Wizard/Touched


Sew it seams feat Prim​

A Visit From a Rune Knight Phoenix Nest Guildhall, Thursday July 5th, X784

"Guild receptionist, huh? What got you into that?" Asked Winnifred.

Sarah thought about her answer. "When I heard someone like Myeloch was gonna be the master, I thought it was my chance to be part of something bigger, you know? Or at least my chance to get out of the house."

"Uh huh," said Winny, seemingly unconvinced.

"What do you mean 'uh huh'?"

"Don't worry, I won't pry. It's just good to see you working again. You look a lot brighter than you did last time I was here."

"You think so?" Sarah got up and walked over to the bar. She pulled out a bottle of champagne just as one of her plant minions brought her a glass of orange juice. "Want one?"

Winnifred shook her head. "I'll take a sip of yours, but I can't do more than that. I'm still supposed to be on the job."

"Yet here you are," Sarah chuckled.

As the girls chatted, the rest of the guild continued on as normal. Boriel had been in the main hall, but left as soon as Winnifred showed up. He had instead gone to the nearby forest to practice his magic. Lina, meanwhile, could be seen poking her head up over the railing upstairs, as if trying to hide while watching the Rune Knight officer. Myeloch was nowhere to be found as usual, but was surely only a ring of the bell away. Great clunks from above indicated that Drell was just getting up, later than usual this morning. She greeted Lina as she appeared on the landing, unable to appear as inconspicuous as the smaller Phoenix but similarly interested in the guild's guests.

"The heck are Rune Knights doin' here?" The reptile scratched at the frills atop her head. "They tryna steal us all up after the epic job we just did?"

Lina jumped back with a yelp at Drell's sudden appearance. "I wasn't– I mean, uh, hi?"

She took a moment to compose herself. "They're probably here to investigate the mine incident, since we found dark wizards in the tunnels. If there's a dark guild lurking somewhere, the Knights take care of it. As for why they're here here, I'm not sure. Maybe they wanna question us since we saw them?"

"Maybe. I just hope they didn't spook Vor," said Drell with a frown. "You seen the lil' guy around?"

"Haven't seen him. He probably shouldn't wander around alone, not until the townspeople get a bit more used to him at least."

The older Phoenix let out a pained groan, "Mmmmmm, real glad he was gone when I woke up. Su- er, ex- ecstatic. Super ecstatic, big happy. You got breakfast already?"

Lina chuckled. "Dude, it's like almost lunchtime." She paused for a moment. "One of us is gonna have to check on Vor, aren't we?"

"Almost lunchtime, keyword 'almost'. Before lunchtime means brekkie time- uh, right- if ya don't mind looking, er- right. Tell ya what. I'll grab something to eat quick-like and have a poke around the guild while I shove it down me. Then you can go and check outside, I guess? Or inside too so we're done quicker - it's whatever, to be honest."

"Ripping our princess away from the object of her admiration to look for your charge huh? That's a little rough, innit?" A voice sounded from just above the two on the stairs. Rowan put a hand on Drell's shoulder and the other on top of Lina's head and stuck his smirky mug between them. Drell, unfazed by the mug's smirkiness, gave him a quick greeting. "If anything, Lina should be down there right now, grilling our sweet Winny on everything about being a brave knight~ The opportunity to talk to one doesn't come every day, y'know. 'Specially not one who's close to a friend already."

Lina froze. "What? Admira– pssh, I have no idea what you're talking about. I mean, you can't not be interested in the vice commander or the Rune Knights, right? Totally normal."

"Oh, I'm interested alright." Rowan all but purred, to which Lina shuddered. He patted Lina's head for good luck and good measure before he passed the girls and slid the rest of the way down the bannister.

Drell turned to Lina and said, "Imma be honest. I don't like the way he said 'interested'."

"Not one bit," Lina agreed.

Rowan took all of two steps away from the stairs before he called across the main hall to his 'future wife'. "Hey Sarah! Why haven't your loving guildmates been introduced to your charming friend yet?"

"Oh my God," they heard Sarah groan from downstairs.

"Aaight," Drell announced as she began to move. "Imma get porridge."

Winnifred wordlessly pointed a thumb at Rowan, which Sarah answered with an eye roll. "Winny, meet the bane of my existence. He's harmless, mostly. Rowan, meet my old friend. Hands off."

Drell waved as she walked by to the kitchen, "Hey what's up nice to meet you I'm getting porridge!"

"Go for it, take all the porridge you want," said Sarah. She turned back to Winny. "That's Drell."

"Yeesh, excuse me for wanting to greet our visitor. Tell me how you really feel." Rowan expressed his faux-wounded pride. "Look at her," He said to Winnifred. "Second her old pal is back and she doesn't need a drinking buddy anymore, straight into the trash with the other. Still, a chance to meet a rune knight in my own home is a good balm for the sting of our dear friend's harsh words. It's an honor, Winnifred." He humbly held out his hand, curious how seriously she took Sarah's words. She never held back, like a true spitfire.

Winnifred glanced at Sarah before taking Rowan's hand. "Hey, I never got a hands off rule. Rune Knight Vice-Commander Winnifred Tulles, it's nice to meet you. Good to know there's someone here to keep things exciting for her. She says all that, but she would have mentioned if you'd taken anything too far."

Rowan smiled warmly without a hint of the usual attitude. "Banter is all well and good, but for anything more, what's the fun in being with someone who doesn't want to be with you?" Satisfied with the handshake, he broke it off and took a step back. "I've heard of you. Leaders always get the most public glory, but every knight is vital to an order, right? Especially the second, no leader has a hope of success without one. Atria's lucky to have you and Commander Cavan, as well as those who serve under you, I'm sure."

Winnifred smiled. "That's very kind of you, I appreciate it. The Commander deserves every bit of the glory she gets, but I think we make a good team. Our knights have worked hard to get where we are, but there's still a lot to go before we can see a truly peaceful Atria."

"Peace… an eternal work in progress, but never any less worthy in the pursuit for it. But that's what being a knight is about, right?... You know who has a great understanding of knighthood and peace? Hold on just a sec." Rowan winked at Winnifred, then suddenly backpedaled into a backflip back to the stairs. Before she could wriggle away, Rowan scooped Lina up in a princess carry and pranced back to Sarah and Winny. "Vice-Captain! I present to you: Lina Latare, daughter of the one and only wizard saint Myeloch! And the one who put the most heart, soul and sweat into building this hall." He sat Lina down upright and stepped aside to make jazz hands at her and mouth 'ta-da!'

"Former Saint, but still a man worth respecting," she corrected before addressing Lina. "So you're Myeloch's mysterious daughter, eh? There's a lot of people who don't think you really exist, but if you're anything like your dad then I'm glad you do."

Lina's eyes spun as she struggled to decide where to look. She was burning so red with embarrassment that if she were a Hoskel she'd have burned down the guildhall. She barely managed a stammer, her quiet words coming out as gibberish. And then she tried to flee.

A hand grabbed her by the scruff and yanked her back to the conversation, then rested on her shoulder just firmly enough to keep her there. "Sorry about that. Spending so much time with just one person only for them to be a legend once you're open to the rest of the world is a strong case for shyness." Rowan kept that hand on her shoulder presumably to keep her from running away again but in actuality he was funneling steady calmness and a touch of confidence straight into her, even tapping into his own reserves. He continued to smile at Winny but most of his focus was on reading Lina's emotions and trying to keep her even enough to have a real conversation.

"No need to force her," said Winnifred.

Lina took a deep breath. Despite both her and Rowan's best efforts, he could still feel her emotions churning. Then all at once, she turned back to Winnifred, bowed her head, and pulled up her right sleeve. Underneath was a thick silver bracelet engraved with various runes, never seen by her guildmates. There seemed to be a compartment on top, it's contents hidden.

"Can you sign it for me please?" Lina spoke quickly, as if her confidence would disappear if she took too long.

Winnifred chuckled. "Sure thing, I'll use a marking spell. What would you like me to–" She froze the moment she got a better look at the bracelet.

"Just your signature is fine," Lina said. She was silent as Winnifred signed, a magical light at the tip of the finger she used to write with. Lina struggled to get her next words out. "Do you… Do you think someone like me can become a powerful wizard? Like you, or Egan, or… or my dad?"

Now it was Winnifred who had to search for her words. She put her hand on Lina's shoulder. "...I'll be honest, I don't know. It's a lot harder for people like you… people like us. But that's the beautiful thing about magic. No matter how hard it is, it's never impossible. If you want it enough, I know you'll find a way."

Lina finally lifted her head. She had stars in her eyes and a smile to match. "Can I see yours?" she asked.

Winnifred grinned. She held out her hand and requipped a massive magitech gauntlet that went up to her forearm. Several different lacrima were embedded on top, each glowing a different color. Along the arm was a compartment that resembled a gun barrel. From its size, there was surely much more hidden within. She held it out for a fistbump, which Lina happily accepted with her own adorned hand.

The clatter of plate-mail and pottery shattered the quiet as Lady Conspicuous herself stumbled out of the kitchen, breakfast in hand. "See ya dude! Uh…" Drell paused as she came to face the room's occupants, her face contorted in painful deliberation. After a while, she said: "Heya, uh, I got porridge."

"There's still some left if anyone wants some!" Called a voice from the kitchen.

Lina shrugged. "Eh, why not. I should be getting lunch anyway, and I like porridge well enough." She gave Winnifred one last, lingering look before covering up her arm and heading into the kitchen.

"Enjoy your food, Lina," Drell said, lifting her bowl to her guildmate. She took a step away, then stopped, turning to address the Rune Knight. "Uh, you haven't seen a, er- like, a small guy, or something around here, have you? Just a lil' scamper-y dude?"

"Small and scampery, eh?" said Winnifred. "Can't say I have. I could tell the other knights to keep an eye out, but I'll need a bit more than that to go off of."

"Uh, y'know, not big, uh… prone to, er… scampering-" the Phoenix swallowed. "Right, uh- completely unrelated note: kobolds! I have, uh, an opinion about them - most people have some kind of one, uh, I'd assume. And mine! Is, uh, yeah, probably! The same as yours…?"

Winnifred raised an eyebrow. "Maybe, maybe not. I'm not a big fan of kobolds and know they're classified the way they are for a reason, but I won't touch anyone who hasn't broken any laws yet; kobolds included. Now, is there something you wanted to tell me about your scampery little friend?"

"Ah! Good, right, I guess- um, not my scampery little friend, really. Uh, they'll be fine, I guess. On an unrelated note, though, uh, I have another friend! Who I'm now looking for instead - completely different friend - they are a kobold but are also small and scampery. Uh- haha, that's a, uh, funny coincidence. Yeah. Probably best if he, uh… doesn't get too spooked."

The knight smirked. "Right…" She held a finger to her crystal earring. "This is vice-commander Tulles. Keep an eye out for a kobold wandering around town. If you see uh, him, let him know that Drell is looking for him. If he seems frightened, stay away."

Rowan slowly shook his head and said nothing.

Ith'drell waved a finger near her ear. "That was a, uh… remote-talky thingamabob, right?"

Winnifred nodded. "Yup. It's a communication lacrima linked with the other knights."

"Great! Nice- thanks a ton, dude, you're the best!" The Phoenix flashed Winnifred a powerful thumbs-up, then scarfed down a mouthful of porridge and began to peek into a nearby cupboard.

With the Vor situation settled, hopefully, the Nestlings finished their meals and set about their goals for the day. Winnifred, meanwhile, talked a bit more with Sarah before saying her goodbyes and properly getting to work. Her demeanor changed completely as she set off for the mine; the dead seriousness one would expect from someone in her position.

​

Wizard


The cat doesn't fall far from the tree​

Wizard/Touched


Flower language explained feat Rowan​

Chapter 2: Treasure Hunters of the Wetlands
The Lakeside Town of Shessalie, Thursday July 19th, X784

Overlooking Lake Cellis, Shessalie is a growing town at the upper edge of Central Atria. With the success of its mine run by Burgess and Sons Mining co. its population has boomed, with many able-bodied Atrians and their families seeing a good opportunity for work. Burgess sees so much promise in the town that they've fast-tracked the construction of the railway that will connect it directly with the capital, a railway that is nearly complete but not quite there yet. With things in such a good state, it's easy to forget that there was an incident a couple weeks ago involving the mine.

For a short time the mine stopped producing, and after much confusion the company eventually made a statement. They announced that a dark wizard sought to steal from them, but was quickly defeated by the town's own Phoenix Nest guild. No mention was made of the kobolds involved, the wizard's hidden guild, or of the fact that he ultimately escaped. The Phoenix Nest guild was asked to keep these things secret.

This incident coupled with some coverage in recent issues of Sorcerer Weekly have done wonders for Phoenix Nest's popularity. They've enjoyed a surge of new job requests, many of them much more exciting than the mundane work they dealt with before, and the town seems genuinely happy to have them around. But to the nation at large, the Nest is still mostly a spectacle, a novelty even, looked at much in the same light as Silver Chimera. People seem interested in them not as respectable wizards with something to show, but as another wild guild of troublemakers who'll make for some good GMG drama. But with all the recent news, the other guilds are keeping a close eye on them as serious competition.

Sorcerer Weekly

Two issues of the iconic wizard magazine have been released, covering various things including new advancements in magic, interviews with prominent wizards, and discussion on the newly-founded Phoenix Nest.

Sorcerer Weekly Issue 126


Sorcerer Weekly Issue 127

Main Story

The morning began with the posting of an interesting job request to Phoenix Nest's board. Posted by a wealthy businessman, it read:

Strange things have been happening in the Lautela Wetlands. Overgrown and abnormally violent beasts are appearing and causing destruction, and the Great Tree has also shown unusual growth. Our investigation has led us to believe a relic is responsible. I am asking all guilds brave enough to go into the dangerous wetlands to retrieve the relic for me and put a stop to this.
REWARD: 200,000 J up front for officially accepting the job, and an additional 2,000,000 J for the one who brings me the relic

Myeloch was actually the one who suggested the Nestlings take the job, saying that it would be a good opportunity to meet some of the wizards they'd be facing in the Grand Magic Games. He'd prepared a teleportation circle to take Rowan to the capital for his S-class exam tomorrow and offered to take anyone accepting the job with him. They could take the train the rest of the way to Lautela.

Lina was the first to decide she'd be going. She was ecstatic at the thought of seeing wizards and magic up close that she'd only heard on the radio, and more excited at the thought of what she could do with that reward money. Though she asked for some time first so she could make some finishing touches on her new weapon. Boriel would be joining them to the capital, but from there he had his own job to take care of. Ever since becoming a Saint he'd been swamped with work, but he promised to at least see Rowan off to his exam.

