?! [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]After a moment, considering her mental thoughts, which she was expressing profusely, she tried to come to terms with what she just thought about. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Maybe I do… I mean… I… I did fall on her… And we've had more physical contact than I've really had with anyone in my entire life… [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Meijin suddenly looked Astra in the eyes. "I…" She blushed and looked at the floor. "I don't know… Maybe?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra laughs out loud, "Maybe? Sweetheart, if you are confused about this, I think you might need help finding where up is." Astra seems very happy however, "And it is totally adorable. I didn't expect to be saying this so fast, but if you ever want to go out on a date or something then I'm totally up for it." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]When Meijin heard Astra laugh, she felt insulted, but relieved at the same time. Then, after a few seconds, she started to laugh with her. Then Astra had practically told her that they should go out on a date. "I…" She didn't even know where to begin with her answer. She wanted to say yes, but she wasn't sure. She… She was very confused and happy and [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]very[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] confused. Without even thinking she said, "I'd like that." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]WHAT?! "I'D LIKE THAT?!" WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING MEIJIN? THAT SOUNDS LIKE A CRAPPY WAY OF SAYING "YES"!!! UGH. MEIJIN, YOU NEED TO GET YOUR CRAP TOGETHER. THIS IS SERIOUS… Fuko… WHAT SHOULD I DO?!?![/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Astra pops up to her feet, "Well, it looks like I am going to have a lot of fun tonight. But for now, we are done with training…" Astra seems to be thinking of how to phrase this next part, something rather rare for her to spend the time doing. "You know, a lot of mages quit after their first trip to the arena. It is sorta a testing grounds to see who has what it takes for the job. Do you think you are going to be ok?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]F-Fun?[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] That is the first thought that pops into Meijin's head. She smiles, then blushes, and then stands up with Astra. "It seems we are done with training. I do feel significantly-" She sees that Astra is trying to think about what she's going to say next. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Hmm… That's odd…[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Astra tells her about mage's first day in the arena. "Well… I think that I might be okay." She pauses for dramatic effect. "And with your support… I think I'll be fine." She blushes and escapes to the elevator that leads them back to the ground floor of the bland building. She pushes the button and waiting for the elevator to arrive.[/BCOLOR]

 

[gamer5]

Fárya awoke with the right side of her face burrowed into a book. It was the book that she last remembered reading but a few pages forward from the page she recalled being on. Then she realized what had happened, in her wanting to read the book and nervousness of the expected first day at the knight training facility made her stay up to late and fall asleep. "The first day at the training facility!!!" a though rushed trough her head. Being late for the training like hell she quickly got up, but overtaken by the sudden change of her body's position and being asleep until a moment ago she had to brace herself on the table of the room she rented in the inn a few streets from the training facility. Giving herself a moment to recover from the sudden weakness that overcame she recollected the fastest route to the facility.

As soon as her body permitted her Fárya quickly walked out of the room and made her way to the ground level of the building which was a tavern and inn at the same time and operated as a tavern on the ground level. There she took a piece of cooked meat and bread for a breakfast while sending a few words to the owner while doing so: "Good morning. I am terribly late so you will have to excuse my rudeness and haste. Later then." Then she exited the tavern, eating the meat and bread as she walked towards the training grounds at the fastest pace that would not count as running.

It was a thankful situation that she took a room in a tavern close enough to the training grounds, that she looked around for the fastest way to the grounds before and that the fastest way was not to crowded to get to the grounds fast enough. She managed to enter the facility and was looking around while asking around for where the knight in charge of her, and probably a bunch of other knight-wannabes, a individual named Lancelot ...

[Sorry for posting this late! I was not able to go to Skype for quite a while (and still can't go to it most of the day, and the time when I can is when you ppl are usually not on) and didn't notice that the IC started until Luna contacted me ...]

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Caelis could feel the icy stare of a certain individual as he walked away. He muttered to himself "Maybe not getting involved was the better idea." as he then sighed. It had been only a few moments, but Caelis had effectively gotten off on bad terms with another person at this mage academy. The last thing that he needed at this moment was another person who wanted to see him dead, but it seemed that he was already on his way to making someone else hate him. "Oh well." He thought. If there was anything that he learned in his two decades in this world, it was the fact that you can't be friends with everyone and that some people will just hate you for simply being yourself.

As he walked to his destination, he could still feel hostile aura emanating from behind him. He could have probably thought this out a bit better. After all, they were both going to be heading in the same general direction. "Maybe I should just apologize?" He continued to think. "It's kind of petty to be so caught up on this. So, sacrificing a little bit of pride is worth making sure that my time training will be a lot smoother than the rocky start that I had with a certain someone. Speaking of which, what was her name? I didn't get to hear it. Well, I guess I'll have to deal with the situation later today."

Caelis then arrived at the building where he wanted to arrive at. It was a seemingly normal building, but inside was an elevator that led him to a pretty high floor. The second the door opened, Caelis could feel the very air around him become harder to breath. He walked out of the elevator and he could immediately feel pure waves of magic start to besiege him. Caelis had to start concentrating to fight off the waves as he started releasing his mana to surround his body to protect him from the waves that continuing their unrelenting onslaught. He walked deeper into the room when the waves began to grow stronger and stronger. Caelis had to respond accordingly by releasing more of his mana. He then reached a point where he was unable to resist any stronger waves. It was there that he stood his ground. The training was hard. In fact, he had to start breathing heavily because he was exerting so much energy fighting off the waves.

After a while, Caelis felt like withstanding the waves became... easier. Maybe he was just used to it by this point? Either way, he managed to then take a look around the place. There were a lot of people deeper in the room. In fact, Caelis was probably among the 40 percentile who were closer to the back of the room than the front where the waves were emanating from. Ever the competitive spirit, Caelis boldly took a few steps forward, pretending that each step was easy to take. But then he hit a wall, and the force almost knocked the air out of him. He stopped and took one step back, to his embarrassment. Caelis secretly hoped that no one was watching him. He had to remind himself that pacing himself was important when training. "A few steps forward every session." He promised himself. He would reach the front soon enough, or at least he was determined to do so.

 

[Mite]

Nonna stared at the building in front of her with a raised eyebrow. She examined the sign that read "Underground Meditation Room" for the fourth time before looking back to the building and rubbing the back of her head. It didn't look anything like she imagined, to say the least. Preparing herself for falling victim to someone's prank, she readied herself and entered. If it was a prank, then at least she had a reason to extort the location of the real Underground Meditation Room from the prankster.

Luckily, there was no prank and the boorish building revealed elevators that descended to what Nonna could only imagine to be the actual Meditation Room. Finding an elevator with room to spare, Nonna was lowered down to a place that more closely fit the image of a mage's training area. Stepping off the elevator and watching it fly back up to ferry more mage apprentices down, Nonna noted the company of her ride immediately disperse and begin practicing, most of them in pairs or small groups.

Nonna had been to leylines numerous times for potion resources. Perhaps, she had far more experience with them than anyone else in the Underground Meditation Room. However, this was the first time she had even entered so deep into the leyline, and the pressure was far heavier than anything Nonna experienced before. The discomfort from new experiences were one thing, but the massive spell circles looming overhead contributed to this room's intense weight. The magic circles made Nonna feel inadequate, almost as much as she had felt when she first saw magic being used properly. Out there, somewhere, there are people far stronger than Nonna who can utilize these obnoxiously powerful spell circles.

A couple of distracted giggled from one of the pairs reminded Nonna of her public location. Sharply scoffing at the fact that she let herself get caught up in some fake magic circles, she peered around for a comfortable spot to train in. Well, even though they are meant to train, Nonna didn't really know how to "meditate" and just imagined that she could take a nap here for a while and get the same results. Finding a spot and laying down on her back, Nonna stared up at the tall, dark ceiling for a while before closing her eyes.

