In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
Shattered Grimoires is the work of the mind(s) of Ardere & Shattered Grimoire's staff. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. Black Clover is owned by Yuki Tabata and published by Viz Shonen Jump. All images belong to their original owners. The theme you are currently viewing was made by Eliza of ElizaCodes exclusively for Shattered Grimoires.
It was fast becoming a habit. Ever since her previous visit to the bookstore at Sosshi, the elf had found her steps leading her towards that particular trading town. Well, it was more than a visit, because the last time she walked along the same road, she had been somewhat forced to protect a tomato vendor from some nasty bandits. A small smile crossed her face. She had met an ally while on the way, and was grateful for the friendship and fighting experience. The yul she earned was a bonus as well, since she was no Magic Knight and did not receive any paycheck. But she could not complain though, since she enjoyed her freedom to move about as a normal citizen and go wherever she wished.
Suna lightly skipped over a few scattered rocks on the path. She had picked up bits and pieces of information about the different knight squads, like which had the most nobles, and who were at odds with who - all of which were very interesting. She did not plan to join a group anytime soon, even though she had some personalized training with the Crimson Lion’s vice captain, and even went on a mission with her. However, she was learning more and more about the world outside the Forest, and found that she was most comfortable and alive as a wanderer.
So caught up in her thoughts, she did not notice a sneaky creature hanging from an overhead branch. It threw an acorn in front of the elf, and when she turned to look, it leaned over and swiped her money pouch. "Wha- Hey!" All she saw was a glimpse of brown disappearing into the trees, and the faint clink of coins from her bag. Immediately she gave chase, following the monkey-like thief. "Come back here!"
WC: 304 ⊹ TOTAL WC: 304 ⊹ MUSE: 8/10 ⊹ TAG: Charles Constantine✾ NOTES: Short one to start it off ^^;
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Jun 26, 2020 18:45:53 GMT -5
Sosshi the town closest to the base of the Magic Knights known to be filled with misfits, the Black Bulls. Occasionally Charles was sent to the town of Sosshi to patrol and make sure everything was clear, this one of those days to the dislike of the silver mage. Recently achieved the rank of Intermediate 5th Class, it was obvious he was going to be sent to more important tasks compared to the other members of the Black Bulls. To someone lazy as Charles more work didn't wasn't good and just made him more annoyed over the fact that he will be able to slack off less, but that's what happens when you get promoted inside the Magic Knights.
Charles roamed around Sosshi patrolling with a careless posture, he was mainly lazy and his guard, for the most part, appeared to be non-existent. He kept an eye out for anyone attempted to do something stupid and steal, despite his careless way of walking around he was quite observant. As he walked around the town, the lazy black bull found himself on the outskirts of the town. Not a lot of people spent their time on the outskirts, especially during this time of the day where the markets were busy. A minute later the silver mage heard a scream in the distance the originated from the trees. A few seconds later after hearing it he saw a monkey-like creature moving from branch to branch on the trees. What took his attention was what the monkey was holding it a pouch and seemed to be in a hurry for whatever a reason. Previously hearing the scream of someone, it became clear that this monkey quite possibly stole someone's money.
The silver mage sighed as his grimoire opened up and floated beside him, his eyes focused on the thief that was attempting to make his escape with a pouch with money. Charles's hand pointed a bit further from where the brown creature was going to making up for the time it will take for the spell to reach the thief. A silver string was sent flying to the direction of the monkey as he moved from branch to branch having aimed his spell a bit further to properly restrain the monkey as he moved. A silver string entangled the monkey' legs which also electrocuted him right after. The sudden feeling of his legs getting restrained and the feeling of getting electrocuted on his legs made the monkey lose his balance and forced him to hit the grow hard with the velocity he had acquired by jumping from branch to branch. The restraints were strong making it extremely difficult for the monkey to break them, he was unable to move escape due to his legs being restrained.
Charles walked towards the direction of the monkey who was desperately trying to break the restraints from his legs, but they were simply too strong for him to break without any external help. His durability has increased a lot lately, which was one of the reasons why the thief had such a hard time trying to escape. The black bull looked down at the monkey and took the pouch money he was holding. "You know... If you didn't go around stealing things from people you will make my job much easier and you wouldn't have ended up like this." He held the pouch of money on his hand while he waited for whoever's money got stolen to come and retrieve it.