Sarah was also struggling to get used to her new workload. The guild's increasing reputation had left them with many more options for jobs. Alongside the usual cats in trees (which somehow continued to be an issue) there were now bodyguard jobs for merchants heading to nearby villages, hunting jobs for dangerous beasts that wander too close to the town, jobs to search for rare materials and ingredients, and many more. Maybe a member of Phoenix Nest could get one of these done before the trip later today.


​

The Guildmaster's Woes Thursday July 19th, X784

"What sort of deal have you made with the Council for them to overlook your crimes?"

"Why did you choose now to return?"

"Where is your so-called daughter's mother?"

"What motive did you have for opening a guild, and in a small town like Shessalie no less? Did you know there would be an incident so soon after opening your guild?"

Myeloch held his hands up defensively, a sheepish smile on his face. "I'm sorry, but unfortunately I'm out of time for questions! I've got business elsewhere that requires my full attention. So long!" Without another word, he disappeared from the crowd of reporters.

Or rather, his shade disappeared. He sat on the roof of the Phoenix Nest guild with his eyes closed, legs crossed, and his staff across his lap. Under him was a magic circle, glowing white as he channeled a spell through it. Beside him was another shade who gave a sigh of relief on his behalf.

It was always quite draining to send a shade to the capital, especially since becoming a Saint. Under the effects of his Focus spell he could maintain a multitude of shades all over the country without too much effort. But between the media and the Council, the mental strain from navigating that sociopolitical minefield was always a big toll on his spell's efficiency.

"Dad?" Came an unmistakable voice from the edge of the roof.

"Yes, Lina?" Answered the shade beside Myeloch. "If you're not in a rush I'll be done in a bit. I can give you my full attention then."

"I can wait," said Lina. She walked up to her father and sat at his side, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Yet another of his shades was dealing with some business in Gloombridge. He'd just finished giving some instructions to his research assistant. She was young, but she was dedicated and someone he could trust to continue his work while he was gone. After a quick farewell, his shade disappeared.

His true body opened its eyes as the circle bearing his Focus spell faded. He saw his child's red locks flowing in the wind at the corner of his eye. He reached around and pulled her in for a hug, patting her head as he held her close. They stayed there for a while, under the warmth of the shining sun with no sound except the wind rustling through the trees.

She looked up at him with a nervous face. He knew this face. She was about to ask him for something. No matter how he tried to reassure her, he could tell she felt guilty every time she asked him for things. "Dad? Um, do you remember the songs you used to sing when I was little?"

"Of course," he answered.

"Do you think you could sing me one? Later, I mean. After the job and all, if you have the time, y'know?"

He chuckled. "I'll find the time, don't worry. Did you have any requests?"

She smiled. "Plum tree!"

He smirked. "I should have expected that. Always a good choice, though! Are you sure you don't want to do it now?"

She nodded. "I'm sure. I've gotta go to Aldahan's soon anyway. And that way I have something to look forward to when I finish up in Lautela. You'd better be ready though, I'll make sure that job gets done in a flash!"

"I'm sure you will. Rest assured, the room will be ready and waiting for you when you get back."

She wrapped her arms around him for one final squeeze before getting back up. She gave him a quick wave goodbye before jumping off the roof. She was a sturdy girl so he wasn't worried, though he definitely would have preferred it if she chose a safer way to get down.

Myeloch thought a bit about her request. Had it really been that long since he'd last sung to her? He stood up and held out his hand. With a shimmer, he materialized a simple-looking key, which he turned in the air as if unlocking an invisible door. That section of the world faded away, replaced by a spectral gate to another realm. He stepped inside.

It was a realm of his own making, a small cubic room no bigger than the rooms in the guildhall. Each wall was pure white, decorated with a number of magical circles and symbols. It was a bit of magic he'd learned from Yvonne, albeit done in his own style. The room was an easily-customizable reality marble, a place where he could project a world in his imagination for others to experience as if it were real. But while Yvonne created a different spell lacrima for each of her realities, Myeloch used this single room for all of his, changing the symbols to match whatever scene he was envisioning. He supposed it was more practical to have several at the ready for something like combat, but he'd only ever needed one at any given time.

He looked at the symbols around the room to see what the last reality he projected was. His hunch was right. He put a hand on the wall and closed his eyes. When he opened them he was no longer in his enchanted room. He was on top of a hill, looking down at the setting sun. Beside him was a vibrant, blossoming plum tree, its pale pink petals drifting gently in the breeze. Behind him was a tiny wooden cottage, its circular windows glowing with a warm, golden light. He closed his eyes and began to hum a song, one he'd sung countless times before.

When he opened his eyes again he was back in the white room. He now remembered why he didn't come here much anymore. He would need to prepare if he was going to bring Lina here, but that would have to wait. He turned his key, and left the room behind.

​

Arrival at the Concrete Jungle Thursday July 19th, X784

It was late afternoon when Myeloch sent his shades to fetch the members of Phoenix Nest. The time had come for their trip to the capital. He advised them to bring a change of clothes or two, both for the overnight train ride and for their journey into the wetlands. When everyone was ready they gathered in the practice field, where they found a large magic circle etched into the ground.

"Everyone keep your hands and feet inside the circle at all times! Wouldn't want anything to get left behind, now would we?" Joked Myeloch.

"Yeah, you might end up like the first new members we tried to recruit~" Rowan tossed in.

"Weren't you one of the first new members?" Prim mocked, "Is that what happened to you? Left half your brain outside the circle?"

Drell snorted and covered her mouth, "Oh my god."

"Nah." Rowan replied, stretching his shoulders. "One bird-brain is enough for this guild. They just got too big for their breeches, like a certain blue brat I know."

"You shouldn't talk about your brother like that." Prim stuck her tongue out at Rowan.

"Hey, I'm not blue! Only my hair is!" Pat exclaimed, radiating insecurity. His cloak stretched to lightly thump Prim's head for being mean.

"Aren't you all rowdy today." Faye said, standing with her arms crossed just beside the bunch.

"You should save some of that energy," said Boriel as he stepped into the circle. On his back was a backpack, but describing it as large would be an understatement. It towered over the group as well as its wearer, and it was packed so full that it looked like it could burst open at any moment from the way the fabric bulged. "Despite what people are saying, we're not the only guild with troublemakers. Not even close. You need to be ready if you catch the eye of someone dangerous."

"That sounds promising," Prim answered, not a drop of sarcasm in the statement. Boriel smirked.

"I've never been to the capital before! I'm kind of nervous…" Elidyr stepped into the circle, clutching a simple burlap sack. "But I'm also excited!" He tried to take up as little room as possible.

"Unfortunately there won't be a lot of time for sightseeing today," said Myeloch. "But you'll get another chance soon enough at the rate they're working on the railroad."

"Sorry I'm late!" Lina came running down the stairs, clutching a shiny new polearm. It looked more like a sword with a really long grip than the usual spear. At the base of the blade was an empty slot meant for a lacrima, and along the shaft were a number of buttons. There were various holes on the weapon, with the largest being at the bottom of the shaft and under what could be called either the spear's wings or the blade's guard. "Once I pick up a wind lacrima in Lautela, this baby should be good to go!"

"Hey, Lina," Ith'Drell gave as big of a wave as she could while still trying to take up as little room in the circle as possible. "Polearm? Nice! Dude, now you just need, like, a lightish shield, some kinda blunt weapon, maybe somethin' ranged and you're good as gold!"

"I'll put 'em on the list," said Lina cheerily. "I'd have liked to just do swords, since I think they're the coolest, but unfortunately that wasn't working out for me. Though, I guess I also like winning and not dying."

"Winning and not dying are both good," Prim concurred.

Drell let out a hearty chuckle and said, "That's, like, extremely fair."

Prim leaned in and prodded the polearm. She looked curiously at it for several moments, head tilted to one side. "I don't really get the fascination with weapons though. How do you even… what's the point when you can just punch things really hard?"

"Dude, holy sh- dude," the big lizard did a double-take. "Don't do this now, I will like, actually go on a big five hour rant about every good weapon and why it's good."

"I'll take your word for it," Prim replied.

"Please don't." Faye shortly replied.

"I… don't really get it, either." Elidyr mumbled. "But… I might like to learn, some day. You guys make it sound… fun."

Ephraim and the Barts came bounding down the stairs and tumbled over each other, the Barts themselves becoming a small, near wave of black masses crawling up and about his legs and the folds of his scarf. Between the time Ephraim had left his room and managed to make it down the stairs, the Barts had managed to get a banana into Ephraim's left hand, widen his duffel bag greatly, continue fixing his hair, and finish stuffing away bottles of drinks both alcoholic and not, a loaf of bread, a good deal of perhaps-irresponsibly-hoarded money, and a great deal of fabrics and painted jars. "Sorry," he said, catching his breath at the bottom of the stairs. "I slept in a bit. I guess you guys haven't yet left for the capital, have you?"

"Don't think so, considering we're still here," Lina answered with a chuckle. Her expression shifted a bit. "Ephraim, you're from the capital, right? You and a few others? I've been thinking about it for a bit with the trip and all, but how do you guys feel living here after coming from somewhere like that? I mean, I don't entirely know what 'somewhere like that' is like, but I've heard enough about it to know it's nothing like Shessalie."

"The capital is great," Prim interjected, "It's huge and lively. There's people everywhere, more things to do and there's more than one store that actually stocks the colour blue. But the people in the capital are snobs. Don't even get me started on the guilds."

"I doubt it'll be for me." Rowan threw in. "Big cities are noisy, crowded and everyone wants something from you. All they're good for is shopping."

"And lookin' at all the crazy newfangled crap they got," Drell added.

Faye stayed awfully quiet upon the mention of capitals and smaller towns. She pulled her scarf closer to her face to hide part of it in it out of uneasiness. After all, the white haired girl only lived part of her life in the capital.

"It really isn't that bad," Ephraim quipped. "I mean there are a lot of terrible people, but there's a few good ones. Although most everyone from my family has left, so I suppose that really does narrow things down… there's lots of great hiding spots for Bartholomew though, and there are some good spots I wouldn't mind seeing again. Shessalie is pretty cozy though, so it's got that going for it." Ephraim adjusted the strap of his bag. "Reminds me a bit of home."

"Home, huh?" Lina mused.

"I think that's everyone, so let's get going!" announced Myeloch. "Again, hands and feet inside the circle. Just one more thing before we go..."

Myeloch snapped his fingers and a puff of pink smoke erupted from his body. It was quick to clear, leaving the Phoenix guildmaster changed. He had transformed into a young woman with jet-black hair hanging just over his, or "her" shoulders. His robes were now white with red accents instead of their normal, drab grey, and his wooden staff was now a sleek silver.

Myeloch chuckled. "How do I look? I have to disguise myself if I want to take even a step in the capital without being swarmed..." Myeloch shuddered, a rare break in his composure.

"Lookin' fresh, dude," Drell said with a grin.

"Oh I don't wanna imagine all the mischief you could make, boss." Rowan agreed.

Leaving that aside, he tapped the ground with his staff. The circle began to shine with escalating radiance until its occupants could see nothing outside it. And when the light faded, they were no longer at the guildhall.

Atria City, Capital of the Empire

Atria City, also known as Capital Atria or simply "the capital" is the largest city in the empire. Its bustling population of nearly 4 million crowds the streets as they go about their daily lives, be it on foot or in the many cars that are quickly becoming widespread. For those who can't afford one yet, there are taxis, rental beasts, and a multitude of trains that travel through the city's extensive rail network every day. The wealthy take the airships that float high above the middle class on the ground, with many skyscrapers having an airship dock at their peak.

The city is divided into districts: The industrial district, the research district, the entertainment district, the business district, and the historical district, all forming a ring around the government district that houses the Magic Council and the royal palace. Suburbs can be found on the outskirts of the city proper, and beyond that are rural and agricultural areas. These days, when the city expands it expands up, leading to a majestic skyline of gigantic skyscrapers filling the business and government districts. The tallest of these is the Magic Council's headquarters, the glimmering 100-story building known as the Crystal Tower, and it can be seen from anywhere in the capital.

The Nestlings had been brought to a place between the business and government districts, not too far from the Imperial Grand Station that connects railroads from all over the country. The statue of an old emperor that stood atop it could be seen just a few blocks away, actually. There was a sea of people between them and the station, but they all seemed to weave around each other as if it were second nature, some not even looking while they did so.

Not a second had passed since their arrival when a wizard appeared in front of them out of thin air. "Teleportation permit?" Asked the man dressed in the familiar garb of a Rune Knight. Myeloch handed him a sheet of paper, and after a brief inspection he gave it back. "Checks out, enjoy your stay in the capital."

Lina was frozen in place, jaw agape and eyes darting every which way in their struggle to comprehend everything they were seeing.

Ephraim knelt down immediately as the Barts in the folds of his clothing began to scutter into crevasses and grates wherever possible, even jumping between the pant legs and bags of the passerby around them. "Ooooh, always nice to let off some weight. I wonder if the old fabric shops are still open…."

Elidyr was clinging to Rowan for safety, purely because he was closest when the Rune Knight had appeared. "You were right! It really is noisy and crowded! I… don't handle crowds well…"

"Would never have guessed since you've kept your composure so well," Prim commented.

"Just stick close and ya won't get lost, dude, it'll be fine," Drell tried to reassure her guildmate. "They shouldn't bother us much anyway, I think? Crowds, heheh," she paused to rub the back of her neck. "They tend to give me a pretty wide berth. Dunno why."

"I got used to it eventually. I'm sure you will too." Faye tried to reassure her younger teammate as well. Although her voice wasn't as loud as Drell's and…. She was pretty much clinging to Rowan's other side and hiding behind him. So much for sounding cool although she wasn't anxious for the reasons her teammates would think. It wasn't so much for the city but for their next destination instead.

Rowan sighed and smiled wistfully, despite the headache he felt building up. Pat, however, began to sway from side to side and held on to Drell for balance. "Owwwwie… Rowan it's so much worse than you said! It's like super loud static filtering into my head from 80 different speakers at once."

"I know, buddy. But you've gotta be strong, block it out. Just concentrate on us, focus on your guildmates and you'll be okay." Rowan softly encouraged. "We're closer to you, we can be louder, and we're familiar, easy to parse, right?" He got a groan for a response, but Pat was slowly nodding his head as he braced it against Drell's armored flank. The larger phoenix gave him a pat on the shoulder.

Faye finally left her hiding spot and glanced at the younger Hoskel brother. "I forgot you guys feel others feelings…" She whispered. "Don't worry, Pat. We won't be here for long." After saying that, her face turned to the much younger looking Myeloch. "Right…?" His or "her" new appearance was something she needed to get used to for the time being.

"That's right," Myeloch replied. "You're only here for the train, which is leaving soon so you should probably get going. I'll be taking Rowan and Boriel with me to the Crystal Tower, but you shouldn't have any problems getting to the station on your own."