...As if she could fall asleep on some hard stone floor, surrounded by chatting strangers, a harsh glow, and the steady grinding of the elevators rising and falling. In fact, closing her eyes and trying to ignore her surroundings just made her remember the annoyances of the morning and noon. A particularly exaggerated face of Caelis with a large nose looking down at her with a condescending, self-satisfied smile appeared. Nonna's brows furrowed as she tried imagining herself using fire to burn away that horrid face, but unfortunately the mental Nonna that did it turned around and revealed Meijin wearing Nonna's clothes and using her magic. She gave a silly, proud, satisfied smile and puffed out her chest. Suddenly, an audience clapped and cheered for that "Nonna" as Lancelot arrived to give the imitation her own set of his ridiculously ornate armor. Suddenly fire enveloped the stage and audience and Nonna, wearing some strange evil get-up, rode in on a dragon laughing maniacally. As some witty, albeit cliché banter was said between the heroic Meijin a la Nonna and the villainous dark sorceress who was the real Nonna, the battle began. Of course, Nonna won because Meijin was some imitating push-over that only dressed like a hero. As she gloated in her victory, a harsh cyan light appeared above her. The glow was blinding, and the power in it was crushing. The ground under Nonna was cracking as she struggled to stay standing. Glancing up defiantly, she could barely make out that obnoxious, self-satisfied smile under his large, proud nose.

"Mindlessly making enemies will make people want to see you suffer," Caelis reprimanded the villainous sorceress in his annoying, shrill voice. As the familiar spell circle was filled and the massive spell was fired, the earth started shaking violently as if to emphasize the end of—


Nonna's eyes opened.


Two faces loomed over her, one in concern and the other stifling a laugh. Nonna pulled herself up to a sitting position, realizing that she had indeed managed to fall asleep despite her earlier beliefs. Reaching up to rub her head, she felt that the hair on the back of her head was frozen in a strange ring-like bed-head mess.

"It... It's almost afternoon so, um..." one of the girls murmured. The other had a large smile, trying hard to keep herself composed as she pointed to her own chin. Nonna ruffled her hair curiously, trying to get rid of— or at least mitigate—her messy hair. The quiet girl smiled weakly and pointed to Nonna's face as she continued, "You, um, should hurry back to your group. The Knights will skip truant mages if... You know, if they aren't there in time."

Nonna touched her face lightly and felt the wet, slimy trail of drool reaching to her chin. She immediately started to wipe it off with her sleeve as she hurriedly stood up.

"O-oh yeah? Right, uh..." Nonna sniffled, still trying to fully wake herself and her body up. "Thanks for waking me up. I should..." Nonna looked towards the elevators and wondered if they would actually skip her. ...No, she didn't have to think hard about that at all; They would definitely skip her. "Yeah, I need to get going."

The two girls nodded as they stood up themselves. By their relaxed behavior, Nonna suspected that they weren't going to training. Maybe their Knight was laid back, or maybe they were skipping. Nonna didn't have time to think about it, however: if it really was the afternoon, sparring might have already started and Nonna would be stuck in the sidelines watching. Nonna didn't even want to imagine the what sort of humiliating thing Lancelot would force her to do, like apologizing.

Nonna quickly waved to the two who woke her and said a quick thanks before rushing to the elevator and hurrying up. As the elevator rose, Nonna just noticed at the last moments that the room didn't feel as heavy as it did when she entered.

 

[☆Luna☆]

On their way back out of the underground meditation room, nobody would have guessed that Astra and Meijin just started seeing each other. This was mostly because Astra was more interested in jump at the exact perfect moment so that she could feel herself jump higher right when the momentum shifted. In a world of magic and mystery, one would think that an adult like Astra would have long since grown disinterested with such phenomena, but in spite of this, she seems practically entranced with the activity. One could only guess how many times she has done such a thing, because she jumps at just the right time for the maximum effect. Astra looks towards Meijin expectantly, with a large grin across her face.

Meijin awkwardly waited in the elevator because she was so embarrassed by the things she had done earlier. In an attempt to flee, she had gone into the elevator, but Astra had followed her into it. They were the only people in it and she could feel the tense, awkward air inside the elevator. Well, she thought she did. When she looked over at Astra, she saw that she was wearing a wide grin. W-What is she smiling about? I-Is she planning something? Meijin stood inside the elevator just looking at the floor, her face redder than a ripe tomato. As soon at the elevator started to slow, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Astra leave the ground for a few seconds. "A-Astra! W-What are you doing?!" She felt the elevator shake as her feet collided with the bottom of the slowing elevator. Meijin clutched the sides and looked at Astra nervously. Astra was just wearing a big, fat grin across her face. Meijin couldn't help but blush at the sight of Astra's smiling face. Meijin felt like anytime she was around Astra she just melted like hot butter. The elevator doors opened and Meijin motioned to the open doorway. "Y-You can go first."

Astra grabs hold of Meijin's hand, and drags her out among the crowd of people. "I don't want to get separated though, so lets just go together kay?" Astra thinks for a moment, then appends, "Oh, but we won't play that game again. We should probably practice moving together first so that we don't run into anyone. It wouldn't be any fun if someone got hurt right?" Astra maintains a sense of being nonchalant, despite having made a few adjustments, she wasn't one to announce such a thing. Meijin really likes her, and that means that she would be getting the full dose of Astra. If Meijin was embarrassed now, she is about to be in for a long ride.

Meijin felt Astra's hand slowly grab hold of hers. She twitched at the feeling of being touched. Astra dragged her into a crowd of people and told her that she didn't want them to get separated. Meijin blushed and thought that Astra was being really sweet. Astra took a pause for a second and then made a joke about the game they played earlier. She giggled and then responded to the question she had asked her. "Yeah." She smiled. This is probably the most fun I've had in a long LONG time. I know I'm just being pulled around, but… It's better than not doing anything and going on with boring daily life. Meijin knew that she liked Astra a lot, but she wasn't sure if Astra actually knew it. Maybe… Maybe I'll tell her later. When we're alone. That seems… Like the most appropriate thing to do. I mean… It's not weird to have a crush on someone, right?

Astra makes her way for the arena, starting to have an evermore concerned look on her face. She doesn't know how many people did their research before agreeing to the mage training program, but there is a nearly 75% drop out rate after a mage experiences their first arena. And for good reason… The arena is first and foremost a place to test if someone has what it takes to be a mage. If they can't handle that much, they don't belong. Even still, Astra truly despises the arena. It is something of a great and necessary evil that mages endure to prepare themselves for the ugly reality we face. Mages aren't exalted because they are superior, but because they face the greatest challenges our world has to present, and they win. And in one concluding thought, Astra thinks that if Meijin still wants to go on a date with her after her first arena, it is probably going to be a somber occasion. Astra and Meijin arrive at the site of the Arena, noticing Lancelot with his ridiculously large build and shiny armor. It looks as if everyone is gathering around him. Astra glances over at Meijin, eyes still full of worry. "Good luck with your training, kay?" Astra lets go of Meijin's hands, prancing over to Lancelot.

Meijin walks with Astra over to the Arena, all the while, holding hands. She's embarrassed and happy, so she hides her blushed face, but also has a gigantic grin. She looks up to see a large building, which she is completely mesmerized by. When they enter, they walk over towards Lancelot. And then Meijin got worried. Very worried. She was definitely no strategist, but she knew that she was going to be up against a hard opponent. She was worried that she was going to lose horrifically and then she might have to leave. She didn't want to do that, but if she couldn't beat her first opponent, who could she beat? Astra let go of her hands and then she felt empty. Astra told her good luck and she wanted to cry. "O-Okay… You too." WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!?! I DON'T THINK I CAN HOLD MY OWN IN A FIGHT. ESPECIALLY ONE THAT… THAT HAS TO BE AGAINST OTHER PEOPLE. I WANT TO HELP THEM, NOT HURT THEM. Meijin took a deep breath. She tried to pump herself up, but it didn't really work. Meijin… You can do this. You can beat the other person. It's just a fight to the death, right? You're fighting real people… That you can KILL. OMG. I CAN'T DO THAT! I CAN'T KILL SOMEONE! She whispered to herself, "What am I going to do?"