Name of Spell: Silver String Binding Elemental Type: Silver with Lightning Elemental Oddity Rank & Spell Type: Intermediate | Restraining Range & Speed: 40 meters | 25 m/s Mana Cost: 20 | 10 Stats Effected: -5 m/s Speed debuff Applicable Perks: Sapping Bonds: You’ll drain away 10 mana from each those bond by your restraining spells and restore your own mana for half this value. This can only be applied once per target no matter how many bonds are on them. Quick Shot: This perk allows a person's spells to naturally move 5 m/s faster than normal, this increases to 10 m/s at grand rank. Description: Charles creates a thick silver string where he points his index and middle finger at the legs of the opponent. Sending the silver string towards the enemy, tangling and electrocuting his legs. This debuffs the speed of the enemy by 5 m/s.
For a few moments, Suna lost sight of the monkey, much to her dismay. "Where are you..." She muttered under her breath, azure eyes scanning the treetops above. She could probably flush the creature out if she used one of her AoE spells, but she wanted to see if she could find it first. She spotted some movement in the trees above, and continued the chase. Her blue eyes narrowed. It had the bulk of her money, and it would not be good if she lost it to some pesky creature. As she followed the path towards Sosshi, she rounded a bend and heard the sound of a spell being cast - and the thump of something falling and hitting the ground. She quickened her pace, and came to where a mage had the monkey caught in his magic.
The elf ran up to where the restrained creature was and bonked it on the head. "How dare you, you lil sneaky thief!" She waved a figure at it, as if trying to reason with it. "Go steal someone else’s money, you hear?" Then she realized just who the mage was. Her mouth dropped open, then she quickly closed it. "Oh, hello! Charles, was it? Thanks so much for catching this lil guy." She held out her hand for the money pouch.
"Seriously, these critters are getting smarter and smarter." She huffed, shaking her head. She turned her attention back to the monkey, who only looked back at the duo with an innocent look. She almost rolled her eyes, but caught herself just in time. Sure she was a little mad, but at least she got her precious yul back, thanks to the Black Bulls knight. The bag was previously tucked beneath her belt, but now she double knotted it, making sure it was secure and could not be swiped unless she undid the knots. She patted the bag, hearing the familiar clink of yul. It seemed like none of the coins had fallen out. That was a relief.
"Oh, uh, you can let it go, unless you need to judge it for any other offenses?" She bent down until she was at the same level as the captured thief, and pointed her finger at it again. "But you! If you steal my money again, you won’t be so lucky next time! Charles here only restrained you, but I’ll do much much worse than him." She said it like a promise, although she was probably giving it more credit than it deserved. It was unlikely that the same creature would target her again. Whether the silver mage decided to let it go or not, she was finished lecturing the thief.
The elf suddenly felt very foolish for making a big fuss about the whole thing, so she hastened to change the subject. "So what brings you here?" She pushed herself back up to her standing position, and tilted her head at him. "What have you been up to? And how’s your captain?"
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Jun 28, 2020 1:36:16 GMT -5
Charles heard some steps coming from the opposite direction the monkey was running towards previously. He assumed it was the person who's money got stolen by the thief and was coming to retrieve it. As the person approached the voice sounded familiar to him. The silver looked at a familiar face, someone he hasn't seen a while. It didn't take long for him to recognize Suna, very few people had ears as she did and blue hair. This caught him by surprise since she wasn't expecting to see her out of all people in a place like this. What are the odds? "Oh... Hello Suna. Uh, yeah no problem." He said as he handed her over the pouch of money that was taken from her.
"Smarter?" He raised an eyebrow, he believed they were stupid if they believed they could just steal people's money and not be caught doing it. Eh... I personally think they are stupid if they think they can go around stealing people's money and not getting caught." He looked down at the thief that was under Charles restraints having given up already due to the fact that the restraints were so strong for him to break. Due to the fact that Suna didn't mind if he let him go, Charles broke the restraints he was too lazy to question a minor thief that just decided to steal money for whatever reason. "You better not be a pain in the ass for me, if I find you again you're going to regret it." He looked at the monkey showing no emotion at all and sounding rather intimidating this time. As soon as he said that the monkey ran away as fast as possible to get away from Charles's presence. The black bull did believe the statement from Suna was part true even though she wasn't a magic knight she was strong enough to fend off by herself. Remembering the time she met her she didn't have a tough time fighting mana beasts so she shouldn't be underestimated.