With a flick of his wrist, Myeloch summoned a bunch of tickets between his fingers. He handed one to each member of the guild bound for Lautela and explained, "I've already paid for the trip and a cabin, so getting through the gate should be quick too."

Lina ruffled Pat's hair. "We should probably get going, then."

"R-Right…" Faye responded, her anxiety rising. She stared at the ticket with the words saying "Lautela". If there was a place she absolutely wouldn't want to return to, it would be that place but it was for a good cause and she still had her teammates that she could rely on. That said, she glanced at each and every one of them.

The one she currently trusted and relied on the most was Rowan but he was out of the question as he was going to do stuff with Boriel and Myeloch. The next one was Prim. The blue haired girl was only two years younger than her but she was quick-mouthed, witty and loved punching. Prim would probably cause trouble seeing as how the whole situation with Gryphon Gale was handled. Then she turned to Pat. Pat was certainly a cute boy but he was just as quick to run his mouth and get into trouble as Prim would. Then Ephraim… who let his spiders cause a situation at the Inn back in Shessalie. That was going to be a big nope as well. Elidyr was shy and less likely to cause trouble but Faye also didn't know enough about him to be able to give a clear judgement. Lina was sort of reliable but… too desperate to prove herself and that could probably get the better of her again in Lautela. Drell was the biggest of nopes for various reasons.

The white haired girl sighed and grabbed her elbow. The only one she could rely on on this trip was herself. Not like that was any better…

"Alright, kiddies, take care while daddy's gone." Rowan pronounced cheerfully, freeing his arms to rest a hand each on Faye and Elidyr's heads for a few seconds, before ruffling Prim's hair, bumping Drell's armored shoulder with a fist and giving one of the Barts a single pet in such rapid, flowing succession nobody had a chance to stop him. With those goodbyes said, he bent down a bit and pulled both Pat and Lina into a hug. "Don't get hurt too bad out there, I've already got enough asses I need to kick without avenging anyone." Then, just like that he slid out of the cluster of Phoenixes and strolled towards the tower without even waiting for Myeloch or Boriel.

Lina did the same and led the way to the station, but not before sparing a bright-eyed wave for her father. He smiled and waved back at her as well as the rest of the guild members before going after Rowan. Boriel gave only a silent nod, then took his leave.

"Take care, guys," said Drell with a wave. She cupped her hands around her snout to call after them, "And don't get too bored without us, you hear?"

"Don't lose your way." Faye folded her arms with her face as expressionless as ever.

​

Having said their goodbyes to the rest of the group, Myeloch, Rowan, and Boriel set off to the Magic Council's headquarters. The aptly-named Crystal Tower wasn't all that far from them, which only made its immense size that much more apparent. The closer they got, the busier the streets around them became, with countless people coming in and out of the building.

"Here we are!" said Myeloch, gesturing grandly at the tower. "You'll be on your own pretty soon, so now would be a good time to get any last questions you've got off your chest."

"Just one." Rowan said, unable to think of anything he hadn't already asked in the relentless grilling he'd already given both of them. "You gonna be watching?"

"Of course!" He answered. "Unless they pull me aside for an emergency or something, but I've done my best to make sure that doesn't happen."

"You already know I won't be there, but I'll have Myeloch show me everything when I get back," Boriel added. "Make sure you put on a good show."

Rowan worked some kinks out of his neck and smirked. "Of course! What man wouldn't wanna impress his pops and his boss? There may only be two people who's opinions I really care about here, but that doesn't mean I'm not game to get us more good jobs. I'll dazzle'em!"

Myeloch clasped his hands together. "That's the spirit! In we go, then."

The group stepped through the tower's grand doorway to find the inside even more crowded than the outside. It was a mix of average-looking citizens, well-dressed officials, and heavily-geared adventurer types moving past each other in a sort of organized chaos. And keeping the order were the Rune Knights, one of which was posted at just about every corner and doorway.

Along the crystalline blue walls of the massive entrance hall were a number of reception desks, whereupon visitors were directed elsewhere in the tower. Looking upward gave a clear view of just how high the building went, the distant ceiling framed by a great spiral staircase that travelled the whole length down. Fortunately the staircase wasn't the only path up, there were elevators along the wall as well.

"Check in at one of the desks and they'll get you all set up," Myeloch explained. "You'll get a registration number and a key to the room you'll be staying in. The written exam is tonight, and when you pass you move on to the practical exams tomorrow."

"I'll be right behind you to formally accept my job, but after that we go our separate ways," said Boriel. "Remember, your exam could be nothing like what either of us went through. Be ready for anything."

Rowan nodded and with a slick two-finger salute, headed straight to the desk with the cutest receptionist. "Hello, Rowan Hoskel. I'm here for the S Class exams. I'd really appreciate it if you could set me up and then let me know if you're free tonight."

"Alright, wait just a moment please." Her smile was sweet, but Rowan could easily feel the annoyance hidden beneath. She shuffled through some papers, wrote something down, and walked to the filing cabinets in the back of the room. She returned with a key that was attached to a numbered tag.

She put it on the counter in front of Rowan, along with a pen and an ornately-decorated document. The ink was blue and shone against the light. "It looks like your pre-registration checks out. You'll be examinee number 24, and you'll be staying in room 5224 on the 52nd floor. Any elevator will get you right there. I'll just need you to sign here, the script magic will update the information within your guild mark for the proctors. As for me, I appreciate the thought but I'm not interested."

"Yeah, you must get that a lot, sorry for carrying on the trend. I've got a bad reputation to keep up, after all." Rowan signed his name and slid the pen back to her - now with a rose from seemingly nowhere tucked into the clip. "Consider that my apology, I promise I'll have better manners next time."

While he did that, Boriel stepped in line behind him and Myeloch watched from the side. He waited for Rowan to finish, but something else caught his attention. Someone, rather, as he heard his name called by a familiar voice. There was a bit of commotion as the crowd made some space for the new arrival, Gryphon Gale's Egan Lynch.

"Boriel Pelara!" Egan repeated, now in front of Boriel. His fists were clenched, and his expression was as dour as it ever was outside of publicity events. After some tense eye contact between him and Boriel, he bowed. "Please, fight me!"

"No," Boriel answered.

Egan raised his head. "I have a reputation as one of the strongest wizards outside of the Saints. I'm familiar with most of the other S-Class wizards; their magic, their fighting styles, their habits. I know why they're stronger or weaker than me, and what would need to happen to change that. But I know nothing about you outside of vague rumors.

"You're an unknown wizard who beat me in becoming a Saint. I need to see what separates us with my own eyes."

Boriel opened his mouth to speak, but reconsidered. He looked at Egan's burning eyes, then over at Rowan. He sighed, then looked back at Egan. "I have no interest in fighting you. But if you can beat him at the Grand Magic Games, I'll give you what you want." He looked at Rowan again. "Sound good?"

"Without a doubt!" Rowan agreed, stepping aside the two and looking Egan in the eye. "I already told you last time, champ. You can't go at my old man until you beat me. Last time was just an introduction, next time we'll have a real scrap, as equals. Don't expect to be able to eclipse me with pure power again. In exchange, I promise not to lose to anyone until we can really settle things."

In a few short moments the three had already attracted onlookers, several of whom whispered about the impudence of some rookie wizard speaking so brazenly to Egan Lynch himself. Rowan paid them no mind.

Egan nodded. "If those are the conditions, there's nothing more to say. But I never planned on losing the Games so this doesn't change anything." He held out a hand for Boriel to shake, and Boriel unenthusiastically took it. Egan held out the same hand to Rowan. "I take it you're here for the exam? Guildmasters and other high-ranking wizards gather at the exams on the lookout for potential recruits and powerful threats. I'll be watching. Become S-Class. Prove your words are more than just that."

"If that's the condition, so be it. I always planned to knock everyone's socks off so nothing's changed." Rowan shook Egan's hand firmly, his cocky smirk softening to a friendly smile. He couldn't deny feeling some sort of kinship he couldn't identify with the Gryphon in spite of how big an obstacle he was. "It's a promise, and I've never broken one before."

Egan spared a final glance at Rowan, Boriel, and then at the disguised Phoenix guildmaster who'd been watching with great interest. Myeloch gave Egan a friendly wave, but Egan paid it no mind. He left with no more words.

Boriel shook his head. "It's a miracle Saints get anything done with people like him around. Rowan, I'm going to accept my job then be on my way. This is your last chance to ask me anything for the exam you're still unsure about. Myeloch will be here, but don't forget that he's never actually fought anyone. Not really, anyway."

"You're not wrong," said Myeloch. He nudged Boriel with his elbow. "But you're also being a bit of a worrywart. With how hard he's been working and how hard you've been training him, I'm sure he'll be fine. Only thing we couldn't properly practice was antimagic, but we at least discussed the countermeasures."

"There's no knowing exactly what they'll throw at me." Rowan said with a shrug. "I think I'm about as prepared as I can be without knowing exactly who and what I'm gonna be up against. The best preparation is flexibility, right?" He threw an arm around Boriel's shoulder and pulled him in for a side hug. "You've done more than enough. Go get your work done and I'll make you proud. Next time you see me I'll be one of the elite!"

"I'll count on it," said Boriel. He didn't quite hug back, but he didn't resist either. He gave Rowan a pat on the back, then pointed at Myeloch. "I'm counting on you, too. Get a good view." He headed to the reception desk to discuss his job.

"Sounds like you're all set, then," said Myeloch. "Go ahead and get your stuff put up, and I'll meet you when it's time for the written exam. Which I'm still allowed to watch, even if it's not as fun to see as the practical exam."

Rowan smiled and adjusted the bag hanging from his shoulder. "You got it, boss! Try sneaking a crystal ball in for the practical exam or something. I know someone as sly as you can find a way~" Then he was off, into the elevator and out of sight.

"It's been five years and I'm still not used to it," Boriel spoke, still filling out paperwork at the desk.

"Hm?" Myeloch raised an eyebrow.

"The whole family thing. I could tell he started doing it for Pat's sake, but I can't tell anymore. I thought I'd be better at this by now, but I still never know what he's thinking."

"Does it matter? Does it change how you look at him, how you do your best to support him and be there for him if he doesn't mean what he's saying?"

"No, I guess it doesn't." Boriel's pen stopped moving.

Myeloch smirked. "...By the way, he put you down as his next of kin on his registration."

"I see." Despite the crowd, there was a moment of silence before the scritching of a pen could be heard again.

---

The elevator doors began to close when Rowan heard a woman's voice on the other side. "Hold, please! Hold!"

With an inhuman reflex known only to true shameless flirts gentlemen, Rowan's hand blocked the doors and forced them to reopen. It was actually so close that his fingers got pinched, but some sacrifices must be made.

"Oh thank god. By which I mean you, o' door holder guy. You'd think this many elevators would be enough, but it's really not in a building with a hundred floors." Stepping into the elevator beside Rowan was a full-figured woman with thin glasses and a grateful smile. Her sharp bob-cut was white, but as she stepped into the elevator he saw that it actually changed color depending on how the light hit it, going through every color in the rainbow. On her hip was a metal club, magitech judging by the various buttons and the seams in the metal. And in her hand was a key with a tag, much like the one Rowan was given.

She pushed the button for the 53rd floor, and the elevator took off.

Rowan's eyes glinted, taking in all of it at once. "I never let a door close on a lady, especially a beautiful one~" He dropped playfully. "More importantly than that, it looks like we're compatriots! You're here for the S exams too, aye?"

"You got it!" She pulled back her sleeve to reveal a green guildmark, a stylized depiction of a woman and a tree. "Zaline Monsen, member of Lautela's own Nymph Spire! You?"

He lifted up his own sleeve to show his own guildmark. "Rowan Hoskel, soon to be Phoenix Nest's first S-class wizard! It's truly a pleasure, Zaline." He smiled a smile lacking the usual cockiness in spite of his words, this one was more boyishly excited.

Zaline's eyes seemed to sparkle. "Wow, Phoenix Nest? Really? Wait, weren't you guys founded like, a week ago? How'd you make the money to pay for a shot at the exam so fast?"

"Honestly, a bit of luck and and our founding being preceded by Myeloch and Boriel's reputations." Rowan explained. "Gryphon Gale paid us a visit to meet them, things got a little heated and we ended up having ourselves a competition. We impressed them enough for them to hand over a fairly big job, even though I lost to Egan."

Zaline's cheerful expression softened. "Egan, huh? That's funny. Egan's actually the one paying for me to be here. Our guild's not doing too hot right now, so I'd never have been able to come here otherwise."

Rowan stiffened, but less with surprise than simple amazement. "That's good of him. He may not know how to socialize for his life, but he's a good guy. I'm glad the champ isn't just some terrible jerk who happens to be really strong. He's a practical guy, if he's sponsoring you then I'm sure you have what it takes!"

She shrugged. "That's a nice thought, but practical was right. He paid for me to come in exchange for my help with a new spell he's been having trouble with. Not sure how I feel about helping the guy at the top get stronger, but if that's what I've gotta do for my own career then I'll do it."

"Good." Rowan responded, finally letting some casual arrogance slip into his voice. "By the time we fight again I'm gonna be so much stronger than I am now it wouldn't be any fun if he was the same as the first time we fought." He smiled almost beatifically, thinking of holding up the GMG Cup in front of an exhausted and bruised Egan. "The stronger he is when I beat him, the better."

She laughed. "Hoo boy, that's a lot of confidence for someone who lost. That kind of confidence is good though! As long as it doesn't get you killed, that is." She leaned in and nudged Rowan with her elbow. "You're not gonna ask about it? The spell, I mean. Get a head start to work on a counter?"

He poked her elbow in a ticklish spot and leaned in right back at her. "I'll beat him because I have to, I'm not expecting it to be easy. As for that fancy spell, I was actually hoping to ask you about it over dinner." He smiled his suavest smile. "This whole thing sounds like it involves way too much standing around and it's not every day a noobie guild wizard gets to visit the capital itself. Combine that with the fortuitous coincidence of our meeting and I can't think of any better way to spend this evening."

"Hmm…" She put her hand on her chin, making an exaggerated thinking pose. "I'm gonna say no to dinner. And instead I'll ask you to drinks. Alchemic brewing makes the drinks in Lautela one of a kind, but the stuff here's not bad either. And not tonight, tomorrow. We can celebrate the exam being over!"

"Mmmm…." Rowan mulled it over. "Fine, but I'm buying! And we're going to breakfast the morning after, if we can stand. Deal?" He asked, holding out his hand.

"After a night of drinks but before the promotion ceremony? You're picking the absolute worst times on purpose, aren't you? Sure though, it's the least I can do if you're paying for drinks. And you'd better not regret saying that when you've seen what I can handle!" She took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Well, maybe lunch then." Rowan added with a lighthearted laugh.

The number displayed above the door continued to climb as they approached their destinations.