 

[York]

Enoch Brody
​

Enoch sighed as he stepped out from the University building, both in relief, and partially from impatience, he liked reading, sure, but... Spending so much time studying concentration and not putting it to the test bugged him a little, as if he had suddenly developed an urge to want to try one of his spells right then and there. Thankfully, he had enough self control in him not to let that feeling take control of him; that would have been quite the embarrassing way to end his training session, and, plus, he'd be killing any chance he had at improving his mana control. He certainly felt like it had improved, at least by a little, though, he realized it was about that time to head over to the arena, bidding farewell to the University students which he had studied with there. One of his hands reached over, and, once more, patted that pocket which held his map, clearly looking relieved it was still there; he had felt too embarrassed to try and check when he was around others, that sort of thing would probably look silly to most on-lookers, not to mention it wouldn't help his public image around the campus.

At the very least though, he had made it out without a single incident; his first experience in a place like that wasn't that bad really, though, he must say, he wasn't in a hurry to return if he wasn't training his control. As he continued to walk, he quickly realized that it would probably be for the best to map out the currently known layout that he remembered of the town; that way he wouldn't lose himself in the crowds. With that in mind, he took out a fresh piece of paper from inside another pocket, unfolding it and finding the small piece of charcoal he had often used for this purpose... He started to map out the area; though this one was a little crude at the moment, it still brought him a little comfort that he would be able to get his bearings now if he were ever to lose his sense of direction. Such a thing had yet to happen to him, but, it was something he had always feared, a constant scenario surfacing during his more restless nights, perhaps because he had heard too many stories about people getting lost in the wilderness, or in the endless mineshafts back at home. He couldn't quite remember when exactly he had started doing this to keep his fears at bay, but, all he knew was that if he were to lose one of his maps, it wouldn't exactly sit well with him, he shook his head a little though... He'd prefer not to think about these things.

It was just then that he noticed an imminent stone wall, more or less right in front of him, and blinked a few times; in his thoughts he had nearly run himself right smack into a building! Quickly scribbling down a few more details of this fresh map, he quickly rilled it up, placing it right next to the other rolled up map in his pocket, barely being able to squeeze the thing in before he returned the small piece of charcoal to one of his other pockets. It seemed that he would have to drop off some of his belongings soon, but, he'd do that after training; it would be quite embarrassing to be late for it just because of some silly task he had to do. Rubbing his head a little as he started to walk again, swerving around the building he had narrowly missed, he continued to head towards the arena, finding that the building of his destination was beginning to become visible in the distance. He made a mental note to map the rest of this area out later... Even if he itched to do it right now, it just wouldn't do to be known as the one who crashed into a wall out of his own carelessness. Enoch put a palm to his forehead, still trying to get over the fact that such a thing happened... Perhaps he just needed to adjust to living in a village like this.

After a while, he drew close enough to the arena to see what it looked like; it looked quite grand, but, from what he'd heard... It was supposedly bigger from the inside. Perhaps it was some form of magic at work? Who knows, all he knew was that he definitely wouldn't mind trying to spar here, though, he was uncertain who he'd be assigned to spar with. As he entered the arena itself, it didn't appear much bigger on the inside than the outside, which puzzled him... Maybe this was just how it usually was before the sparring starts? He wasn't sure, but, perhaps Lancelot could shed some light on that subject, he was the most knowledgeable person that he knew of about the area... Like he was supposed to be; otherwise he wouldn't be where he was today... Would he? Enoch stuck close to one of the arena walls as he waited for the briefing from Lancelot that he had a feeling was more or less coming soon.​

 

[☆Luna☆]

When the entire group assembles, Lancelot nods with a sense of satisfaction, seeing that each student appears to have taken their training seriously. Each of his the mages under his care seem to have improved, if only slightly. "You've done well. It has been a while since I've taken a group in which not a single member shirked their training. Be grateful, as this means that you will not have to run a lap around Merton. However, don't lower your guard just yet, for you are now going to train in the great crucible known as the Arena. Since this is your first time, I will offer each of you some comfort. First, knowledge. You are about to fight another mage to the death from within an illusion that will feel perfectly real. This is nothing short of mortal combat. If you were expecting anything different, quit now. Fighting for the lord is the primary function of a mage, and those who cannot are not needed here. Secondly, I will not punish the team should any of you decide that you do not belong here. This is a choice only you can decide for yourself. Finally, you will be given the choice to forget anything that happens in a match. It is very natural to do this on your first match, and do not fear choosing this. However, the trials you face here are to prepare you for what you will face in your line of work. The path of the mage is bloody and malefic. We bear this burden for those who cannot hold it, and in doing so act as our lord's sword. Iron yourself. That is all."

As Lancelot walks off, he remembers something at the last second, causing him to pause and look over his shoulder. "Additionally, I'd like to congratulate you all. You might not know it, but each and every one of you is a prodigy. I can tell by the amount you've improved. I ask you all to use your gifts to serve our lord." Lancelot continues walking off, seemingly to his knightly duties.

 

[Crysodic]

Leon watched the two girls named Astra and Meijin fool around upon each other while also listening to the two talk about their relationship. I am surprised that they are talking about that in public. He thought to himself watching over the two, If I was one of them. I would have left by now. The girls talked about the possibility of Meijin liking women and them going out that same night, then they got up and went over to the elevator. As the newly formed couple left the training area, Leon himself got up and entered the next one that arrived. While the one Astra And Meijin went into, the elevator that Leon was on was much more cramped with people. Some exhausted from the training they did while others were still talking normally like nothing ever affected them. Leon himself was feeling slightly weak in his legs for sitting slightly too long, but over all felt fine.

He exited the elevator and followed the crowd of people that flowed out. Leon could just barely spot the girls as they started walking back in the seemingly same direction. I better follow them, Leon thought to himself, Every street looks the same and I still have no idea where to go. Taking his own advice, Leon almost stalked the two, always taking the small open stream behind them. He could hear tiny bits of conversation, but most of it was incomprehensible because of the market stalls and the other random conversations by people passing by him. Leon looked back at the people that passed him and saw that most of them looking back while there was also at least twenty feet of open space behind him. He shrugged while entering the arena behind the two, people have always said that there was an evil feeling around Leon.

When Lancelot finished his mini speech, a smile emerged from Leon's face. He quickly looked around the room and could not decide who to challenge, so Leon chose the person closest to him. He tried to be as silent as he could while walking over to his victim. "Well madam. If it would not be of any trouble, I would like to challenge you in the arena." He said in a whisper next to Meijin, bowing down to her ear level.​

 

[★Under The Stars★]

Meijin listened to Lancelot's speech and was still having her normal internal panic. Lancelot explained the mechanics of the event that was about to unfold. He started off strong and Meijin was ecstatic that she was able to please Lancelot just by doing her training. And then it all came crashing down. Lancelot explained that anyone who wasn't expecting fight-to-the-death combat should go home. H-HOLD ON! I... I SHOULD GO HOME?! What kind of advice is that? That's basically saying, "You should quit while you're ahead", or something else like that. I-I can't accept that! Even though it is mortal combat... I can't help but think about the fact that I do kind of want to run away from this. I mean... It has been fun, but the harsh reality is that I have to endure killing creatures and people. Just as Lancelot said. "The path of the mage is bloody and malefic." Those words reverberated into the very being of Meijin. She had a hard time keeping her composure. She felt... sad? Maybe she was feeling sad. But... Maybe, just maybe... She was anxious? Was she? Was she actually looking forward to fighting to the death? Meijin shook her head. No... I wouldn't enjoy taking the life of someone or something. That doesn't help anyone in the end... Especially not me. Bearing that burden... I don't even want to think about it.