The blue-haired elf began to question him and wondered why he was here. "...Eh, well. The Black Bulls Headquarters isn't too far away from Sosshi. So every once in a while I have to come here and patrol to make sure there's nobody trying to steal. Ever since I got promoted to Intermediate fifth class they have been putting more work on me." He sighed. It seemed like the lazy black bull has not changed a single bit ever since they first met on Aristaeus’ basin. She then proceed to ask him what he has been doing lately. "Nothing much, the things magic knights do. Patrol, go to missions, etc. My Captain? He's fine being barbaric and getting drunk with the other Black Bulls every once in a while, nothing new." He began to head towards the town as he talked, his voice sounding the same. "...What brings you here? I swear our encounters have to end up in fights or in the use of our spells." Even though he didn't show it was pleasant for him to see a familiar face after a while, it was better than meeting Fuu again.
Honestly, Suna had not expected to see a familiar face. He had also seemed surprised to see her. However, it was not an unpleasant shock, and she was truly glad to see the Magic Knight. Even though she had heard certain…things about the Black Bulls squad, he did not seem to fit the group’s image or reputation. That is, nothing to her knowledge, and she took it as a positive sign. Feeling the weight of the money pouch again next to her was also a positive thing that had happened today.
"I suppose so, since you put it like that. Either they’re dumb or..." She almost made a face, but pushed it down. "...I’m getting dumber." She finished with a light laugh, waving it off like it meant little to her. Usually such a plain acknowledge of her weakness was something she would be too abashed to even think of saying, but after what happened last time at Aristaeus’ Basin...what could possibly be more embarrassing than having a tortoise trying to eat your leg? It was her own fault, after all, for getting too close in the first place and not being sensitive enough, but she has improved on the latter. At least, she hoped she did.
For one who has seen her in a shameful situation and now this - she wondered why fate was so set on throwing these unexpected cards on the table whenever she met this particular Magic Knight. But regardless, she felt comfortable being around him. Perhaps it was because she knew he was younger than her, and it felt open and easy when she looked at him like a little brother. Of course, she still respected his abilities, as he had proven himself before and also just now.
Apparently the silver mage was not going to punish the pesky thief further when she let it go, and the monkey immediately shot off like an arrow, not staying around to test its luck. Which was a good idea, since there were now two promises of something worse if it met either one of the mages again. "I see. It was a good thing that you were here on patrol today, otherwise I think I would have lost all these yul for sure!" This time, she did not keep back her wry face. "And congratulations! Intermediate, hmm? Hey, higher ranks always means more responsibilities!" She gave him a playful jab in the ribs with her elbow. He may be much taller than her short 5’2” frame, but that did not stop her from doing that.
"No wonder that spell felt stronger than the last time I met you!" She tapped her chin, a knowing smile on her face. "That was a new spell, too, wasn’t it? Aren’t restraints just great? They’re so useful!" She would be one to know - she used her restraining spell more often than naught. It was her base to any type of fight. Though she was not usually the one in the frontlines, her debuffing spells would almost always lay the groundwork for her allies.
They had started walking back towards town, and the blue-haired elf listened as he answered her questions about himself and his squad leader. Seemed like not much has changed, and to Suna, it was comforting. Charles still acted like the lazy guy he claimed to be, but she knew he would still get the job done regardless. In her mind, his laziness must only be a front. However, she was not one to pry, so she left it at that.
"Me? I’m just here to visit Sosshi’s bookstore. They have some great used books that are usually out of print, so I come here sometimes to read." She really was somewhat of a bookworm, and would travel far for the sake of reading. "I’ve noticed that, too. Strange how either one of us would end up using our spells. It’s like our whole lives are being written out by some strange minds and forcing things to happen." She shrugged. "Say, have you bumped into that Green Mantis knight again? Fuu?" Was it too much to hope that something would come out of the unlikely duo? Perhaps, as it depended on his answer.
Entering the town, a delicious scent wafted by. "Mmm..." She closed her eyes and sniffed, and her stomach growled in response. "Something smells good." She had already eaten her midday meal, but there was no wrong time for treats. Without a pause, she immediately made her way towards the bakery, where the tantalizing smell was coming from. As she opened the glass door, the warm and homey scent of freshly baked goods washed over her. It was almost as comforting as entering the bookstore, which she has momentarily forgotten. She had also momentarily forgotten that she had someone beside her.