Guild Wars Capital Atria, Thursday July 19th, X784

The Nestlings headed for the Imperial Grand Station, the time of their departure fast approaching. Fortunately they didn't have to worry about the crowds much, who kept their distance from the group just as Drell had predicted. Lina initially took the lead, but quickly ceded it to one of her guildmates more familiar with the capital in the hopes that they'd know a more efficient route than "head to the statue over the station and hope the roads lead directly there".

As they walked, they could overhear people talking about them.

"Isn't that mark Phoenix? I heard they're trouble."

"I heard they're basically another Silver Chimera, full of touched and Valbestians."

"It's probably dangerous to be around them, who knows what they'll do?"

"What did you expect when their master does forbidden magic? Maybe he was good before, but now…"

"Forbidden magic!? Why hasn't the council punished him?"

"Maybe he's too strong for them to do anything about it? That's scary..."

"Who cares? I just hope they're strong so we can see some new matchups at the games. Oh man, Boriel vs Egan? It'd be so hype to see Egan beat a Saint!"

The familiar insults were making Faye feel uncomfortable, although she should be used to it by now but back then the comments weren't directed at her. This is how a city responds to something that is different than themselves. The always expressionless Faye was visually bothered by the ill-intended comments thrown at the group. Even when she could easily pass for a regular wizard, having someone like Drell along was bound to attract attention.

"I wish they would just shut up…" She whispered, rubbing her arm and keeping her shoulders high in anxiety.

"Just as friendly as the last time I was here," Ith'Drell chortled, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm pumped, guys. Never been on a train, before. They got rocket boosters?"

"Unfortunately, no rocket boosters," Prim commented, trying to keep her eye from twitching with annoyance and physically forcing herself not to put her fist through one of the onlookers. "Do you think anyone would notice if we tied them to the tracks? Also, take a left here, that way's a dead end."

Drell snorted, "Don't let 'em hear you say that, they'll start thinkin' you're provin' em right."

"Let's not draw too much attention to ourselves." Faye warned them.

"Think the ship has sailed on that one," Ephraim said as the Barts wove a beanie onto his head. "Anyone else want a hat? I can maybe get the guild mark on them if the Barts pull it off reliably enough. No promises though."

"Please no." Faye looked generally worried. A few of the Barts, which had already begun to jump towards Faye in anticipation, slowly scuttled away.

Lina gave a nervous laugh. "I wouldn't mind a hat. I'm pretty fond of the things, if you hadn't noticed." She tapped the brim of her own hat.

"I bet the Barts are already thinking up how to combine a spider and a phoenix." Pat forced out with a pained chuckle. He was resisting the urge to ask for one just so he could cover his face with it, anything to stop the cacophony. Rowan had trained him in how to handle crowded places, but putting it into action was so much harder than practice. The feeling that he was failing at something he should know how to do only made more waves of bad vibes radiate off of him.

"Just one or two of them? I promise, it'd be quick. Nobody would even know," Prim continued, paying little mind to the discussion on headwear as she continued to glare at the rude city goers. It was only moments after that the blue haired girl felt two hands on her shoulders as she was gently pushed forward by her white haired friend.

"Hold out a little longer. We're almost there. Let's not make trouble now for Pat's sake too." Faye was right. This was going to be a disaster. Only 5 minutes since they parted way with the others and Prim was already feeling like punching things.

"Just a little longer," Prim repeated, surrendering to Faye's grip and gritting her teeth.

A pair of trembling hands clasped around Drell's larger graspy-grabbers, stopping her to look down at a Pat with watery eyes and a trembling lip. "Drell, can I hold your hand? I need to close my eyes and concentrate, and I don't wanna walk into anything."

"Dude, of course," said the larger phoenix, as though she would be insane to refuse. "Though if you wanna close your eyes, might be faster if I just hoist ya up for a piggy-back. If you're good with that - Idunno, not sure if there's a high-ground perception thing going on."

Pat smiled with more ease this time. "As long as you don't turn 1000 feet tall like the time you arm-wrestled a mountain, it should be okay." He clambered onto her back with a little help and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, nestling his head onto one of his arms to complete the hug. "Maybe, my favorite song and some happy thoughts will help."

"Yeah," Drell hummed. "It's fine, I arm-wrestled that mountain while normal size. Don't worry about it."

Their worries eased ever so slightly as the station finally came into view. A series of massive stone arches formed the front of the building, with an equally-massive staircase leading up to it. The statue of an emperor atop the station looked far bigger up close, and just above the arches was a large clock. There were several booths for purchasing tickets just past the entrance, but as the guild members already had one they could skip the lines and head straight for their designated train platform.

The inside was almost a city unto itself, filled with stores, restaurants, and information kiosks. There were signs at every turn leading to each of the various train platforms bound for Atria's major cities. And leading into each platform were warded doors, etched with runes and embedded with several lacrima. The wards were similar to Phoenix Nests's own, meant to keep out anybody with malicious intent.

Though they were being stared at and gossiped about everywhere they went before, now nobody seemed to be paying attention to the Phoenixes anymore. In fact, everyone around them seemed not to be too concerned about anything. Ever since Pat had climbed onto Drell's back, he'd begun to hum a tune nobody recognized, and now he was giving off so much contentment it seemed to be infectious, especially to anyone not used to it.

"You could sell that service," Prim said to Pat, "I almost feel like I won't strangle anyone if Faye lets go of me."

"Nice try." Faye commented.

"Not sure he can hear ya, Prim," Drell chuckled, slightly hushed. She hunched under the platform doors to make sure her passenger didn't bonk his head. "Lil' dude's a bit zonked. I think… it should get a bit better on the train? Maybe?"

Prim changed to her bird form and flittered up onto Pat's shoulder, pecking lightly at it to get his attention before changing back and returning to her placement in the group where she was walking. "I said you should sell this feel-good service of yours… poor word choice but you know what I mean."

Pat grumbled and lifted his head enough to glare at Prim with a bolt of pure annoyance lanced straight at her before nestling his face back into his ride's armored shoulder. Faye in turn looked a bit defeated as she was outwitted by a… bird. She forgot the blue haired punch lover could transform.

Elidyr had been quiet thus far, but now, perhaps bolstered by Pat's vibes, he decided to speak up. "That's actually really cool, Prim. You probably hear that a lot, but I'm kind of jealous. I wish I could fly like you do." Forgetting to keep a low profile, he summoned his large draconid wings. "I don't know if my wings are good for it, but could you teach me sometime? Maybe after we get back. F-forget I mentioned it, don't let me distract you…" As quick as it appeared, his confidence was gone, but his wings remained.

"I could try," Prim replied, ignoring Pat's irritation, "It's kind of a natural thing for me though."

"Y-yeah, and for me it's...not." Elidyr scuffed his foot on the floor, regretting saying anything. "A-and your wings are feathered, and mine are leathery… probably too different for you to be a good teacher. Don't worry about it, I'll just keep using them as shields. I don't think I'd know how to handle flying anyway…"

The others followed closely behind Drell as she went through the doors, but just as they stepped through they heard an explosion.

A cloud of smoke hovered over the train platform, a crowd of bystanders huddled in a circle around it. It slowly cleared to reveal a pair of wizards, locked in combat. The first was a tan young man with his head shaved on the sides, the hair on top drooping down over one of those sides. He looked down on his foe with sharp green eyes, his confident grin showing off fang-like teeth. He wore a loose-fitting tank top that showed off his toned and tattooed arms, and more importantly, the black guild mark on his shoulder. He was unmistakably Silver Chimera's S-Class wizard, Tiran Enabosk the "Rebel Lance".

Across from him was a girl who looked a bit younger than him, maybe in her upper teens, but she was just as confident. Her sienna skin and black hair were offset by her violet eyes and the splashes of hot-pink on her outfit. Her curly hair was short with a pair of braids hanging to one side, each decorated with white beads. She wore her jacket draped off her exposed shoulders, one of which bore a pink guild mark. She was a member of Starlight Siren.

The Siren flipped to a page in the spellbook floating beside her and shouted, "Chains of Fate!"

Tiran shone with a violet light. Brilliant chains erupted from his body, anchoring themselves into the ground and dragging him down with them. The ground cracked under the crushing weight of the chains as they forced their victim to his knees.

She whistled, impressed by her own spell. "Wow! Hell of a burden you've got there, beastie boy. Can't wait to peek into your mind and see what that's all about." She pulled out a pen and began drawing runes in mid-air with it.

Before she could finish her spell, a beastly roar came from the train. A bolt of lightning crashed down on Tiran from above, blinding the crowd in a flash of light. Next thing they knew, the chains were cinders at Tiran's feet. His hair now stood like a mohawk, his entire body crackling with electricity. And at his side was his faithful companion, a tiger made entirely out of lightning.

He burst out laughing. "You really fucked with the wrong guy, and you're really about to regret it!"

"Stop." Another voice came from the train. Out stepped a giant of a woman, towering over the two combatants at well over seven feet tall. Her arms were like tree trunks, with a body to match. She was pale as snow with lavender hair and eyes. Her hair was in an updo, and her outfit exposed the guild mark resting between her shoulder blades. She was yet another S-Class wizard, Starlight Siren's "Colossus" Rhea Tavidell.

"What, they got you babysitting now, Tavidell?" Tiran mocked. "And whaddya mean 'stop'? She's the one who started it!"

"I know, little punk pulled the same thing on me. Kicked her ass for it. But she's my guildmate, so I'm not letting you lay a finger on her."

One could almost see sparks as the two sides glared at each other. Tension grew. The crowd backed up but didn't peel their eyes away from the scene. The Rune Knights posted all over the platform watched, but did nothing.

Something flew out from the cluster of Phoenixes and onto the platform, rolling and stopping almost between Tiran and the Sirens. It was Pat, still humming as he rubbed his eyes and stretched. Only after a good long one did he open his eyes and look around him, smiling at each of the three wizards in turn. "What's all the commotion about? I thought train platforms were for getting on trains, not fighting." He said cheerily, emanating strong waves of calm friendliness and inner peace.

"Pa- wha-?" Ith'Drell did a double take, checking over her shoulder to be sure that Pat wasn't actually there any more. She called out and trotted up to the commotion. "Hey hey, uh, Pat, you gotta-" The big, armoured lizard paused to raise her chin to the other wizards gathered around her guildmate. "'Sup- you gotta stick with the group, dude, can't have anyone getting lost and missing the train or something."

"But this is the platform, this is where we were going to get on the train, Drell." Pat said, matter-of-factly as if he hadn't intruded on an inter-guild scuffle.

"Yeah, but if they don't know you got on the train with everyone else they might go looking outside the- look, just stick with the group, okay? It's convoy rules."

"More importantly," Prim interjected, catching up to Pat and Drell, "That was interesting. Why'd you all have to stop the show?"

Faye held her hand on the lacrima that summoned her weapons when needed meaning she stood ready to immediately butt in and grab Pat if those two from Silver Chimera and Starlight Siren would even think about cranking a hair on that little boy's head. "Is this really the place to settle quarrels?"

Tiran looked at Faye with annoyance. "This ain't the place to be startin' quarrels either, but someone here didn't get the memo." He snarled. The white haired girl didn't seem all that interested though and rolled her eyes.

The younger Siren crouched down and ruffled Pat's hair. "Relax, kid, we're just having some fun! Besides, wouldn't it be totally boring if you only did stuff in places you were supposed to? Don't act like you've never eaten in the living room." She turned to Rhea. "You too, Rhea. It's fine, I've got this!" The attention made Pat smile like a much younger boy.

Rhea rolled her eyes. "You most definitely do not 'got this'."

"I dunno about right here," Drell hummed. "Maybe, like- there's probably whatever." She shrugged, gesturing to slightly further into the middle of the platform with one hand and holding the other out to Patileer. "C'mon, dude. Let's watch. Kinda wanna see this."

"Hold it." The crowd and even the Sirens seemed to be calming down, but Tiran was another story. He glared at Pat now. "Don't think I can't see you trying to fuck with my head. That might work on your kind, but it'll take more than that to control a Valbestian. Stop that shit now and I might let it slide."

"Oh, I'd never try to control anyone!" Pat assured him cheerily. "I was just trying to make everyone feel better. Fights are fun and all, but I don't want one happening here, so close to the train. Especially not wizards as strong as you and Rhea, mister Tiran. The trains or even the line itself could get damaged and we need to use one, we have an important job to go on and if we got stranded here it'd be ruined!" He hugged just above the waist of the younger member of Starlight Siren and swayed back and forth with her a little bit. "That's why I couldn't just sit back and watch."

Ith'Drell lifted her visor, then used that same hand to wipe her brow with a sigh. "Ah, boy, aaight, guess we're doing the responsible thing. Yeah, we've gotta not have the trains exploding, or anything-" She turned briefly back to her group to shoot them a hushed "Do trains explode?" before turning to Tiran. "Uh, dude- hi, don't worry about the head-mess stuff, I don't- I think that just, like, happens. Like a passive thing."

Tiran looked at the two incredulously. "I- do you really think I'm stupid enough to blow up the train? Anyway, I don't care what you call it, it needs to fucking stop." He sighed. "Look. You're Phoenix, right? I heard the rumors about your guild. I don't want any beef with a guild that's taking in Valbestians and sticking it to those Gryphon fucks. Just stay outta my head and there won't be any problems."

Faye sighed. "If he could do that, he would've done so. Our little pal here doesn't know how to shut off his magic yet. He's still in the process of controlling it." She tried to explain. "Deal with it a little while longer until we leave. Which… we can once you'll let us."

"Yeah, exactly," Drell agreed, shutting her visor again. "It ain't a big thing, just, like, resist it or something. Ain't hard. He doesn't mean anythin' by it - and I don't with the train thing, either, like; dude, I'm only like ninety percent sure I won't break the thing by stepping on it, I don't know trains."

"Sounds like bullshit, but if it's not then he'd better learn quick. Let's go, Ralga." Tiran's tiger casually sauntered into the train, unbothered by the drama. Tiran followed after it, stepping through the open train doors.

"Hey, you already forget we were in the middle of something?" taunted the younger Siren with a smirk. She pushed Pat gently aside as she flipped through the pages of her book once more.

Tiran looked back at her with an eerie calm on his face, then at Phoenix Nest. "You're all new to the whole guild thing, right? Little open secret in case you didn't know; you can get away with a lotta shit if it's between guilds. Government'll do anything to keep the games hot." The electricity around Tiran's body began to crackle and surge.

It all happened within seconds. In the blink of an eye, golden spears of solid lightning rained down on the Siren. Blood trickled from her shallow wounds, each spear narrowly grazing her. They dug into the ground around her, trapping her in place.

Rhea reacted immediately, her face turning red with her boiling blood. The ground began to shake, and everyone on the platform felt themselves struggling to stand as their bodies grew heavier and heavier. The crowd began to panic, and the platform's many Rune Knights finally rushed in. They surrounded her, and she stopped her magic.