Lancelot started to walk away, but paused. Why is he pausing? Lancelot said something that she didn't think would come from Lancelot's mouth. "Each and every one of you is a prodigy." She stumbled back for a second. She almost fainted. She felt like she had just been punched in the gut. VERY hard. He's... Expecting something great from each of us. An expectation. Why? Why is he expecting something from someone like me? The word 'prodigy' consumed her mind. Prodigy? What is he talking about? I'm just a lonely girl from a town of mages who was lucky enough to be bestowed with some weak power. She inaudibly laughed at herself.

"Well madam. If it would not be of any trouble, I would like to challenge you to the arena."

Meijin quickly turned to Leon, who was standing right next to her. "Huh?" It took her a second to process what had just been whispered in her ear. "O-Oh! I see!" Meijin laughed a little bit to clear her head of all the doubtful thoughts she was having. "Um... Well... I guess so." I'm not strong enough on my ow-... Right. I'm not strong enough ON MY OWN. But, if I team up with a bunch of other people, then I can definitely win! I won't have to deliver any killing blows or anything. Meijin, you're brilliant! "Actually..." She ran towards the front of the group where Lancelot had just given his speech. "Who's up for a little team battle?" She winked. I hope this works out...​

 

[Mite]

Nonna stumbled into the arena just as Lancelot began his speech, trying to control her ragged breathing. She gleaned from the rest of the crowd that he was waiting for the entire group to assemble first before speaking. How lucky for her. She held back her heavy breath as best she could and took her spot in the small group. She wasn't too late when she left the Underground Meditation Rooms; she may have even arrived here on time if she didn't start running in the opposite direction the first time around. Backtracking to the Underground Meditation Room and starting over in the right direction was hard enough, but the crowds flooding the street were also of no help. At least she could finally take a breather now that she had arrived.

As Lancelot explained, sparring turned out to be much more serious than she originally thought. While they were just illusions, the fact that they felt real caused Nonna to hesitate for a moment. Fear of pain was a natural thing for anyone inexperienced in fighting, however she had experience and knew how to deal with physical pain. But magic? This would be Nonna's first time being hit by magic, and she remembered how pitiful she was the first time she took a punch. She felt embarrassed just remembering it. Not to mention her own abilities, which revolved around fire. A nauseous feeling overwhelmed her at that discernment, thankfully preventing her from continuing down that trail of thought.

Lancelot confessed his opinion on the team. A sense of pride filled Nonna when he called her a prodigy (along the rest of the group, but she couldn't care less about them currently). It wasn't long after Lancelot left that Nonna overheard the first challenge issued. It was the creep from the warehouse, and his target was the little leader. On cue—as if she could read Nonna's mind—Meijin positioned herself standing right where Lancelot was and addressed the whole group, acting as if she were the leader. Nonna could only chuckle to herself at Meijin's wink as she thought aloud, "Our little leader really is trying hard to live up to her name!" It may also have been the fact that Meijin so easily brushed off the creep that Nonna found so funny.

Nonna wondered a bit about having a team battle. Weren't team battles supposed to have... teams? All she could imagine happening is a group of people fighting the same enemy in some messy, chaotic frenzy. Which would be fun for her, too. I'm going to fight either way, she thought, but I'd rather do it without distractions. Then again, I could always just use themas bait, so there's that.

Nonna clicked her tongue indecisively. Meijin walked into enough of her teasing earlier this morning, and she'll probably walk into many more during the spar anyways. She seemed like the type that'd react perfectly to a few taunts. Nonna smirked at that thought, but for now Nonna decided against speaking out and let Meijin have her time to shine.

...It's not like it was difficult to speak up because she was still breathing hard or anything...

 

[gamer5]

As Lancelot walks off, he remembers something at the last second, causing him to pause and look over his shoulder. "Additionally, I'd like to congratulate you all. You might not know it, but each and every one of you is a prodigy. I can tell by the amount you've improved. I ask you all to use your gifts to serve our lord." Lancelot continues walking off, seemingly to his knightly duties.

It was then that Fárya managed to spot Lancelot, walking towards somewhere trough one of the corridors of the facility. She raised her voice in a humble tone: "Sir Lancelot! Excuse me I am Fárya Gërénhürn. I was assigned to your training unit, but in my zeal to study about magic I fell asleep at a late hour while reading a book, so I am late. I sincerely apologize for my tardiness." While talking she slowly approached the knight until standing some 6-7 feet from him, in order for their conversation to proceed without practically shouting words at each other. She waited silently and without any motion, after saying her sentences, for Lancelot to respond to her.

 

[☆Luna☆]

It was then that Fárya managed to spot Lancelot, walking towards somewhere trough one of the corridors of the facility. She raised her voice in a humble tone: "Sir Lancelot! Excuse me I am Fárya Gërénhürn. I was assigned to your training unit, but in my zeal to study about magic I fell asleep at a late hour while reading a book, so I am late. I sincerely apologize for my tardiness." While talking she slowly approached the knight until standing some 6-7 feet from him, in order for their conversation to proceed without practically shouting words at each other. She waited silently and without any motion, after saying her sentences, for Lancelot to respond to her.

Lancelot turns to face Fárya, scanning her in a manner that emphasizes just how giant he was compared to the girl. Lancelot speaks with great authority in his voice, "I understand. You wish to serve the lord, but carelessly missed the first day in your misguided efforts. Now you face your knight, and what do you seek. Answer me this, what is it you seek from me? Why have you come to tell me of your failings?"

 

[York]

Enoch Brody

Enoch listened to Lancelot's speech, taking note of what they were told the arena was going to be like... He definitely didn't expect it to be as realistic as it was described, but, perhaps getting some "real" combat experience in an virtual type of environment would help him. This would mark the very first time he would put his skills to the test against an opponent, rather than just simply practicing them against stationary target, typically a rock, or some crudely drawn targets he had made. Despite how exciting this should be, he was starting to feel a little nervous realizing how crazy things could get, but, he still tried to play it cool, pretending all of this wasn't bothering him one bit, though if one were to know him well enough, it would probably be pretty clear he was starting to feel a bit on edge to say the least... He sighed a little, attempting to keep calm about the situation; he would most definitely benefit from keeping his cool in battle, otherwise he wouldn't be able to think straight. Lancelot did tell them to "Iron themselves" anyhow, so, that was precisely what Enoch would attempt to do, he couldn't back out now, not when he had come as far as he did... This was his once chance to hone his skills and become the person he had wanted to be after all...

Hearing Meijin's suggestion for a team battle, he tilted his head a little, thinking it over, would he work better with teams? Could he? Perhaps it was best to find out himself... Though, he really had no idea who he was supposed to team up with, he decided to speak up "A team battle sounds nice..." he said, just barely loud enough for everyone to hear him. After that, Enoch resumed leaning against the wall, trying to figure out who he would want on a team if they all decided to go for that sort of battle, but, he couldn't seem to think of anyone in particular just yet, drawing up blanks each time. It was a little frustrating, but, he figured he would just need a little time, and if all else failed, perhaps just finding a random team to join would suffice just as well. This was merely a test of his abilities after all, but, he hoped he wouldn't end up doing anything embarassing; he had yet to make many mistakes with his practices, but, in a real combat situation, who knows what could happen?
​

 

[☆Luna☆]

Astra's reaction was much unlike many of the other mages, took Lancelot's words heavily, and without any feelings of nervousness or anticipation. Astra grew up in this town, and knew more than enough about Rikeira's training functions. Unlike most of Mage district, which is exclusively for the use of mages, the Arena allows for non-mages to spectate. It could be called the pride of Rikeira, but to her past family, it was a point of no compromise. Training people to fight by killing real people, again, and again, and again. Killing people you know, killing people you never met, all the arena could be called is a sport; a sport which was designed to create soldiers who do not fear death, and become its agent. Although Astra wanted more than anything to become a mage, she shuttered to think what kinds of monsters come out of such a program.