Rows and rows of little cakes were lined up on the shelves before her, and she was instantly drawn to all the sweets before her. They all looked delicious, but she only had eyes for the chocolate ones. "Hmmm, which one?"
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Jun 28, 2020 21:02:04 GMT -5
"Possibly." Charles shrugged as Suna mentioned how she getting dumber over the fact that she got robbed. Though he didn't feel like holding the fact. "You just have to be more careful about your surroundings, that's all." He wasn't directly calling Suna dumb, but if she believed that then it wasn't his problem. Overall he believed she just had to be more careful about her surroundings. She more than capable to handle by herself, she was an elf someone who had more magical power than a human. In terms of magical power she probably matched one of the Noble Families from the Clover Kingdom thanks to her elf heritage.
The black bull found himself not having any issues with the elf, her presence was much more preferable and peaceful compared to the rowdy green mantis he met alongside with Suna sometime ago. For some reason every time they meet they always ended fighting something or any related to the use of his grimoire. She proceeded to congratulate him on his promotion. "I guess... The only advantage is that I get paid more yuul than a Junior." He stated the only positive of his promotion to Intermediate Fifth Class. He didn't want more responsibilities, but instead, he wanted to stay in his room slacking off the entire job without anyone bothering him, then again it meant Charles was a very capable magic knight. Not a lot of members in the Black Bulls were above the rank of Intermediate a good amount of them were still Juniors.
The silver mage nodded in agreement with Suna who mentioned that restraining spells were quite good and noticed how he had used a different type of spell. "They make things easier, yeah. Considering the nature of my magic it also makes the restraints quite strong which means not anyone will be able to break them. Makes dealing with issues, especially the ones that one can face as a Magic Knight much easier." A clear example o8f how he made things easier for the lazy magic knight was how he easily captured the thief that stole blue elf's money not too long ago.
"Sosshi's bookstore? I've heard about it, but I'm not a fan of books. He stated in a very honest matter, the time he could spend reading books was time he could spend sleeping! At least that's how he saw it in his mind. The two of them began walking towards the town. It was around noon which meant there were a lot of people selling things. Charles raised an eyebrow when Suna brought up if she has ever seen Fuu after their first encounter in Araesteus' Basin. "I actually had to do a mission with her. That time I wanted to finish it as soon as possible." This time aside from his usual lazy tone, there was a bit of annoyance. The mission was quite annoying for him mainly due to the fact that he had to deal with someone like Fuu who was your average noble filled with pride and see of superiority.
As the two entered the town Charles was able to smell a delicious scent. The smell was quite good, especially since hasn't eaten due to the fact that he was on patrol not too long ago. The smell just made him want to eat more. "That smells good, I'm hungry." Without thinking about it twice Charles followed Suna to the bakery, the smell was amazing and it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a stop to eat something. If he didn't anything he wouldn't be able to do his job properly despite him being lazy about even if he was hungry or not. Maybe if he ate something his mood will change and make him act less lazy. As they entered the bakery the delicious smell of bread and cakes just increased. Everything there looked mouthwatering especially, especially when he didn't have the chance to eat this type of thing. "They all smell and look good, anything works." The silver mage replied, this time was a bit of excitement from his part. He didn't care what it was as long as it tasted good, money wasn't an issue even though he was a commoner Magic Knights received good payment.
Suna listened as the Magic Knight spoke his thoughts on what she had said previously. If anything, he was tactful and wise in his words, which seemed a little out of character from his projected one. But then again, she has met others who also had interesting personalities despite their looks or squad affiliations. For example, on the elf herself, she can be painfully dense at times. If it was one thing that she did not understand, it was the reception she always got when people saw her tell-tale pointy ears, marking her as an elf. She had always wanted to ask about it, but never really did. It could have been her imagination, but she thought she had caught that same look on Charles’ face as she had noticed on other people. It was something akin to awe and respect, although she was baffled as to why that was so. In many ways, she knew too little of her natural gifts and abilities, and was unaware of what she was capable of.