The other Siren, meanwhile, was laughing with glee.

Faye stared at the whole situation. Not sure if she was impressed or annoyed they tried to ruin the platform for the train to depart from. There was one thing she was sure about at least. She had a lot to learn judging from this… "Engagement". Drell, who had plomped onto her behind, tapped Faye on the side to get her attention.

"Yo let's be real though," the lizard chuckled. "She kinda had that coming, right?"

Faye folded her arms. "Hmph… I guess a little."

Ith'Drell snorted, "Yeah, a little. Juuust shy of literally explicitly asking for it."
"I like these people," Prim added.

"I don't like Tiran, he's mean." Pat huffed, crossing his arms. "I like Rhea and her friend, though~ Rowan's gonna be so jealous when I tell him I met two Starlight Sirens, especially Rhea!" That triggered a metaphorical light bulb and reached into his bag to grab a fairly large green book with elaborate gold filigree around the borders and approached the women once again. "Miss Siren, we haven't been properly introduced yet!" He said to the younger one. "Can I get your name and maybe an autograph?"

By then the spears that had been pinning her down had faded away. "Hold on a bit, kid. Just gotta take care of a couple things." The first of these aforementioned things involved her writing something in her own book, paying no mind to the few drops of blood that stained the page from her still-open wounds. Next, she grasped the locket hanging from her neck.

She closed her eyes and spoke. "Mother's Embrace." With those words, a dome of soothing light appeared around her. Slowly, her shallow wounds began to close. The healing dome disappeared as soon as the job was done, and she reached down to sign Pat's book. "There we go. Didn't super like the thought of bleeding all over some kid's stuff. And lucky you! You're now the proud owner of an autograph from Natalie Oaks, soon to be Siren's second best wizard!"

Natalie looked at the rest of Phoenix Nest. "I say second best Siren, but I really mean second best wizard, period. I'm going to take Rhea and I to the top no matter what, even if that means taking on wizards way stronger than me. Which, speaking of, you guys didn't happen to bring your Saints, did you?" Her eyes glimmered with excitement.

Pat smiled at the name in the book, then shook his head at Natalie's question. "Nope, Boriel and Myeloch went with my brother. He's taking the S class exam! He's pretty set on being the best, too so you'll probably have to fight at some point...I'm sure he'd love the opportunity - that reminds me!" Pat held the book out towards the S class giant this time. "Rhea, can I get your signature too? My brother Rowan's a big fan of yours and I wanna make him jealous!"

Rhea had just finished dealing with the Rune Knights, and held in her hand a ticket they'd given her for her actions. She looked at Pat, then back at her ticket with a sigh. "Maybe not right now. If you're here, though, then I'm guessing you're all headed to Lautela too. We'll be on the train together for a while so just come find me later, alright?"

"You are? That's great!." He put the book away and looked at his favorite redheaded girl. "Lina, which car is ours? Let's go and pick good spots!"

"What?" Lina snapped to attention, having been completely lost in her thoughts. "Oh, uh, I think the sleeping cars should be towards the um… mid-back? Maybe? Whatever, we'll find it. Let's just get in the front here and work our way back."

Drell turned her head around and said, "Wait… we could have just-?" She blinked and shook her head as she stood. She held out her ticket. "I don't have to give this to someone, or anything?"

"No, you just sit down and wait for someone to check on you. They occasionally check tickets, so don't lose it." Faye spoke and followed Lina to the wagon. Drell boarded too, beckoning the others to follow.

Seeing that the show was most definitely over, Prim shrugged and followed on behind Drell and Faye. "With any luck, someone will provide more entertainment on the ride over I guess."

"Last call for boarding on the 5 PM train to Lautela, the train will be departing shortly," came an announcement on the PA.

It looked like everyone who'd stuck around for the fight had gotten on already, and that Phoenix Nest were the last ones left. The rest of the guild members rushed into the train after Lina. And soon the doors closed, and they were on their way.

​

The elevator reached on the 52nd floor, Rowan's stop. Zaline sent him off with an energetic wave. "If you see anyone who looks like fun you should invite them to the thing tomorrow! The more the merrier, y'know? We can meet up in front of the tower right after the exam and I'll pick out a place."

"Will do, long as they can hold a candle to you~" Rowan turned to give her an easy wave and an even easier smile as she disappeared from his view. Quite regrettable, that last detail.

The elevator doors closed, leaving Rowan alone. He found himself in a hallway that looked much like a hotel, the hall's sides lined with numbered rooms. To the right, the hallway continued until it turned a corner. And to the left was a window from which he could see the vast city below. Even this high up the tower, he still couldn't see the city's end. Soon the sun would begin to set, and when night fell it would be time to begin the exam.

So many different emotions coming from different rooms in every direction. Excitement, dread, anxiety, confidence, fear….hope. Those were the most prominent, as well as all too predictable. He felt something else, though. Something deep, dark and in constant motion, like an ocean trench. He felt himself being pulled towards it as if in a trance, but before he could get too far he shook his head and stared down at the card and key in his hand. This is no time for distractions. Until this is over, nothing else matters. Other than the next few chapters of 'A Midnight Hunt on the Moonlit Coast'! But that's just to summon sleep~

He began searching for his room among the many. 5201, 5202, 5203… It seemed his was still a ways away. He turned the corner, and immediately found his eyes drawn to the flowing, absurdly long black hair turning the next corner ahead. Despite his determination mere moments ago, his curiosity was piqued, and just like that he followed the hair.

Turning the corner, he found himself faced with the owner of the luxurious locks. They turned around to face him upon hearing his footsteps. Rowan found himself in front of a large man nearly a foot taller than him. His rippling muscles were on full display as he was shirtless aside from his simple leather harness. His piercing eyes were a forest green, and he lacked any facial or body hair at all. On his chest, right over his heart was the familiar mark of a Gryphon Gale wizard. He gave off a serious, yet calm feeling.

At his side was a magical beast. It resembled a horse, but with much, much more hair than normal. The hair was smooth and fell gracefully to the horse's sides, but it was to the point that the beast itself could barely be seen underneath it all. This beast's emotions were a bit more turbulent, and Rowan could tell that it would be trouble if it wasn't being kept in check by its partner. He was able to feel the wordless exchange of emotions constantly happening between them.

"I know you," he said. "You're Rowan Hoskel, correct? Of Phoenix Nest?"

Rowan tilted his head with a genuinely curious but otherwise blank smile. "Yes, I am. How can a member of Gryphon Gale I've never met recognize me at a glance?"

"Egan told me about you," He answered, still not showing any strong emotion on his face. "He mentioned you at the guild, and I inquired further. It was not hard to guess the slender, red-haired S-class prospect in front of me was the same Rowan. Especially after being told he 'has hair like this'" He put his hand over one of his eyes to mimic Rowan's fringe.

"Did you require something from me, or were you simply searching for your room?" As the man spoke, Rowan could feel the horse sizing him up.

"To be honest, I followed your hair. It was an interesting sight, between that and your friend there you make quite the visual impression. Valbestians are always so intriguing. Your partner feels particularly… tempestuous. May I ask your names and his species, since you already know who I am?"

He gave a wide smile that Rowan could easily see as genuine. "I am pleased to hear our hair has made an impression, we take great pride in it!" He raised his hair, clearly manipulating it through magic. His beast did the same, only instead of a gentle lift it pulled the hair on its head into the shape of a single long horn and hardened it. Rowan was now able to see its white eyes with spiral pupils glaring right at him.

The Valbestian paid it no mind and continued speaking. "I am known as Kubra, and my partner is called Epludo. He is a girdmane and his behavior is normal for one. He will threaten, but he knows better than to act on it. We are pleased to meet you." He bowed his head.

"Girdmane...on the nose but not in an offputting way." Rowan thought out loud. "Well, Kubra, Epludo, it was nice meeting you. I'd better get to my room now, but I hope whatever business you're here for goes well. If you're here for the exams too, then I'll see you on the field."

"I shall see you at the exam, then. But are you certain you should be so openly friendly with one such as I?"

"Why not? You're no enemy of mine. Rival, maybe, but who says rivals have to be jerks to each other? I've got too much work to do and the world will throw enough enemies my way no matter what I do. Why waste energy finding more people to grind my teeth at when I could make friends instead and balance the books a bit?"

His expression changed. "I wonder if you would feel the same if you knew who I truly was. If you knew of the people I have killed. Mothers and fathers, sons and daughters. The history between our nations may seem distant to one as young as you, but that is not the case for many or perhaps even most others." There was no joy in his words.

Rowan's own expression grew cold, almost wolfish. "What's any of that got to do with me? You didn't kill anyone I know. I've seen my fair share of hard things, done my share too. Plenty of good people have blood on their hands. Life's too hard, complex and fickle to judge anyone by anything other than your own experiences and intuition. Mine tells me I'm not looking to pick any fights, so don't go making assumptions about how I might feel and I'll give you the same courtesy. If we end up having to scrap, I'll worry about it then, sound good?" At the end he returned to that easy smile as if his previous look had been an illusion.

Kubra stared at Rowan a bit longer before letting his face settle, the absent emotions slowly filling back in. He chuckled lightly. "Forgive me. I shall soon be entering the public eye and I know my past will not stay hidden to the world for long. I was simply curious to see how someone might react to it. You hold an interesting position, and I thank you for indulging me. Farewell, then."

During the exchange, Rowan noticed that Epludo's hair had softened and once more fell gracefully at his sides. He let out a snort, then went off ahead of Kubra to what was probably their room.

"Take care, hopefully I can see you in action sometime." Rowan offered a friendly wave and turned back around the corner to his hallway to search out his room. Gryphon Gale has quite the eccentric gallery...but it takes all kinds. Nobody ever got to the top by being normal, and if that tracks with us too I guess the Nest is on the path to greatness. He let out a hyperbolic sigh and smiled to himself as he checked room numbers.

It had been a long time since he was really...alone with his thoughts. He was always catching stray feelings, sometimes so open it was like reading minds so in a way he was never completely alone with his thoughts...but for the past few years there was always someone familiar nearby, a rock in the waves. This was the closest he came to really being alone. Calming, yet bittersweet.

Without any other distractions, finding his room was simple enough but Rowan really wasn't sure what to do with himself. It was too early for bed, but going out to do much of anything would be irresponsible. Can't risk getting into trouble or getting tired out doing something stupid… He could read some more, sure, but what else? Oh, Zaline, you were supposed to protect me from boredom and indecision… But you've provided me some of the best motivation to kick ass I could ask for, so I'll have to forgive you.

He fell backward onto the sinfully cushy bed after a good shower and stared at the intricate ceiling. Maybe if he went looking he could find Myeloch, or even follow Boriel around for a little bit. Rowan grabbed the "help" he'd asked Lina for from its spot against the bedside table, holding it above his head and looking at the golden Phoenix his guildmate had emblazoned on it. For a few seconds his hair flickered between its usual red and a familiar brilliant blond, and he smiled softly at Lina's handiwork. "Proper rest is the foundation of the path to victory...Alright then, tomorrow it is." It was set down and Rowan closed his eyes just like that, drifting off to an easier and more peaceful sleep than he'd had in years.

The Magic Council Thursday July 19th, X784

The elevator climbed higher and higher, leading the Phoenix Guildmaster to the tower's highest floor. It wasn't unusual for the council to summon him like this, but he really wished they wouldn't. Especially when most of the time there was no good reason to, considering he had a perfectly functioning communication lacrima they could contact. But he knew he wasn't in a position to defy them, so up he went. He had a couple of hours to kill anyway while he waited for Rowan's exam to begin.

The elevator slowed as it approached its stop. Myeloch made sure to undo his disguise before the doors opened. He could feel the heavily-warded council room from here, but there were a few security checkpoints he had to go through before he could get there.

After what felt like forever, he finally reached his destination. He opened the doors to find an unpleasant scene awaiting him.

"Your mother was right, you're nothing but a useless fanboy!" Shouted the ever-so-delightful Councilman Gregory Argyle. That scowl and those bulging veins on his forehead were a sight Myeloch was very familiar with. Perhaps he'd have more of his hair left if he wasn't so angry all the time.

"Is that all you needed of me?" Asked the current subject of his ire. Myeloch didn't recognize the man at first, but it was easy to deduce who he was. His dingy robes and over-the-shoulder braid, along with his wooden staff and soft smile were eerily reminiscent of himself, but the main identifier was the unicorn guildmark on the man's cheek. The man was the master of the newly-created Crimson Unicorn guild and the son of Gryphon Gale's master, Izan Avila. Myeloch hadn't seen Izan since before his disappearance, when the boy was barely above knee-height. He never expected that child's admiration of him to escalate to such a degree.

"Yes," spoke the elderly woman next to Argyle, Councilwoman Sena Cain. "While your decision is unfortunate to hear, we cannot force you to choose otherwise. You're free to go." While her demeanor was nearly opposite to Argyle's, the two shared many of the same beliefs. They tended to take the lead in council discussions, and were responsible for much of what magic's role in society looks like today. Izan nodded and turned to leave.

"Am I interrupting something," asked Myeloch.

"Nothing important," said Izan. "Councilman Argyle is just a little upset that his prediction magic could be wrong."

Myeloch smirked. "That sounds like him."

"By the way, it is an honor to see you again, Master Myeloch. Hopefully next time will be under better circumstances." Izan bowed, and left the council room. Various council members began to speak in his wake, perhaps discussing whatever it was Izan had been summoned for.

Argyle grumbled a bit before turning his attention to Myeloch. "You're a terrible influence, Latare. Maybe he wouldn't have refused a position on the council so quickly if you hadn't done the same."

Myeloch chuckled. "That was a long time ago, not that I wouldn't refuse again now. But you don't need to ask 'maybe', do you? I've no doubt you factored that into your simulations, so you know that's not why he refused."

"And I don't suppose you know why?"

"Not a clue."

"Wonderful."

"On to the matter at hand," interrupted Cain. "We called you here to ask how your project is progressing."

"Were my assistant's reports not enough?" Myeloch asked.

"Cut the bullshit, you know it's not enough!" Argyle was already beginning to raise his voice. "How the hell is she going to know what 'good progress' looks like when she doesn't know what any of it's actually for?"

"In a way, none of us can really know if we're on the right track," said Cain. "None of us except you. We only want your assurance that the current pace is enough. If need be, we can increase funding to the research base, but we need more information."

Myeloch shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can make no such assurances. You've all seen my memories so you know just as much as I do on the matter. While I'd certainly appreciate more funding, it can't come at the cost of the country's safety. Not when we don't know what could be lurking in the shadows."

The other council members spoke up.

"I'm still not convinced this entire ordeal isn't just some trick."

"Yes, one of them would have no trouble fooling even our best readers."

"But what about what Councilwoman Cain saw with her magic?"

"That's still not enough to guarantee everything he's told us is true."