This is why Astra was uncharacteristically silent amongst a lively crowd of peers. Meijin suggested that everyone team up and fight, but the mere thought of watching these people die at her hand made Astra grow pale. It did not help matters that everyone's egos were getting involved. Nonna just likes taking shots at Meijin whenever she can. Even though she clearly struggled more than anyone with the training, and still seems somewhat fatigued from the training. Leon seemed to throw around the challenge playfully, as if it were like challenging someone to a staring contest, or something equally trivial. Plus, with all the momentum of opinion shifting towards a group fight, the meek Enoch joined in. Nobody even seemed to notice how bothered Astra was since she had shyed away from the center of the group. Now however, it seemed like she should just leave. Astra wanted to say something like, "Are you all really in that big a hurry to watch each other die?" But she couldn't just push her opinion of the arena on everyone like that. Not because it wasn't what she wanted, but because she knew all too well what it was like to have such an opinion burdened on someone.

So Astra tried to get lost in the crowds, which was basically impossible with her gear, but that is the approach she went with nonetheless.

 

[Mite]

Nonna - Astra Collab​

Enoch faintly voiced his opinion to everyone, perking Nonna's interest. Nonna wondered if this was not a new experience for him due to his calm nature and was about to approach him, but something else caught her eye: The colorful garment of Astra slipping away from the group. Nonna watched her curiously for a moment, but upon catching a glimpse of Astra's troubled face she came to the conclusion that Astra was trying to escape. Nonna recalled that she had such an outgoing personality earlier, even so far as to tell strangers her type.

She wondered if she should just leave Astra be, but obviously that was not in her nature. Astra's skulking away quietly annoyed her. Maneuvering through the rest of the group, she quickly chased after Astra. It wasn't particularly difficult since Astra was trying to escape as nonchalantly as possible while Nonna just barreled through the crowd.

"Oi," she barked quietly to get Astra's attention when she neared her. She'd normally yell at Astra from across the group, but she also didn't want to be reprimanded by someone, least of all Caelis again. "Scared of fighting?"

Astra looks at Nonna with obvious annoyance. Nonna well knew what she was trying to do, so this could only be taken as an attempt to call her out. Considering Nonna's brass bully-like temperament, it could hardly be called surprising, but definitely unwanted or warranted. "I'm not scared of fighting. I'd just rather not fight you."

"Then don't fight me," Nonna shrugged, though a subtle smile curled on her lips. "You can fight our Little Leader instead or something." Nonna huffed and tilted her head as she continued, "Just 'cause you don't like me doesn't mean you have to run away. It's not like I was going to attack you or anything."

Astra looks at Nonna with a fire in her eyes. "I'm not hiding from a damn thing. I just don't want to fight any of you. I don't want to be the reason any of you quit, I don't want your resentment, and I sure as hell don't want to kill you then have to look at your face later. I'll fight Lancelot before you convince me to fight any of you, so fuck off." Astra turns with a huff, very well ready to ignore anything else Nonna has to say.

Nonna was taken aback; she did not expect Astra to lash out like that. For a moment, Nonna stood there dumbfounded as Astra turned away from her. Finally snapping back to the present, Nonna grabbed Astra's shoulder and whipped her around to face Nonna.

"I'll ignore the fact that you think you can beat me, but let's say you just walk away. They'll die anyway." Nonna paused for a moment, then released Astra's shoulder and continued, "I get that you don't want to kill us, but I don't like the fact that you'd rather run away by using the excuse that you're the reason why people will quit. "

Nonna scoffed as she put her hands on her hip and glowered at Astra, "People won't quit because you killed them, they'll quit because they can't handle an illusion."

Astra looks at Nonna the entire time, listening to what she has to say. She had planned to simply walk past her, ignoring expected insults, but it seemed like Nonna disagreed on a very ideological level, so it would be wrong not to hear her out. Astra speaks more softly and forgivingly, but it still has an edge that shows Astra still planned to hold her ground, "You are making a lot of assumptions about why I'm making this choice. I hear what you are saying, but you are making it sound like not killing you is the same as running away from some duty or calling of mine. I didn't sign up to be a mage because I wanted to kill people. I don't want to become some cold hearted murderer, who feels nothing when they take a life. Killing is a necessary evil that I can and will avoid if I can. If I have to do it, I'd like to do it to someone I know nothing about, because as soon as I understand them, it makes my job that much harder. I'm a mage who exists to protect. I'm supposed to be a cheerful ray of sunshine: bright, cute, brilliant; I do it to save the people who I know and care about. I do it so people can be happy, and so people feel grateful to me, and praise me for my hard work. I want people to wonder how I can handle everything so gracefully, and how I can be so happy in spite of my work. I can't do that if I have to kill the people I protect. If they have to die, then that is fine, but it will happen in spite of my best efforts. I'm not running, I'm getting stronger, in the way that I know how to. Please, don't call it running away, and don't make me have to kill you or anyone I care about."

Nonna was pleasantly surprised when Astra listened to her fully and thought to return the favor. But, at Nonna listened, her brows furrowed more and more. "Oh, so you'll protect us all then? We can be safe and happy as long as you protect us from the big bad people outside, huh?"

Astra interjects with a bashful note, "I never meant it like that."

"Yeah? Then how DID you mean it?"

"You are also knights. You have shields and swords all of your own. I will lend you mine if you need it, but it isn't like I do it because you are helpless. I just want to be as strong as I can, so that when the time comes, I can know that I did everything I could. I know you are strong—"

"You don't know anything about me!" Nonna snapped out at Astra. "You don't know anything about anyone! I bet you don't even care about protecting people, you want to feel good about yourself. You want people to look up to you, and the easiest way to do that is to save them when the going gets tough, ain't that right? But when it doesn't go your way, you'll just turn the other way and not do anything."

Nonna snarled as she pointed her thumb behind her, "Fight me. If killing me is too hard, then don't. Find another way. I only care about getting strong. I don't care how I get strong as long as I do. I thought you were strong, earlier. You said what you wanted and weren't afraid of it. I thought we were kinda alike, but it pisses me off to see you just run away when something you don't like appears in front of you."

Nonna took a deep breath, realizing only now that she was talking without breathing, but she continued nonetheless, "If you don't like something, then fix it. And stand your ground when you do, you stupid knight."

At first, Astra had found herself absorbed in Nonna's aggressive tempo, but somewhere in watching Nonna lose her temper, Astra found her peace. Smiling a bright beautiful smile, Astra hugs Nonna. "What do you think I'm doing right now silly!"

Nonna flinched as Astra wrapped her arms around her, and she immediately looked towards the rest of the group while trying to push Astra off. "That… That's not what I meant! I meant, uh… Damn it, let go of me! And don't hug me out of nowhere!"

Astra puts her index finger to her lip, looking at Nonna coyly, "Awwwww, you don't have to get that way about it. Hugs are nice aren't they? Oh, right, I almost forgot. I don't know your name yet! Do you have one?"

Nonna's grimace was a sight to behold. She was definitely wrong before: These two were nothing alike. Nonna couldn't figure out what Astra was thinking.