"Hey, more money is always good." She shrugged lightly. "Doesn’t that make all that extra work worth it, though?" Her mind went back to a certain offer made by a vice captain, which she had thanked profusely but politely declined. At the moment, she did not feel like she was ready to join any Magic Knight squad, and wanted to cleanly separate herself from her past first.
On that note, she ventured to ask, "This might be somewhat out of the blue, but...what do you think about witches? In general?" She would listen carefully and attentively to the response, because to her, it meant a lot. Because the ill reputation that witches seem to have, Suna had always kept that part of her a secret. She was not proud of it, but recently, she had come to terms that maybe she should just let go of the past and leave the Forest altogether. A part of her still hesitated, though, because of her insecurities of the future, and what people might think of her if they knew she used to be a witch. After all, her fellow witch sisters all lived up to the stereotypes. But was that really what the general thought? As far as she knew, this silver mage was honest, and she always appreciated frankness when she saw it.
His thoughts on restraining spells brought back the time when he gave her that buff spell of his when they were fighting as a team. "That’s true. Do you ever upgrade your spells? Is it worth it?" She thought aloud. She had been thinking about it, but she rather liked how little mana it takes to cast those junior spells. She had also recently acquired intermediate spells, but had yet to use them in battle.
"I understand. Books aren’t for everyone." The elf was used to that type of reception whenever she mentioned that she reads a lot. "But there’s nothing to lose when you read! Well, besides time." She admitted, but for her, the advantages and information she gleans are always worth the time spent.
"Oh, so you met Fuu again?" Her tone obviously picked up, but then dropped back down when she heard that he had wanted to finish it quickly. "Ah, I take it that it didn’t go smoothly?" Well, there went her ideas of putting those two together. Apparently it did not work out, and highly unlikely that it ever will. However, her thoughts were luckily diverted when they entered town.
Suna glanced up to see that Charles had followed her into the bakery. "I want a chocolate one, but I can’t decide which one..." With a huff, she leaned back up and closed her eyes. With her finger, she swept the row and randomly stopped. "That one, please!" She called out to the baker’s wife, who was at the counter. After paying for it, she turned and nudged the man. "So what are you going to get?"
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Jun 29, 2020 15:38:56 GMT -5
"I guess so, yeah." He shrugged even though he was lazy about doing more job, she was right the more money he got paid made worth it. Anyway, he usually got paid extra money by completing missions that he took every once in a while which wasn't bad, especially for a commoner he received a lot of money and could get a have luxuries other people couldn't have.
As they walked Suna asked a question that surprised Charles. Not expecting that sort of question, she asked him what was his opinion about the Witches. The silver mage was more on the neutral side of things, he has heard a lot of things about the witches and the things they do. They also possessed higher magical abilities than humans, but even though he hasn't heard a lot of things about them he had no reason to dislike them. "Witches? Well, I've heard a lot of things about them, but I can't say all witches are bad. There's a witch inside a Black Bulls named Rosalia. She likes getting drunk and being with men, but she's very kind. Despite her flaws, she's a good person. I can't say all witches are good, but not all of them are bad either. I have no reason to hate witches, especially when one of my squad and senior members is one of them." His voice tone changed this time to a more serious one. Rosalia was a witch and that was a known fact, but she wasn't a bad person despite her flaws. Sure, she couldn't speak for all the witches, but it proved the fact that not all witches are evil. Even though he was a bit surprised and questioned why she asked such a question. "Why's that?" He raised an eyebrow, this time changing to a more relaxed and laid-back tone. It was a very unusual question from her part, which grabbed his curiosity.
She later asked if upgrading their spells was useful. Even though he believed it was useful it was entirely situational and depended on the spell someone wanted to upgrade. "Well... It depends... If you think the spell is useful and can help you in a certain situation or multiple ones then it's worth upgrading it." Charles shrugged, it was situational and it was up to the user if he or she believed upgrading the spell was worth it. The black bull has actually only upgraded one spell which was one of his supplementary spells which he believed was worth upgrading.
The conversation went about Fuu and how the mission went. She was right without a doubt, it didn't go well and he will rather do something else than encountering her again. He didn't hate her he just found her presence overwhelmingly annoying. "Well, that's to be expected from someone like her. I can work well with other people, but her..." He sounded rather annoyed and disappointed. Even though Charles had a lazy attitude, it wasn't hard to work with him as long as the person wasn't a prideful and egocentric noble like Fuu otherwise that will just kill his motivation to work even more and make him act lazier.