While they debated amongst themselves, Myeloch took a look around the room. He could see the dark of night beginning to settle through the translucent, crystalline ceiling. But it was hard to take comfort in it with the bickering council in front of him, and the Rune Knights behind him watching his every move. Among them were even members of the anti-magic squad, bearing their signature weapons made of that jet-black stone. The floor around the council was covered by a multi-layered magic circle, carefully sized to encompass the council members while staying outside the anti-magic knights' reach.

Argyle and Cain soon managed to calm the council members down before continuing the discussion. Cain cleared her throat. "Despite what you say, you don't seem particularly concerned."

"You even had the nerve to ask for a day off," added Argyle.

"We're in a testing phase at the moment, so I'd only be of marginal use anyway. Besides which, I still have a responsibility to my guild. You wouldn't want my Nestlings to run around completely unsupervised, would you?"

"Speaking of those hooligans, do you think they'll be able to help with the plan?" asked Argyle. "You've got another Saint under your belt, and I see you're already trying to make an S-Class."

"When the time comes, that'll be their decision," said Myeloch.

Cain sighed. "When the time comes, we'll be needing all the help we can get. Until you can assure us otherwise, I'd like you to keep that in mind."

"Understood... I assume that was all, so I'll be taking my leave." Myeloch gave the council a smile and a wave before heading for the exit.

"Don't forget for a second that we're watching you!" Argyle called after him. Myeloch ignored his words, and the gates to the council room closed behind him.

​

The Journey to Lautela, and Minor Theft Thursday July 19th, X784

Phoenix Nest stepped on the train and flashed their tickets to the train staff onboard. The first section they saw was coach, where numerous people sat in rows of chairs. Several of them already had their complimentary blankets and pillows out and were attempting to nap with their limited space. The Nestlings shimmied their way through the center aisle and headed deeper into the train.

The next section they saw was a lounge car. It was much less crowded, and was adorned with plush chairs and warm lighting. The windows here were bigger, and there were windows on the ceiling too where one could see the stars after night fell. On one of the sides was a counter with a bar. Several people were already sitting in the lounge, including a few standouts.

Tiran was here, and beside him was a girl with the same guild mark as him. Her steely-gray hair was tied in a loose ponytail that hung over her shoulder, and her face showed a level of disinterest to rival Faye. On her lap was a creature that looked like a smiling grey slime, its small body bearing a metallic sheen. They also noticed a woman with blood-red hair and a crimson guildmark on her chest just below her collarbone. It depicted a unicorn, and it certainly didn't belong to any GMG regulars.

Ith'Drell raised a hand in greeting but kept moving. Ephraim tried to corral his Barts into remaining as orderly as possible on the way through but the Barts, seeing Tiran and still giddy from Pat's radiating emotions, threw them freshly knitted, gray and gold hats. Some started to pool around Tiran's feet, giving him a hat with the word "champion," misspelled as "chapyon," on it. Ephraim sighed when he noticed and was quick to apologize. "Sorry, sorry. They've never met a celebrity before. You're a real inspiration, sir," he said; and to the Barts he said, "come on, come on," as they hopped onto his clothes and wove themselves new pockets on the outside of his bag.

Moving on to the next section, they found themselves in a dining car. There were several small tables and chairs, with waiters waiting diligently. It was like something of a mini-restaurant. Notable people in this car were Rhea and Natalie sitting together with Rhea busy scolding her guildmate; a lean but muscular man with a hawkish face and short, spiky hair with a guildmark belonging to Silver Spirit; and Gryphon Gale's newest member Simon Jules.

Simon had changed his look from last time he was at Phoenix Nest, keeping his round glasses and neatly combed hair but now wearing a sleeveless blue shirt and a somewhat familiar-looking silk scarf. On his right arm was the bracelet bearing his keys like usual, but his left arm had what looked like a full sleeve of leather armor. He looked at Phoenix Nest a moment, but quickly looked away.

Prim waved at the Gryphon, grinning mischievously. Drell gave him an awkward smile. Ephraim deftly pretended to be too busy rummaging through his bag, and the Barts raided the floor for crumbs. Faye didn't spare him as much as a glance. Pat waved very warmly at both Rhea and Natalie, then somewhat more reservedly at Simon as they passed the other wizards.

Further in they found the private rooms, There was a narrow hallway through these cars along the far side as the rooms themselves took up most of the space. Their tickets bore the number of their designated room so it didn't take long to find it. Their room was an extra large one. By the door handle was a lacrima where they held up their ticket to be checked, unlocking the door in the process.

The room consisted of about four bunk beds to fit eight people, and a single desk against one of the walls. There was a large window, though at the moment it was hidden by curtains, and another door that led to their own bathroom.

Another thing the Phoenixes noticed was that Elidyr was already inside, wrapped in his wings. He glanced up when the door opened, and looked very relieved by their arrival. "You guys are okay! Sorry I wasn't there for you, I didn't know how to handle a fight between S Rank wizards. I didn't want to be in the way…"

With everyone inside, Elidyr's wings retracted into his back, revealing that he was holding two armfuls of snacks and drinks, presumably from the dining car. "I wasn't sure I could help in that fight, but I did grab some food for the trip! Figured I could at least do that."

"Oh, neat!" Ephraim beamed. "I had completely forgotten to pack food for myself--I was too busy trying to feed my small crowd instead."

"Did you get anything good?" Prim asked, walking over and starting to rummage through Eli's collection of snacks. She stopped, picking up a box of trail mix. "This better not be bird seed."

"It's… probably not…" Eli scratched his head in thought, taking some meat jerky for himself. "I think it's like dried fruit and nuts, with some little candies? I didn't ask, I just grabbed them on my way through."

"Dude, nice!" Drell praised her guildmate, prominently displaying a vigorous and resplendent thumbs-up. "Don't worry about the S-Class guys; wasn't really a fight, more just kind of, uh… aggressive posturing, I guess?" She shuffled over to the wall to make sure everyone could have space.

"Food!" Was all Pat said before digging in.

"And thank god for that," said Lina, breathing easy for the first time since the train platform. She threw her backpack onto the nearest bed, the same bed which she then collapsed face-first into. "For a sec there, I really thought we might end up fighting Tiran. Which would have gone terrible by the way, since people aren't kidding when they say he might be stronger than Egan. Tiran loses to him mostly because it's a bad matchup."

Ith'Drell waved a hand dismissively, "Naaah, I could take 'im."

"I would love to see that," Prim commented, returning the trail mix to Eli's supply of snacks and continuing to dig around for something more interesting.

"You and me both," Ephraim said. "He's so badass. Wish he could teach me a thing or two."

"Definitely. Out of the big three, I think he's got the coolest attacks." Lina turned to a more relaxing position. "I just realized, with all of us in the same room like this it'll be like my first sleepover. Never got to have one growing up. What do people do at those, anyway?"

"You're asking the wrong person with me," Prim replied, "Me either."

"I… don't think I know what a 'sleepover' even is." Eli fidgeted, wishing Prim would just pick something.

While the guildmates were talking and discussing what a sleepover was, Faye climbed into a bunk bed and dropped her stuff on one of the top beds. "This is mine." She said quietly and laid down on her back.

"S'not a huge thing, don't worry about it," Drell chuckled, sidling over and dropping her backpack and sword down. "Just a chill time, usually. Hang out, talk, eat snacks. Play a few games. And, uh- sometimes, people even sleep, if you can believe it!" She paused to chortle and tapped one of the bunk beds. "Anyway, uh, I call a bottom bunk. 'Cause, I dunno if I trust these things and I might not even fit up there anyway."

"Oh, then I've done that before!" Elidyr dropped the snacks onto the bed, jumping off and onto Drell's arm, then swung up onto the top bunk above her. "It's kinda like when the young wyverns would all get together after a hunt, sharing in the food. And I call top bunk, I guess."

Pat looked dejectedly at each bed, growing more distraught with each one. "Wait...these are all so small! Does that mean I'm gonna have to sleep alone?"

Faye heard the rustling of the snacks falling on the soft mattress, that reminded her of something she meant to ask. "Elidyr… where did you get those snacks anyway? Was it on a car with… several price tags displayed on them?" Faye sat up and asked suspiciously. If she remembered correctly from her previous train rides, there was a section with snacks which you had to pay for.

"I… think so." Elidyr peered down at the snacks from his perch. "What's a price tag? These were just sitting on a cart in the food car."

Ith'Drell had to blink in silence for a moment before putting a hand to her temple and letting out an, "Aw, fuck." followed by a sigh from Faye.

Lina raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you trying to watch your language around the younger members?"

"Huh?" Drell looked up at her. "Oh- shit, sorry. I mean-!" She covered her face in her hands for a second. "Uh, we gotta do something- like, go get a staff person and pay for these, or something like that."

"I admit I don't really want to give these back," Lina said with a frown, "but we really should... It's a mystery why our guild has the reputation it does, really is."

Pat stared at the snack cake package in his hand and squinted in disappointment. "Why don't we just pay for them?" Lina scrunched her face at the idea.

"Pay?" Elidyr was confused again. "Wait, is this more of that 'jewels' thing the people in town talked about? Because I don't have any of those."

Faye facepalmed and started counting the amount of cash she had on her. "We can't leave this unpaid. I'd like to be able to get back to Shessalie thank you very much."

"Okay okay okay," the largest Phoenix said, thinking. She turned to the desk at her side and pulled open one of the lower drawers, pleased to find nothing inside. "Nice! Right, okay, Elidyr-" She pulled a few empty drawers out of the desk and dropped them in the middle of the floor, then started rummaging around in her backpack. "Put the snacks in those, for later. Nobody eat any more of 'em yet. We gotta pay for- uh, okay- you and I, Eli, we're gonna go on a little trip out, 'kay? Can you show me to where the cart was you took the snacks from? We can head over, I'll pay for the stuff since it's for all of us, and I can fill you in on the jewels stuff. Sound good?"

"S-sure, sounds good, I guess…" Eli dropped down from the top bunk, staring at the ground as he felt all eyes on him. He quickly moved the stolen snacks to the safety of storage, unable to look anyone in the eye. "It was back this way, j-just after the car with the couches. Or… before it, going back…"

Faye had this surprised look on her face as Drell started to fix the situation or at least came with a plan. Drell being responsible and reliable, who would've thought?

Lina stood up and stretched. "I guess while you do that I'll take a look at the magazines I saw in the lounge. It's been a while since I read anything except Sorcerer so it'll be a good change of pace. Maybe I can find some more info on sleepovering, too."

She gave a quick wave and headed out the door. Or, she would have if she didn't stop at the sight of a familiar face waiting on the other side when she opened it. It was Simon Jules, hand raised as if he was just about to knock. He and Lina exchanged a few words before he stepped aside for her to pass.

He stepped into the doorframe, silently frowning and playing with the end of his scarf. He cleared his throat, then abruptly lowered his head in a bow. "I'm here to apologize for my behavior from last time! I... left a letter, but I've realized that was a cop out. I have to say this in person or it doesn't mean anything."

More surprises for the Phoenix nestlings. Or so Faye thought. "I don't think we've seen a letter but I guess that's fine. I appreciate it that you came to tell us in person." Faye said with another expressionless approach, shifting her gaze to her teammates.

"You're making a big deal of nothing," Prim waved him off. "You're too uptight."

"Is that Simon?" Drell wondered aloud, rising from her backpack with a wallet in hand. She turned to face the Gryphon and gave him a wide grin as she waved away the rest of the conversation. "Yeah, yeah, it's fine, don't worry about it- it's good to see you, dude." The Phoenix paused for a moment, remembering how she'd seen him on the platform and in one of the previous cars. "You the only Gryphon here?"

Simon looked back and forth between the Phoenix members, struggling to keep up with them all. "I can't let myself forget my moment of weakness or else I might sink back into it. That's why I kept this scarf from those spiders, as a reminder. I even had it enchanted to protect it... I think it's reasonable, at least. As for the other Gryphons, they were either busy or not interested."

Ith'Drell nodded in understanding, one side of her mouth twitching in sympathy.

"Hi, Simon!" Pat exclaimed, bouncing in place. "Have you become better friends with Cancer yet? Or any of your other spirits?"

Simon twiddled his scarf a bit more. "It's a work in progress, but there's progress nonetheless."

"Dude," said Drell. "I dunno what those spirit things are, but I wanna-" She hesitated. "Uh- hold- ah, yeah. You know, you're welcome to hang out with us and everything, right? More the merrier and all that stuff- mind if Eli and I squeeze by for a sec, though? We gotta go pay for the snacks we got before someone gets antsy."

"Oh, um, right, of course." He stepped aside to make room.

"Thanks. C'mon, Eli."

Eli followed behind Drell, nodding at Simon as he passed. "N-nice to meet you…"

Pat bounced up to Simon and grabbed his hand without waiting for acknowledgement. "It's good to see you again! I bet Rowan would love to see what progress you've made but he's taking the exam right now."

"I think Rowan is more interested in other things." Faye joked underneath her breath and hid her face inside the book that she had brought along and taken out of her bag while the others were talking.

Prim laughed in response to that. "She's got your brother pegged, Pat."

"He takes his work more seriously than you ever take anything, Prim. And both of you stop being so mean! He's taking that test for the whole guild!" Pat complained, pouting heavily.

"Don't worry, Pat. I'm just messing around." Faye waved her hand up and down.

Simon stared at the guild members in front of him. "I wasn't expecting this kind of reception after everything. We're still rival guilds set to fight at the games and this won't change that… but I still appreciate it." He paused for a bit, closing his eyes as he considered his words. "But there is one more reason I came here. I wanted to ask if you've noticed anything odd from your master or his daughter."

"You've met us," Prim commented, "You're going to have to be a little more specific than that. Odd is what we do."

"I agree with the bird." Faye let out. "We don't do normal." She flipped a page as she continued reading the book she brought.

He hesitated. "...A better word might be suspicious. Or maybe unnatural."

Faye looked up from her book, getting a bit suspicious herself. "May I ask why you want to know about master Myeloch and Lina?"

"Speaking of suspicious," Prim added smugly.

"Aren't all powerful old people weird?" Pat queried. "Especially when they're wizards? All I know is Myeloch and Lina are the nicest people in the world and Myeloch is super smart."

"That's the impression I got too," Simon said. "Or something similar to it, at least. Suspicious and unnatural are the sorts of things Master Avila says about Master Latare and Lina. She doesn't trust them, and often goes on about how he's up to something and keeping secrets, or how she's suspicious about Lina's very existence. It's difficult to believe after meeting them, and strange when our masters were supposedly close friends when they were young."

"I'm not gonna say that I don't understand why your master doesn't trust it. I've been wondering about Lina myself. However, she's our teammate and we value her privacy as well as our master's." Faye closed her book and got out of the upper bunk bed. "So no, unfortunately we don't know anything but Lina is a good girl and master Myeloch has nothing but been kind to us. I don't think your master has much to worry about." She spoke, coming closer to the others.