"N-Nonna. My name's— Wait, go back a bit! I meant, when I said stand your ground and fix it, that you shouldn't… s-shouldn't, uh..." Nonna looked away embarrassed and mumbled, "...shouldn't just ignore us." She quickly continued louder, "I mean we're all, uh… We're all under Lancelot's care. Like a team. And if you have a problem that includes us, you should just…"

Nonna thought for a moment, then swung her fist in emphasis, "Hit it. Break it. Uh, does that make sense?"

Astra nods her head, "It makes a lot of sense. I won't ignore you, or Meijin, or Caelis, or Enoch, or anyone. But I won't ignore myself either. But more importantly. Smile Nonna. Smile, smile." Astra says rhythmically.

"You…You didn't get…" Nonna sputtered out exasperatedly, frowning even more. She exhaled sharply and simply barked, "Fight with us! If you don't want to kill us, then don't! Knock us out or make us run outta mana or something, but be here. We're fighting together to learn about each other, right? That's why we fight in the Arena in the first place."

"At least, that's why I think Lancelot is making us do this… right?" She asked herself just as much as she asked Astra. "I mean, fighting's fun and all but no one wants to die. Wouldn't you rather die from us rather than from a stranger?"

Before Astra could answer, Nonna finally smiled, crossed her arms, and boomed, "I'd rather win. I don't care who I win against as long as I win, but if—on the impossible chance that—I lose, I'd rather be cursing out Caelis than watch some random person I've never seen before gloat over my dead body. Makes sense, yeah?"

Astra shook her head, but she couldn't help but enjoy Nonna's energy and enthusiasm. "Well, I have my own theories about the why of Arena, but I don't know if they made it clear. An arena fight does not end until one side is dead. My magic can't kill someone, so I have to end the fight with my dagger. While you are right that I'd rather die to your magic than that of a stranger, I'd hate to use my magic against any of you. I don't think I'm even capable of it, since I'm kinda like a teddy bear on the inside. But… I'd gladly fight with you, if it means I don't have to kill any of you."

"Well, why don't you change that? Can't you just tell the mage using the illusion magic to only fight until one surrenders?"

"Nonna, I'd love to change that, but it is part of our training. We'd get punished for neglecting our obligations to the king. In the same way I'd like the meditation room to feel less heavy, avoiding that aspect of it means forfeiting the very reason that I'm doing it." Astra whines, "And we need to stop talking about such serious subjects. When I talk like this it doesn't make me seem cute at all."

Nonna cringed slightly when Astra called herself cute. Granted, it was the third or fourth time, but she never ended her conversation with it until now. Nonna respected that Astra had a good image of herself in her head, but it didn't make Astra sound any less frivolous.

Recovering, Nonna thought for a moment and answered Astra, "Then fight me. I've fought before, and I'm more afraid of..." Nonna bit her tongue to stop herself from speaking. Clearing her throat, she continued, "I won't be killed by you. And even if I was, I'd rather die from a dagger than some magic!" Nonna grinned triumphantly, as if she had just conquered a difficult problem. However, upon noticing Astra's unchanged expression, Nonna's grin shrank a bit. She finally sighed after a moment's hesitation and asked with a hand on her hip, "You'd really rather fight other people than fight us?"

Not apologizing, but sounding somewhat wishful, "Sorry Nonna, that is how it is." Astra looks down at the ground bashfully, "And sorry I told you to fuck off. I kinda just thought you wanted to pick a fight."

Nonna scoffed, "If I wanted a fight, you'd have a black eye way earlier. But fine. That's how it'll be, I won't ask you to fight with any of us anymore."

Nonna stretched her arms for a moment, cracked her neck, and then stood very close to Astra. "And don't be sorry." As she said this, she crouched down and took two deep breaths, "You weren't the first to say it, and you won't be the last… and you'll probably just say it again in a minute!"

Right as she said that, Nonna wrapped her arms around Astra's waist and heaved up. With Astra's feet now hovering well above the ground, Nonna bounced Astra a few times to adjust her grip so that her arms were firmly balancing Astra and not letting her slip back down. Happy with her grapple, Nonna turned around and started slowly back to the center of the group.

"Y-yep! You aren't as, hmph, light as you… look!" Nonna said with an excited grin. As much as she was struggling holding up Astra in such a strange fashion, she did enjoy this surprise exertion. Her muscles flexed as she kept her balance and she slowly, but surely, staggered through the group to Meijin.

"Oi! Little… Little Leader! Astra h-here thinks we… we should have a team battle. All of us, uh, against… someone else. Like a great… Whoops!" Nonna adjusted her grip on Astra by bouncing her up again, "Like a great… big fight, you k-know? She was so… so excited that she… Oh no!"

Nonna gasped out of concern for a bit and set Astra down. It wasn't that she was unbearably heavy, but that position made it extremely awkward for Nonna's balance and Astra's continued safety above the ground. However, just in case she tried to run, Nonna turned Astra around so she faced Meijin and wrapped her arms around Astra's shoulders.

"Whew! She was so excited that she was already trying to find an opponent! Huff. She looked like she'd pick a bad fight, so I brought her back here. Don't want her overexcitement to get us all killed!" Nonna half-laughed, half-panted.

Astra finds herself completely surprised by Nonna's boldness as she is lifted off her feet by Nonna. Now, Astra could not get enough of this. Even in spite of the fact that Nonna clearly could barely hold her up, Astra felt so light and cute being held like this. Considering that Nonna was refusing a hug not too long ago, she certainly got to much more personal contact in a hurry. Not that Astra minded, it is just, she kinda found herself craving this kind of contact ever since being separated from her friends. Also, Astra couldn't help but laugh as she listen to Nonna conjure the most boldface lie she has ever heard. Astra thought it was a cute, but unlikely solution to her problems. So, Astra offers a much less chaotic alternative. "Or, if you want, I could just team up with one person for a 2v2 fight against some others. I'm more than willing to represent team Lancelot."

 

[★Under The Stars★]

Meijin looked around at the group and thought that they had an odd group of people. A very odd group, herself included. Now, she wasn't sure that a group battle would be such a good idea. They didn't seem to bond very well. Especially that red girl, who still hadn't told anyone her name. At least, she didn't notice if she did or not. She was pretty sure that she didn't because she hadn't heard anyone reference her. Not that they'd particularly want to. Something... Something about that red woman... It bothered her farther than anything that had bothered her before. Meijin couldn't think straight with her around. She... Infuriated her to a level where she couldn't function. She just...

Out of the corner of Meijin's eyes, she saw Astra walk off somewhere. And right as she was about to say something and chase after her, the red girl, of course, had to step in. The red girl seemed to want to pick a fight with Astra, so Meijin headed over to them. But, Astra seemed to be in a very heated conversation with her, so... She didn't want to interrupt Astra unless it was necessary. Th-That stupid woman! S-She just keeps messing with everyone and... And she's just so... UGH! Meijin was in a bit of a huff as she watched the red girl. Meijin clenched fists because she was so aggravated. She's... She's messing with her. That red girl is just trying to stir up trouble because she doesn't want anyone to be happy and have friends just because she can't. She suddenly took a mental note of what she just said because she might be able to use it later if things got worse. She watched intently for the next minute or so. I can't believe her, she-

And then the unthinkable happened. Astra... Astra hugged the red girl. Meijin's heart almost broke in two. A-Astra? W-What is she...? She stood with tears in her eyes as she watched the two continue their conversation, but in, what Meijin thought, was light-hearted and flirty. T-THAT B- No... I won't stoop to saying those kinds of words about her. She not worth that. She's not worth any words. She's just... Then Meijin started to cry, and as soon as she did, she turned away from Astra and the red girl. W-Why am I crying? I-Is this what it feels like to have your heart broken? N-No... No way. The only reason I feel like this is because of the red girl. She's causing so much trouble... That's she's made me cry! This has... This has gone way too far.