The blue-haired elf ordered a chocolate cake, a good decision. The chocolate tasted good, but he felt like eating something else. As soon Suna looked back at him and asked what if he was ordering Charles approached the counter. "I'd like a piece of vanilla cake." He handed the woman the money and he received his cake. "Let's look for a place to sit down." Charles walked outside the bakery where they were some tables and chairs for people to sit down and eat without any problems. Once they sat down the black bull took a bite from his vanilla which tasted quite well, even though he liked chocolate cakes he also preferred vanilla and decided to eat vanilla instead of chocolate for a change of pace. The cake was soft, sweet, and most importantly moist which was how he liked his cake. Considering he hasn't eaten anything this was a good time for him to replenish some energy even though he looked like he required to replenish energy ninety percent of the time.
"Oh?" Suna’s eyebrows shot up, and so did her elven ears, perking up at the new information. "The Black Bulls have a witch member?" Here she was, thinking that she did not know any other witches outside the Forest - but now she does. "Rosalia? I see..." She made careful note of that name. Perhaps she would seek her out. It would be helpful if she could get some guidance from someone who has gone before her. Who knows? Perhaps the other could advise her, depending on what the former’s history was. The blue-haired elf was definitely in need of it. She would definitely look more into the matter.
"Ah, just curious, that’s all." She lightly dismissed his inquiry, not wanting to divulge too much about herself just yet. She was still insecure about it, even though she probably had no reason to be. Nonetheless, after years of thinking a certain way, her perspective is not so easily broken or changed. Those types of things take time. But whoever the other witch was, she was going to find her one of these days and ask some questions.
"So what are those kinds of things you have heard about witches?" Suna asked curiously. "They always dress in black? Have a pet cat companion? Are left-handed? Mostly selfish?" There were a lot of stereotypes that went around, and she was pretty sure she could confirm most of them to be true. It was funny, actually, how most perceptions about them were right on point, though of course it did not encompass every single individual.
The young woman laughed lightly, remembering a certain event. "The first time I was here, I got attacked by this seven year old boy with a pitchfork. He said he thought I was a witch that was going to turn him into a frog." She also did not add that she later had a run-in with the witch that was causing havoc in that area, and had a major confrontation with her. She turned out to be more trouble than necessary, but it had only solidified Suna’s determination to leave her witch community behind. "Back then, I only patted that little ruffian on the head and told him to practice his aim until it was better."
Though her tone was easy-going throughout this entire time, she really had been dismayed and appalled at the time. Her suspicions of witches being ill-received had been confirmed, even from the human children. If there was one thing she knew, the younger generation often saw more than the previous older generation, and with that kind of mindset, who knew what the future would hold once they grew up? The future was fickle, and that was what made her uneasy. But at least this particular Magic Knight had no problems with it, since one of his squad members was a witch herself. For that, Suna can be grateful for.
When the topic came back around to the Green Mantis, she could only sigh and shake her head. "That difficult, huh?" Thinking back, the elf could understand why there would be trouble between the two mages. Still, it would have been interesting if something else had happened. "Hmm..." a certain light came to her azure eyes, something akin to playful mischief. Perhaps she could introduce him to a certain female she had in mind. "What’s your ideal type, then? If you don’t mind my asking." She added the last part quickly, in case it seemed like she was prying. She did not want to step over some unknown boundary, but she figured that with such a laid-back attitude, he would not mind her question.
The silver mage had ordered a vanilla cake, which she nodded approvingly. If it was not for all the chocolate choices, she would have gone for something vanilla flavored. The elf followed him out the door and over to where there were a few tables and chairs outside. She gingerly opened the clear wrappings around the small round cake, noting how delicious and tempting it looked. It was glazed with chocolate ganache on the outside, with chocolate flakes all around the side. There was a circular swirl of hardened chocolate on top, with a little white chocolate heart to grace the middle. It looked almost too pretty to eat, but she was drooling already.
Suna ate the chocolate creations on the top first before tackling into the cake itself. "Mmm...dark chocolate, my favorite!" The creamy filling was also sending her to seventh heaven. She glanced over at her companion, who also seemed to be enjoying his choice. "How’s yours?" She said in between bites. Her sugar cravings satisfied, the elf was content, very content. But with all this sugary goodness, she might want to get something to wash it down. From her seat, she leaned back and looked around at the town square. What would she give for some cold iced tea! "Do you know of anything good to drink here?"