Simon frowned. "I doubt that'll change her mind, but I hope you're right. And even if you're wrong, I suppose I have no business prying into your guild's private affairs."

"It's not prying, there's nothing wrong with being curious." Pat said warmly. "I want to learn more about a lot of people."

Faye put a hand on Pat's head and petted it softly for a bit. "A little bit of suspicion never hurt anyone. As long as it's only a bit." The white haired girl walked past Simon and the others towards the door. "I'm going out for a bit." Were the last words she exchanged before leaving the cabin.

"I should be going too," said Simon. "I'm going to try working on my magic more before we get there, and if you intend to stand any chance against the S-Class wizards here, I suggest you do the same." Simon bowed one last time before he left the room.

​

The St. Freilah Express Thursday July 19th, X784

The sun had set over the speeding train, and soon there would be stars twinkling above for passengers to gaze upon from the comfort of the lounge car. Or perhaps they would prefer the open air of the observation car at the back of the train. While a number of passengers had already gone to sleep for the night there were many more taking advantage of the train's accommodations.

Word spread fast among the people about the famous wizards joining them on the train. All sorts of things were said about each and every one of them. And just as much was said about the incident that occurred on the train platform before boarding.

People talked about Tiran, who was wearing a knitted hat with the word "chapyon" on it, and about his beast Ralga who'd taken a diminutive form to occupy less space. Some mentioned his companion, GMG regular Nilli Uniel who was known for her lone-wolf attitude. They talked about Rhea, who refused to let her rambunctious guildmate out of her sight.

They also talked about Simon who'd been seen practicing with his spirits, and of the Silver Spirit member who was also a GMG regular. And there were a few knowledgeable passengers who talked about the wizard they'd never seen, and the bladeless sword hilt she carried that they recognized as a relic.

And of course, they talked about Phoenix Nest.

The train wouldn't reach its stop until around noon tomorrow, so there was plenty of time to kill. One could take this chance to get to know their guildmates a little better, they could try and train for the upcoming job, they could scout out their soon-to-be opponents in the hunt for the wetland relic, or they could simply enjoy the ride and all it had to offer among other things.


​

The dark of night fell over Atria City. Or rather, it would have if it were any other city, but even at night the Capital shone brightly. Among the brightest buildings was the Crystal Tower, in which powerful wizards were gathered to prove themselves worthy of the title "S-class wizard".

A still-disguised Myeloch fetched Rowan from his room when the time came, and the two descended the crowded elevator to a lower floor. They exited to find a crowd of fellow examinees waiting to begin. There must have been nearly 200 of them, if Rowan had to guess. Standing along the walls around them were several Rune Knights and various self-important looking people. Considering Egan was among them, he knew these were the masters and other high-ranking wizards who'd be observing them.

In the crowd, Rowan was able to spot a number of cuties, but also a few familiar faces. Kubra stood toward the edge of the crowd, with Epludo nowhere in sight. The latter had probably stayed behind. Towards the middle was Zaline, who was staring longingly at a photograph. He didn't need his magic to tell how smitten she was with its subject. Off to the side, almost in the corner of the congregation was a tall person with a glimmering river of green hair so shiny it looked as if pure emerald had been spun into the finest of threads. She was a woman, but Rowan could only tell that because a certain one of her prodigious curves pushed the hair outward once it got low enough.

A familiar pang of feeling shot through Rowan like a hot spike and his temple clenched painfully, but he couldn't nail it or its source down, too many people too close feeling too many things.

"You doing alright there, buddy?" Rowan heard with a pat on his shoulder. It was Zaline, who'd come up to him.

"Just a bit of a headache." Rowan waved off her concern. "How about you? Seemed like you were looking real hard at something earlier."

A smug smirk adorned her face and she shoved the picture in Rowan's. Once he stepped back enough to actually look at the thing, he noticed it featured someone he'd seen before. It was a young man with big brown eyes, a wide smile, and short, green hair spiked up. His crop top showed off his abs, as well as the guild mark on his hip that matched Zaline's own. He'd seen him recently, in the pages of the latest Sorcerer Weekly.

"It's my boyfriend Faris, the most amazing person I've ever met! I carry this around for luck… and also to show off. I promised him that the next time he saw me I'd be S-Class."

Rowan screwed up his face for a second, then laughed in self-mockery. "Hahaha! Would you think less of me if I told you that's the last thing I wanted it to be?" He wiped a tear from his eye after the fit subsided and gave Zaline's shoulder a hearty slap. "I'm happy for you! Let's kick this test's ass, get drunk, then sleep it off and show you off to your man!"

She smiled at Rowan. "Yeah! ...Think we can still be friends?"

"Of course!" He assured her with a gentler pat on the shoulder. "What kinda loser misses out on a chance at making a new friend out of jealousy?"

She gave a sigh of relief. "Would you believe me if I said I have a hard time making friends? Though that's less because I have a boyfriend than because of who my boyfriend is. Everyone back home stays away from him, and me because I'm with him. I never really know what to expect when I meet someone new, but I always hope for the best."

Rowan smiled deviously. "Really? Maybe I should talk to Faris sometime… I know a thing or two about that kinda stuff. We might have more in common than I thought. Forget those other people, Zaline. They're either losers, cowards or jealous pricks. And you don't need any of those in your life." He puffed out his chest and nodded. "Now that you're stepping through the Gates of Greatness you'll make real friends, the kind that matter!" Rowan's hair turned that brilliant golden sheen, along with his eyes and he let out a puff of air from his nose that visibly steamed. "Friends that stick with you and remind you of what's important!" He flared his nostrils over and over as if he could wiggle them.

She giggled. "Hoping for the best doesn't always work out, but I think it went just fine this time. That hair trick's pretty neat, by the way."

He returned to normal all at once and poked the side of his own head. "I wish it was a trick, the real trick is keeping it from happening. It does that all on its own. My eyes are like mood stones and my hair is like….mood...hair."

"Oh wow, I've heard of wizards who can maintain passive spells subconsciously but I've never met one before. My hair thing's just from dye I made with alchemy magic."

"Who cares? It looks great anyways. Magic color-changing hair is overrated. Epludo's hair is way more impressive than mine." Rowan praised the Gyphon he'd met earlier.

"Never heard of him, but I'm definitely curious now." Zaline's eyes wandered and they settled on the doors to the exam room that they were all waiting to finally open. "You know, I think I'm gonna review a little more while we wait. Just in case."

Rowan tapped his head again, this time with a smirk. "I got it all covered on my end, been living in our guildmaster's study for the past week, practically. I'll be sending you good vibes the whole test so ace it! As for Epludo, you'll know him if you see him."

"You know what? I should be more confident like you. Master Melidor taught me personally, after all!" Despite her words, she pulled out a notebook from her bag and started flipping through it. "But I'm still gonna review. Just in case. You probably don't need it, but I'll wish you luck too."

"Neither of us do, but good luck anyways." Rowan responded.

Soon, the doors everyone had been waiting for finally opened, and out stepped Rune Knight Vice Commander Winnifred Tulles. She ushered in the examinees and directed them to their assigned seats. The commotion from moments ago had died down completely, everyone's faces now tense and focused.

"Guess that's our cue," said Zaline, putting away her notebook. She and Rowan made their way inside. Winnifred guided them as she had the others, making sure to give Rowan a quick wave when it was his turn.

Inside was a massive room with hundreds of sturdy-looking desks, lined up perfectly in rows. The observers gathered in chairs that lined the walls of the room. Among them were Myeloch who gave Rowan a thumbs-up, and Egan who looked at him with what he might call a glare if he didn't know that was just what he always looked like. At the far end of the exam hall was a stage with a long table, and two large pillars of everyone's favorite light blue crystal at either side.

And standing at the center of that stage was a tall, slender woman with flowing gold hair and ivory skin. She had honey-colored eyes one wouldn't expect to be capable of making the harsh expression she wore. But most importantly, she wore a blue and white long coat, decorated with a gold trim and an ankh symbol, marking her as a high-ranking Rune Knight. She was, in fact, Rune Knight Commander Milla Cavan.

The ability to sense ether is a skill shared by nearly all high-level wizards, and thus is one possessed by nearly all sitting in the exam hall. Sometimes a powerful wizard will use techniques to suppress their ether, keeping their true power hidden from those around them. Milla was not one of these wizards. It was as if her power was overflowing, a body blessed with so much ether that it felt like it might flood the room if not contained. If Rowan didn't know better, he'd think Milla was the most powerful wizard he'd ever seen.

Once all the examinees had been seated, Winnifred hurried to Milla's side. As the commander watched over the S-Class hopefuls, Winnifred watched over Milla. Unlike her visit to the guild, she gave off a professional aura with her serious expression and her stiff posture. But Rowan could sense her true feelings, her emotions feeling much like Zaline's had earlier. She shuffled just a tiny bit closer to Milla. Must be nice. He thought ruefully.

As far as Commander Cavan, though, Rowan could sense nothing. Rather than lacking emotions, it was like his magic was simply incapable of reaching her. Milla held out her hand, and a grid of light began to form around the exam hall, each of the desks being contained in one of its squares. The ether contained in the lacrima pillars flowed into Milla as she cast her spell without her even touching them. Walls of translucent energy shot up from the grid, encasing each of the 200 examinees in their own cube of Milla's magic.

Suddenly, Rowan was cut off from not only Milla's emotions but the entirety of the rooms. Try as he might, his magic wouldn't reach past Milla's walls.

Finally, Milla spoke. Her voice boomed throughout the hall, unwavering and unkind. "You've been encased within walls of my ether stagnation spell. No magic can pass through. You will be unable to use magic to cheat, and any who try will automatically fail. You are free to use your notes, they will not save you if you are unprepared."

Winnifred smiled at the examinees as if apologizing for her superior's attitude. Exam attendants passed each desk, handing the sealed pages of the written exam and a pen to each wizard. They walked through the ether-nullifying walls with ease, possessing no magic of their own.

"You will begin when I tell you to begin," Milla continued. "If you try to start early, you automatically fail. Are there any last questions?"

Rowan simply shook his head and pulled out his favorite quill.

"Very well. Begin!"

---

The written portion of the S-Class exam had ended. There were many disheartened faces among the wizards coming out of the exam hall, but there were just as many with a confident smile and a spring in their step. Whether or not they were right to feel the way they did would be revealed the following morning, when the test scores would be posted up for all to see. Only those who passed will be able to continue to the practical exam.

Zaline had to stretch her body after sitting down for so long. "I thought I wasn't gonna make it… I spent too much time on the early questions like the one about the theories on commonly used runes, but somehow I managed to catch up." She looked at Rowan. "How'd you do?"

"Oh, I aced it." He said matter-of-factly. "I've been preparing for this in one way or another pretty much my whole life, even when I didn't think I was. My brain's one of only two real strengths I have as a wizard anyway… So I better have done well."

"Nice!" She held her hand out for a high-five. "So what's the other strength?"

He looked into her eyes with his own burning with a fire so hot she began to wonder if that strength was heat vision. "I'm unbreakable. The most stubborn son of a bitch you'll ever meet. I pursue the things most important to me without ever slowing and I'll let nothing stop me. Eventually, I will always get what I want… as long as I keep my aims in the realm of possibility." The fire seemed to extinguish all at once and though it didn't change color, his hair suddenly looked to hang limply from his head, as if it had died. "Some things… you can never have, no matter what, and those things it's better to just not think about."

Zaline was speechless as she let the words settle in her mind. The sounds of the crowd leaving the exam room around them seemed so loud over the pair's lingering silence. Eventually Zaline found the words that had been eluding her. "...Sorry, I was just thinking about… well, about a lot of stuff. It sounds like you've got a history but I won't bug you about it 'till we know each other a little better. What I will say is that you've definitely got S-Class spirit!"

After a short silence, Rowan smiled at her again, back to normal all at once. "You do too, you've even got something more important than that~ So, how do you like to unwind when you're fresh off of hard work and waiting for news?"

"Off hard work and waiting for news? Can't say I'm in that specific situation very often. As far as work if I'm not on a job or collecting reagents, I'm testing concoctions or practicing magic. I go out drinking if I need to de-stress, but I don't think that's a good idea right now.

She crossed her arms and tilted her head. "I might sleep early so I can get in a good warm up before the practical exam, actually. Since that test could be pretty much anything, I have to be ready for anything."

"Would you like a hint?" asked the black-haired woman who suddenly appeared next to them. It was Myeloch, his expression the same as ever.

Zaline jumped back with a yelp, her hand already hovering over her weapon. She was quick to calm down though, and greeted the newcomer with a smile. "Talk about light footed. So how do you know anything about what the exam will be, anyway?"

"You don't need to worry about that," Myeloch smiled innocently.

Rowan couldn't resist the laughter that creeped up on him or the toothy grin that followed it. "She's obviously very wise and sneaky to get the jump on us like that. I'm sure she has her ways. I, for one would love a hint."

"I'd suggest not getting your hopes up," said Myeloch, "since calling it a hint might be overselling it a little. But from what I've seen, I'm fairly certain they'll be sending you on an actual S-Class job for the exam."

Zaline's jaw dropped. "An actual- no way! What exactly did you see!? And do you know her, Rowan?"

"Tough to say, she certainly seems familiar, but maybe she just has one of those faces." He said impishly. "First S class job in the exam, huh? Sounds like a blast."

"Well, 'actual' in a manner of speaking," Myeloch clarified. "It seems the council has been cooperating a lot with Gryphon Master Yvonne lately, so I poked around to see what they'd been working on. Master Yvonne uses her magic to alter the properties of the world around her, but it seems she's helped them create a room that can project an entirely new world of their own making, just as real as this world.

"The exam often features a mock S-Class job, so in a way this is just a more involved version of that. But the worlds that are being projected come from Master Yvonne herself. Knowing her, it's more likely you'll be sent on a full-fledged job she's been on in the past rather than anything fabricated solely for testing purposes."

Zaline raised an eyebrow. "'Knowing her'? How do you know Master Avila so well?"

"I like to stay well-informed," Myeloch answered matter-of-factly.

Rowan yawned and shrugged. "Avila's a big deal, a lot of people must know her, right? I just hope they hurry up and move us on. I can't really relax until I've passed the exam."

"You've got a point, I guess I haven't looked into her all that much," Zaline conceded. "Alright, I should head back to my room for that early start! You should probably do the same, Rowan. Sleep now and tomorrow comes that much faster."

"I'll be taking my leave as well," said Myeloch. "I'll be back here in time for the exam. It's a bit tougher to contact me outside of the guild if something comes up, but I think you'll be fine."

"I can find both of you if I need to. I'm used to you by now, Boss and I've got my new Besty's signal locked in." Rowan finished sweetly, winking at Zaline and steepling his hands under his chin. "See you when I see you!" He gave a little wave and left without waiting for a response, just like he always did.