As Meijin turned around, the red girl seemed to be holding Astra over her shoulder. T-THE HELL?! S-SHE'S HOLDING ASTRA OVER HER SHOULDER?! Meijin wanted to scream at her and say many words... Which she would probably never repeat in her entire life. And then that... that red girl had decided to talk to her. She told her about what Astra thought they should do. And then Meijin simply smiled at her. "Oh... So..." She looked at Astra, who was hanging over the red girl's shoulder. "I see. But... You know what? I think we should have a little competition between the two of us. I know you want to. You were talking about how you could take any one of us earlier, right?" She gave the red girl a stare, which she had never given anyone else before. It was cold and murderous. She had a dead look in her eye as she looked at the red girl. Hehe... That's my girl. She heard a random voice, but at this point, she completely ignored it. "But, I see how it is. You have to stir up trouble for all of us and you have to go and steal my girlfriend in order to beat me, right? Well... Unlike you, I don't stoop that low to reach my goals. I'll beat you fair and square, with my own power." Meijin stopped her cold stare and switched back. She turned to the rest of the group, "We should go and find our opponents then. Astra, can you direct us to where our opponents are?"

Meijin looked at the red girl. "And would it kill you to stop touching my girlfriend? I think you've done quite enough flirting for one day." She was crying on the inside and she felt horrible for saying the things she said. I'm so sorry... I... What have I done? Fuko... Please help me. I-I'm starting... I'm starting to lose control of myself. Why? WHY? Why do I keep doing such mean things to this girl? I...

That should teach you to mess with my Meijin, you bitch.

Huh? Who was that?
​

 

[gamer5]

Lancelot turns to face Fárya, scanning her in a manner that emphasizes just how giant he was compared to the girl. Lancelot speaks with great authority in his voice, "I understand. You wish to serve the lord, but carelessly missed the first day in your misguided efforts. Now you face your knight, and what do you seek. Answer me this, what is it you seek from me? Why have you come to tell me of your failings?"

"Because I was instructed to report to you Sir, who I greatly hope will be my guide in magic and knighthood from this day forward. I am merely following the instructions given to me Sir, as I was told that you will point, help and guide me towards and trough the journey of learning the art of magic," Fárya answered humbly, yet withour flinching from the gaze with which Lancelot looked at her from atop. In herself she hoped that the man in front was one of the more reasonable knights that she meet, or would meet, during her life and that the matter of her being late would be resolved peacefully trough some form of light punishment at worst.

 

[☆Luna☆]

"Because I was instructed to report to you Sir, who I greatly hope will be my guide in magic and knighthood from this day forward. I am merely following the instructions given to me Sir, as I was told that you will point, help and guide me towards and trough the journey of learning the art of magic," Fárya answered humbly, yet withour flinching from the gaze with which Lancelot looked at her from atop. In herself she hoped that the man in front was one of the more reasonable knights that she meet, or would meet, during her life and that the matter of her being late would be resolved peacefully trough some form of light punishment at worst.

"If you were seeking punishment, you won't find it here. As far as I'm concerned, you are a mage as of now. And in the future, don't hide your misdoings, but don't announce them either. I punish the entire group, not individuals, so you will quickly make enemies if you inform me of such activities. Fear not, under my watch, I don't image you will be lead astray. I would advise you not to think me lenient however, I simply thought it unfair to punish the group when you've yet to meet them. I don't know what you expect of me as your knight, but I assure you it is not to hold your hand. Now go meet your group. They are that loud bunch over there." Lancelot singles out Astra and Nonna as they are doing their shenanigans. "They'll let you know what to do." Lancelot continues onward, leaving Farya to her own devices.

 

[Mite]

Nonna, with a short appearance from Astra​

Nonna was slightly taken aback by the tears in Meijin's eyes after she carried Astra to her. She didn't think much of making people cry, but Nonna couldn't think of any reason why Meijin would be crying right now. It was confusing—and in turn annoying—to her. She was fine just a minute ago, Nonna reported to herself mentally. She had just gotten through telling Astra to be strong (though, granted, Astra seems to have completely misunderstood); does she need to now give Meijin the same pep talk?

Nonna's worry was soon proven needless: Meijin's quickly recovered her smile. Nonna clicked her tongue in approval as a small smirk formed on her face. The Little Leader looked much better smiling (or looking hilariously vexed by Nonna's teasing) than crying for no reason. Or, so she thought until Meijin challenged Nonna. She was surprised for a moment, her eyes wide and her head tilting. However, a carnivorous smile and playful eyes soon replaced her shock. And that stare! If Astra wasn't just crying moments ago, she may have actually felt a little hostility from it. Meijin hit the last nail in the coffin by calling Nonna out and challenging her to a competition, and Nonna's mischievous spirit was pulled out from her as if she were a cat looking at a mouse's last defiant glare.

Of course, Nonna's excitement and anticipation were completely shattered by Meijin's next few sentences. At Meijin's mention of Astra being her girlfriend and the assumption that Nonna was trying to steal her, Nonna's pulled her arms back from Astra until it was just her hands that were resting on Astra's shoulders. She glanced incredulously between the two, wondering if it was the truth as Meijin continued.


Astra was still in a bit of a predicament. Meijin seemed so worried that Nonna and her were being so friendly with each other, and seemed to want Astra to keep contact strictly to her. To make matters worse, she threw out the girlfriend card (causing Nonna to immediately release her and take a step back) before even going on their first date, or knowing each other for more than half a day. It all came off as extremely clingy and restrictive to Astra. While she wanted to spare Meijin's feelings by keeping the conversation private, the entire group might get the wrong idea if she didn't vocalize this in front of everyone. So with just slight reluctance, Astra confronted Meijin, "Nonna didn't do anything like that to me. We are just starting to become friends—"

"H-hey, I never agreed to that!" Nonna quickly interrupted, but it went largely unnoticed.

"—and I want that," Astra continued. "So please, don't say unreasonable things like that."


With Astra's confirmation and Meijin's final declaration of warning Nonna against flirting with her, Nonna quickly released Astra and shoved her forward a bit as indication to clear up the misunderstanding. This was beyond what Nonna had originally thought, and their sudden relationship threw a complication into the mix. Nonna wasn't one for dealing with complex things, and she wondered if Meijin challenged her simply because she wanted to look good in front of her girlfriend. A battle like that was no good; It wouldn't leave Nonna satisfied with a win, and she didn't want to be used as an object to win someone's affection.

All that tension from Meijin's earlier hostility put Nonna on edge. She felt itchy. Just as she got Astra here to fight, Meijin had to drop that onto the group. Believing she wouldn't find a fight with Astra or the Little Leader anytime soon (they had their own things to deal with—things that Nonna didn't want to be a part of), she looked elsewhere and scanned the rest of the group and surrounding mages for a good reason to fight. She didn't want to sit in this awkward presence for too long.


And it definitely wasn't because she didn't understand either of them.

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

[BCOLOR=transparent]C[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]aelis took a deep, refreshing breath of fresh air as he stepped out of the Mana Flow Training area. He knew that it was about time. The group had to show up to the arena around this time. Granted, fighting was not mandatory and people could use this period as free time. But, Caelis thought that he could at the very least watch others fight and be able to learn something new. So, he would remain diligent in his endeavour as a student. The walk took a short moment. Caelis took his time as he needed a bit of time to recover from his training, so he was a bit late compared to everyone else. But, he wasn't more than a couple of minutes late. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]By the time he arrived, it looked like the group had already gone through an episode, but it appeared that things were somewhat cooling down. The atmosphere was cold… cold as in no one was yelling at the very least as Caelis approached, but he hoped to break it by saying "Hello everyone, how were your days[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]N[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]onna rolled her eyes at the arrival of another bother and wondered if Astra had the right idea for trying to escape this group. Forcing such thoughts aside, she spotted Enoch and tried to approach him. He was quiet, most of the time. Maybe this time, if she took the initiative, people [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]wouldn't[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] get pissy at her for no reaso[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]n.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]C[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]aelis came to notice that Meijin looked distraught, and had just recently cried . [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"I wonder why."[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] He thought to himself. Caelis left out a loud sigh. He looked at Nonna who was clearly trying to get away from her and said "What did you do now?" in a matter of fact way rather than a questio[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]n.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]S[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]he froze in her tracks, then slowly turned and glared at him. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]He just had to pick now[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent], Nonna thought, still tense from the previous exchange. Glancing back at Enoch and debating in her mind whether to ignore Caelis or not, she came to a rather predictable conclusion. She sharply exhaled and started shoving past the crowd and forcing her way to Caelis. She only stopped when they could practically feel each other's breath, and Nonna's was particularly angry.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Do you have something you want to tell me? Did I mess with you in your past life or something, or do I remind you of someone you hate[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]C[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]aelis couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "A past life...huh." he muttered. He broke out of his brief reverie and said "You know. People always say that you can't be friends with everyone. Some people just dislike others simply because. I always found that phrase to be a bit ridiculous, but I'm slowly starting to understand. That said. Yes, I do have something to say. I don't know why, but it seems like there's always trouble surrounding you. You might not be the one causing it always, but trouble just seems to love following you. I, for one, hate unnecessary trouble because everyone has enough problems to deal with. So, whatever it is. I want you or someone to fix i[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]t."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Y[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]eah?" Nonna asked sharply before she flashed a malicious smile and continued, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Trouble just seems to have a way of finding me. I mean, some uppity prick just begs for trouble every time he opens his mouth in my direction, even though I haven't done anything to him." She raise her eyebrow as she finished, observing his reactio[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]n.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]C[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]aelis wasn't particularly impressed nor moved by Nonna's response. He bluntly replied "Anything to me? I think you're missing the point here. Despite our own will or intentions, all of us here are in a group. Anything that happens to this group affects us all in one way or another. So, what do you expect? For me to say silent and accept whatever happens? If I lived like that then I would have been dead a long time ago." Caelis then paused. There was no real reason to share more of his personal life especially with a girl whose name that Caelis still didn't even know. So, he abruptly changed the topic "You know what. Fine, I apologize. I was pretty hasty when I assumed that whatever happened was instigated by you. But, whatever is going on. I don't like [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]it."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"H[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]uh? Then why don't you just fix it yourself instead of trying to blame me?" Nonna questioned with a mixed expression of disbelief and annoyance. She didn't understand what he meant by "dead a long time ago, " but she disregarded it. At least he apologized, right? As if; that type of apology—one that didn't mean anything besides trying pretend a problem doesn't matter anymore—didn't sit well with Nonna. "I think you'd do better bringing up your problem of the group, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]with the group[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] instead of trying to [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]make [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]a problem and pin it on m[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]e."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"W[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]ell, isn't it obvious that I thought you were the problem?" Caelis chortled. " But, once again. I was too rash, and I apologize. So, would you mind telling me exactly what happened? Or, has everything already been settled and I'm just kicking up settled dust for no reason?" Caelis asked this girl who seemed to enjoy invading people's personal spac[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]e.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]N[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]onna snarled angrily at him. She wasn't done venting, not by a long shot, but he was a wall that wouldn't budge. All the anger she had with him from before was being multiplied by the frustration she was getting from him now. But, she couldn't release it on him, no matter how much she tried to pry away his armor. There were few people like this in her village, but they kept to themselves and never bothered with Nonna. She had no idea how to deal with him right now. Biting her bottom lip hard, she took a step to the side and gestured over to the group. Glancing to the side, she growled bitterly, "Why don't you ask them yoursel[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]f?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]C[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]aelis gave Nonna a sickening, "kill them with kindness" type of smile and said "Well, it's always good to hear from multiple perspectives and sides of an incident. Miss… huh. I just realized that I still don't know your name. This is a bit of a problem considering how we need to spend so much time near each other." Without a doubt, to a 3rd party, this was quite an odd scene with two people uncomfortably close to each other. But, to both parties involved, it seemed that neither really wanted to be the first to completely back dow[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]n.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]N[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]onna looked back to Caelis, regaining some of her vigor. A faint smile formed on her lips for a brief moment as she felt, for the first time in this match, that she had the advantage. Evolving back into her mischevious grin, Nonna avoided answering by musing, "I didn't think you were the type to want to know the name of a problem in the grou[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]p."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]C[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]aelis sighed as it appeared that this… game of theirs were going to continue. He returned to his normal, calm state and replied "So, you're admitting that you are a problem now? That's fine. I'll just call you Trouble from now on." At this point it seemed like there was no point in continuing this anymore. So, he stepped a bit to the side and took a few steps past Nonna. He then continued with his trademark of changing the topic and loudly said no one in specific "So, what's the plan today here at the arena? Is anyone planning on getting a match started?" He had intentionally decided to end the quarrel, and gave Nonna a clear chance to end this charade then and there. Caelis just hoped that she would be reasonable enough to take the opportunit[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]y.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]N[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]onna's previous smile faltered dramatically. She realized that she was just brushed off by him [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]again[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]. She bit her bottom lip as she stood there, hearing his voice behind her. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]I didn't mean it like that! [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She wanted to yell at him, but she held herself back. She refused to believe that it was useless, but couldn't find a way to prove it. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Think, think, think! [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She chanted to herself, trying to find a way to win, to end this aggravating feeling she had. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Ah! Words are too damn annoying! [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Oi! Caelis!" Nonna barked viciously, "The plan is that you and I are gonna fight! I don't care if you wanna hide behind someone when we fight, but we're gonna fight no matter what!" Nonna glowered as she pointed her thumb to herself, "And if I lose, then I'll stop doing whatever you think I'm doing. I'll even get on my knees and apologize to the whole group!"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]As Nonna finished her bet, she then pointed at Caelis. "But if I win," she purred maliciously, a carnivorous smile touching her face, "You're gonna have to listen to my every order for a while. And don't worry, I'll show you just how much trouble follows me aroun[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]d!"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]C[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]aelis turned his head to Nonna and looked at her for a second. Then he couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. As he calmed down he said "Ahh, I didn't think that you would want to actually fight." Caelis then turned his body and gave Nonna his full attention. He allowed for a short pause before he replied to Nonna's demand. He opened by saying "Unfortunately, I can't satisfy your desire for a duel. I find having to fight a girl to be a challenge to my upbringing. I think my mother would be horrified if she found out that I hurt a girl."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Caelis knew that this wouldn't be the answer that Nonna was looking for. So, he let his words settle and let Nonna suffer a little bit until he followed up by saying "However, I wouldn't complain against a match. The terms of this match? You try to hurt me. Even a tiny cut will suffice. I won't fight back as I will only defend mysel[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]f."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"W[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]h[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]a-"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Y[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]ou have one full minute to unleash whatever spells and attacks you have in your head in an attempt to injure m[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]e."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"H[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]ey, that's no[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]t-!"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]f you get me in a minute, then you win. If you don't, then I win. Are these terms acceptable for you? Quite a handicap for m[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]e."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"L[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]isten to m[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]e![/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]A[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]lthough, I'm quite confident in my capabilities regardless of this handicap. So Miss… Trouble, do you agree to these terms[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Y[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]ou know what? Fine!" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Nonna roared,[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I'll kick your ass so hard you… You won't… uh... Shit! Just shut up and let's get this over wit[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]h!"[/BCOLOR]