Truth or Dare and the Threat of Hair Thursday July 19th, X784

After finishing their evening business aboard the train, the Phoenix Nest guild members finally gathered in their shared room to settle in for the night. Or they would have, if some of the members weren't intent on keeping the night going. After all, who knew how long it would be before they were all together like this? Not including times when there were more important things to do, such as a job where they'd be in constant danger.

One such Phoenix was Lina, who held up a notebook. Flipping through it, she passed mostly sketches of her weapon designs, but she finally landed on a page filled with freshly-written notes.

She cleared her throat. "Alright, in my research I found that at a sleepover, you're generally supposed to do stuff like doing each other's hair, pillow fighting, and gossip. Lots and lots of gossip. Mostly about romance, but other stuff seems to count too. Looks like a good way to get people talking is through Truth of Dare, but I'm open to other suggestions."

"Nobody is touching my hair," Prim stated obstinately, "But I'm game to mess with other people's." With that, Prim started edging towards Faye.

"Oh hell no." Faye immediately tried to ward whatever Prim tried to do off like a cat being spray bottled. There was a good reason why she was not going to allow that.

"Honestly," Drell grinned, lying on her bunk with her boots off the edge. "Even I probably wouldn't let Prim touch my hair." Many of the Barts on the floor seemed to agree, rushing to an unusually large bundle of quilts beneath one of the bottom bunks as Prim came ever closer.

Prim changed to her bird form, shooting past Faye's swatting hands and changing back to her usual self behind the other girl, plunging her hands into her mop of hair. She opened her mouth to say something back to Drell, but froze when her hands found something harder than scalp.

"I don't know what you mean," Prim commented, "I'm amazing at this sort of thing." Prim said to Drell, choosing not to comment on anything at that moment.

Faye who was so dead set on not having anyone touch her hair only moments ago seemed to be frozen in place as she felt the hands of the younger girl slide towards her horns and then stopped. Her eyes were slightly widened while she was having an internal panic attack. On the outside it wasn't very visible though due to her mastery of the pokerface.

Pat for once did a good job imitating his big brother, sliding between the two as Rowan often did with people and smacking Prim's hand. "Don't touch people who don't wanna be touched! Or I'm gonna start bringing a spray bottle everywhere I go."

Faye sighed in relief. She almost wanted to hug Pat for helping out here like a real champ but she was immensely bothered by the fact Prim felt something she should not have felt.

Elidyr quietly raised a hand. "You could do stuff with my hair, if you want. There's not a lot of it, but… I don't mind."

Prim gleefully trotted across to where Elidyr was and immediately began to fiddle with his hair, attempting to bunch it into numerous tiny clumps.

Ith'Drell chuckled. "Whatever you do, just don't go using the lil' bottles from my backpack for spraying!" She remembered for a second to not laugh as she added, "Seriously, though, don't; it's acid. That's bad."

"What kind of acid?" Pat queried.

"Don't remember their proper names, I think they're labelled or something- there's, like, half proper acid and half big corrosive alkaline stuff. It was like… sulpho- hydry, uh, something. Anyway we don't need those for a sleepover!" Drell raised one finger prominently in the air and closed her eyes. "I sanction no, uh, chemical experiments, at this sleepover."

"But why do you have that acid?" Pat prodded.

"Killin' stuff that's weak to acid- sleeeeepover what're we doing?"

"Let's play games! I haven't gotten to sit and play games with friends since -" The warmth and excitement everyone felt from Pat was broken with a thick wave of cold quiet like a bucket of water being dumped over the mood, before the warmth quickly resumed. "A long time! Games games games!"

"Like I said, I'm open for suggestions." said Lina. "But I do kinda wanna try Truth or Dare. Just to make my first sleepover the sleepoveriest sleepover I can make it."

"I'm up for it," Prim replied. "I'm usually up for a new experience and I can't say I've ever tried that before either."

"Truth or Dare's a classic," Drell weighed in.

"S-Sure I guess…" Faye replied a little unsure. She tried to regain her composure from earlier but she was visibly uncomfortable.

"What's 'Truth or Dare'? I've never played, but I'd like to learn." Eli looks around, actually a little excited to learn something new.

Drell took a snack out of the drawer and inspected it. "Ok, so, we take it in turns," she began. "If it's your turn, you ask someone 'truth or dare'? Then they pick. If they pick truth, you ask 'em a question they have to answer truthfully. If they pick dare, you dare 'em to do something and they gotta do it. Simple as."

"AND if you don't wanna do what you've been told," Ephraim said, rolling out of an otherwise unsuspecting pile of cloth from underneath one of the bunks with a bottle of wine, "you drink. Except, um, Pat. And Eli too. You two can just drink juice."

"Oh sh-" Drell cut herself off, remembering what happened earlier. "Eph, damn dude, is that-? Like, uh, what I think it is? I'm not sure if- okay, okay-" She lightly slapped her head with a dopey smile. "I'm realising that I have, like, barely any idea how old you guys actually are."

"Well, I'd say I'm old enough," Ephraim began with a grin, "but I will add the caveat that no one has to drink much or at all if they don't want to. Mission tomorrow and all that. But I figured it wouldn't be as fun if there weren't stakes involved!"

"Hey, I'm a strong young man!" Pat complained. "I can drink! Rowan's not here to see!"

"I mean, the aim of the game is to not drink, dude," said Drell, stretching her arms.

"And Rowan might not be here but I am, your brother will strangle both me and Drell if we let you drink the juices of adulthood." Faye's voice could be heard disagreeing on the drinking as well. "I've never had alcohol by the way and I sure am not starting now. I'm probably a weak drinker anyway. Can we do this without for the sake of the minors here?" the white haired girl pointed at Pat, Elidyr, Lina and Prim.

"Well, that's disappointing…" Prim muttered.

"Yeah," Lina agreed. "Never had wine before so I kinda wanted to try it."

"Couldn't strangle me," Drell grinned, finishing her stretch. "M'neck's too big."

"... You know what I mean." Faye folded her arms.

"None of them would be minors in my tribe, and only two of them are minors in Lautela," Ephraim said, recalling a guidebook he'd grabbed earlier, "but this is all fair-- I'll keep it to myself if no one else wants any."

"... what?" Faye who never shows any emotion on her face seemed honestly surprised for once. "... dare I ask what the minimum drinking age is in your tribe?"

"Approximately the same as the walking age officially! But most people didn't allow their children to drink too much alcohol until they were 15-16ish? There weren't strict rules on it, really." Ephraim looked away for a bit. "I mean, it was just up to the parents at that point."

"Aaight," Drell exhaled. "Let's play clean. Probably best not risk even the little chance of someone getting shi- uh, what's the-? Drunk, that's it. Big mission in the morning and all. Who goes first?"

"Someone who's played before, so we can see how it works?" Eli offered, idly playing with one of his new hair decorations. "How about you, Drell? You pick someone."

"Me? Uh- dang, I ain't thought up anything good yet, but all right, uh… Eph, you know how this works, right? Truth or dare?"

"Yes, I guess I do!" Ephraim faked a bow. "I would be honored. I'll do a… dare."

"Okay… uhh, gimme a second-" Drell glanced around the room rapidly for ideas for a while before her eyes lit up as she eyed the snack pile. She pulled out what appeared to be a small pastry sealed in plastic and tossed it gently to the floor in front of Ephraim. "Dare ya to unwrap and eat that. Mouth only, though. No hands. No Barts either, that's cheatin'. I mean I guess you don't have to eat it if you don't wanna but, like- the unwrap is the challenge. The eatin's the reward!"

Having expected a different sort of dare, Ephraim moved his head closer to the pastry. "I don't think I've ever tried that. I'm not sure if it's… possible. But I'll give it a shot I guess!" With that, Ephraim put the pastry wrapper in his mouth and began to grind the wrapper between his incisors. His mouth began to taste like plastic, and he scrunched his eyes together at the taste. He let out some feeble attempts at speech with the plastic in his mouth. None of it was intelligible. He shook his head lightly and bit the tip of the plastic wrapper, grunting and pushing his bottom jaw out to attempt to push the pastry out of the wrapper, but instead it began to smush out the other side and fall out of his mouth. Ephraim's cheeks flushed. For someone who tried to amp up the game of truth or dare, he sure was failing at the base. He was almost certain he would've just taken a drink over his struggling. Nonetheless, his guildmates cheered him on.

"Go! Go! Go!" chanted Lina and Pat, already getting swept into the mood.

Eventually, after a solid minute of continued effort, Ephraim managed to sink a small hole into the wrapper, and began to enlarge it at inchworm pace. Noticing that he had technically unwrapped even a small part of the pastry, Ephraim spit it out of his mouth and pointed at it. "Okay, so, if I had given it a bit longer, it would've been open. Technically speaking, it's unwrapped! Partially. I think," Ephraim said between audible breaths, "I think we should probably keep the game moving."

"Yeah, yeah- I count that as a win," Drell agreed.

"I could have watched you do that for an hour I think." Prim laughed, "I'm down for keeping this moving though. Bring it on people."

"Well," Ephraim said, "I suppose it's my turn to choose. Normally I'd use a bottle, but I guess this does make things more interesting... Prim! Truth or dare?"

"A bottle…?" Faye repeated quietly.

"As tempted as I am to go all in on a dare," Prim replied, "Kinda curious to see how the other direction goes since we haven't had one yet. So, truth."

"Mmmm… this category is usually more fun if we have burning questions. Which, in fact, I have one." Ephraim looked over the whole crowd expectantly, before turning back to Prim and asking, "on average, if any, how many insects do you eat a month?"

Prim blinked, taken completely off-guard by the question. "I feel like I should be more offended than I am. As far as I know, none. No accounting for anything dumb enough to climb into my mouth while I'm asleep. Arachnids on the other hand…"

Prim looked directly at the clump of Barts and smiled mischievously. They scattered instantly, and Ephraim rubbed one of his temples. Oh god, he thought, I completely forgot there was a difference."

Eli lightly punched Prim in the arm. "Be nice to the Barts, Prim. They're our friends, too."

"I'm sorry Prim, the question was kind of mean." Ephraim gave a somewhat uncomfortable smile. "It's your turn, though-- who's going this round?"

Prim waved him off. "No worries. So, who's feeling brave?"

Faye was curious about this game but wasn't about to volunteer considering what Prim had possibly felt earlier on her head. There was no way she could risk any questions that could raise suspicions. She was terrified, in fact, and because of that she glanced over towards the others.

"I'm letting you do my hair, so… I guess that makes me brave?" Eli volunteered.

"I'm also pretty brave," Ith'Drell offered, afraid of dropping Elidyr in at the deep end with the guild's resident representative for the power of chaos.

"If you're both up for it, why don't you both pick then?" Prim grinned.

"Ya can't have two at once," Drell jokingly protested. "It ain't anarchy. Your turn, you pick one."

"Sure, sure." Prim shrugged, "What'll it be then, Drell?"

"What'll what be?" Drell shot back, punctuating the phrase with as much sass as she could manage.

"Are you taking Truth or Dare? Is your head as hollow as your helmet?"

Somewhere on the other side of the room you could hear Faye snort followed by a quick cough to regain her poker face.

"Actually," Drell pouted. "My helmet has, uh, pretty significant padding- I'll take truth because I value everyone's continued safety-" she finished by bursting into a chortle.

"Did you really fight a big doom?" Prim grinned. "The rules are sacred, remember."

"Big doom status is pretty open to interpretation," the reptile grinned back, eyeing Prim from the side. "So, yeah, I fought, like, plenty."

Prim laughed at that. "I'll take that. Your turn."

"Oh- yeah, uh… damn, my brain has like, zero ideas- Eli, truth or dare?"

"Me?" Eli was both nervous and excited. Nervocited. "I guess… I'll take dare?"

"Uh… can you eat anythin' weird, Eli? Like, I knew a good few people who can eat stuff most people can't- this ain't truth, I'm just tryin' to get a dare idea going, sorry," Drell laughed. "I'm outta practice."

"Probably." Eli thought about it. "There were all kinds of weird things in the Mistlands, and I ate some of those. What do you want me to eat?"

"Didn't see much plastic back up North," Drell pondered. "Actual- wait, what is it with me and eating plastic, today? This is dumb. I'm dumb. Uhhh- I dare you… to… uh… mess with Prim's hair? Uh, yeah- uh… that was a mistake. Oh well."

"Okay! Fair is fair, Prim." Elidyr checked to feel what Prim had done to his hair, just for comparison.

"I will punch you directly through that wall if you touch my hair," Prim interjected. "I thought you were all about safety, Drell?"

"Please, Prim? I don't wanna lose on my first turn! I promise I won't mess with it too much." Eli pleaded, his tail lashing slightly.

Faye shot a quick glare in the direction of Prim. "Didn't I tell you to not damage the train?" she reminded her.

"Oh, I get it," Drell drawled, her smug grin widening and her side-eye gaze intensifying. "So you're all for going into everyone else's hair, but the second it's your hair on the line it all shuts down? Man, thought you had a lil' more courage than that, Prim."

"I have plenty of courage," Prim said, "I also have enough smarts to know when I'm being goaded. He's welcome to try. I'm just saying, if he does, he's going through a wall." She poked her tongue out at Drell.

Lina quietly summoned her long sword and gently put it on her lap. "I want to make it clear that I'm very willing to zap someone if I need to in order to keep this train not-broken. Nobody in specific yet, just putting that out there."

"I'm not perturbed," Prim said, thinking she was calling a bluff.

"Oops, fun's over," Ith'Drell barked. "Prim doesn't want her hair touched! Fun's cancelled! Sorry, guys. Oh, father, why can't we go out and play anymore? Sorry, children; Prim has this thing, with her hair…"

"I guess I can offer my hair if you really wanted to keep the dare," Lina said. "I'm also a little disappointed since I wanted to try zapping someone other than myself for once. Just a little."

Eli sat down with a huff, grabbing a bottle of juice with his tail. "No, it's fine. I'll drink the fail juice. Do I still pick someone to go next?"

"Oh fine!" Prim's resolve dissolved at that point. "I didn't sign up to be guilt tripped, just get it over and done with - and make it something I can fix."

Eli perked back up at that, dropping the bottle. "Thank you!" He gave her a quick hug. "I'll make it look pretty, I promise. My mom had pretty hair, but she kept it short, like mine. I won't do that to you, though."

Eli tried to style Prim's hair, but had no idea how. Eventually he figured it out, giving Prim two cute little tails on the sides of her head. "There! Like wings! You like it?"

"It'll do," Prim said, forcing a smile as her left eye twitched suspiciously. "Now it's your go."

"Ayy, all's well that ends well, right?" Drell laughed. "Seriously though, nobody give Prim a go or I'm fuckin' dead as- uh- uh, language, sorry. Uh, just dead."


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