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Jun 30, 2020 21:40:38 GMT -5
Charles was curious about why Suna brought up the Witches into the conversation. He hasn't known her for long, but it certainly wasn't something she frequently asked. Judging by her way of talking she seemed to be wary about his opinion regarding Witches and showed a degree of concern he hasn't seen from her before. The black bull was suspicious of her motives to ask such a question. "Curious, huh? Something makes me think you asked me that question over more than just curiosity. It's the first time you've asked me something like that even though we haven't known for long." He raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a suspicious look on his face as they made their way towards the village, he was suspicious, but he wasn't able to nail down her reasoning for such question yet.
"I've heard several things. Witches can only be female, they usually can't go outside the Witches Forest and they posses higher magical abilities than humans do. Their magic has strange properties, similar to the way in how my Silver Magic can generate lighting and electrocute people. I've heard about the things you mentioned before, yes, but I have never met any witches aside from Rosalia, and from what I've seen of her has been quite the opposite. She is a hard worker and sees everyone in the Black Bulls as her family." He knew other things about them, but it was pretty much basic and didn't care too much about the things he has heard. Mainly because what he has heard has been proven to be quite the opposite with Rosalia she was a hard worker and the Black Bulls as her family. She was kind of enough to even buy him food on their first encounter. The blue-haired elf later explained that the last time he came to the town of Sosshi she got attacked by a seven-year-old with a pitchfork and confused her with a witch. Charles found that funny and laughed considering Suna didn't look like a witch at all her blue hair and ears simply didn't make it possible for her to be a witch. "He thought you were a witch? Hah. She later said that she patted the kid on the head and told him to get better at aiming. "For some reason, I think that's something you will do." The silver mage replied it sounded like something Suna will do. The elf seemed like a nice person to him so visualizing her patting a child on the wasn't hard at all.
The topic later moved to something he will rather forget about, the Green Mantis Fuu who's presence annoyed Charles in different ways from others. The silver mage will later find himself a bit confused with Suna's question. "My type? It seemed like the blue elf had something in mind, like a plan. "Eh... If you're referring to a female, then as long as they are not constantly annoying I don't mind, but for the most part, I prefer to focus on other things." He replied, not so interested in relationships nor having anyone in mind at all for such thing. Whatever she had in mind it might require more convincing especially from someone like Charles even though he was lazy he wasn't ignorant and he was someone he could be reasoned most of the time maybe she could convince him if the elf brought up a good point from her part.
The two of them took a seat outside the bakery. Suna having ordered a chocolate cake and Charles a vanilla cake. The black bull took a bite of the vanilla cake as the elf asked him how it was. "It's good, just how I like it." He replied to her and took another bite from the cake without thinking twice. He wanted to enjoy it, hopefully, this will be enough to fill him until he arrives at the Black Bulls Headquarters and properly each. "Places to drink? Well, there are multiple coffee and tea shops. Bars as well if you are into you know... Drinking alcohol I guess." He stated several options of places in Sosshi. It really depended on what Suna was in the mood for and her tastes.
He had caught on fast, Suna had to give him that. "I’m just interested to know what people think of witches in general, that’s all." And that was the truth, since she did want to familiarize herself with the general public’s ideas before she jumped into any conclusions. "But yes, it’s not common to see a witch outside the Forest...besides Rosalia, in your case." Growing up, she only had contact with a very small part of the witch community - in many ways, she was an outsider. Sometimes she does not even understand the logic behind some of the things the Forest does, or how they chose to operate. After learning about the Magic Knights system in Clover Kingdom, it makes so much more sense, and much more fair, too. It really was interesting how different kingdoms ran their systems.
"I could ask the same about dwarfs, too. What do you and the majority of humans think about them?" She had a thoughtful look on her face. It was always somewhat sensitive when it came to race, but she was not one to shy away from difficult topics. But another underlying thought came to her. "Although I don’t know if your perspectives have changed after meeting a certain one?" She was obviously referring to the Green Mantis, since that is one of their biggest common grounds. But that was probably the last time she would bring that particular person up again, since it was obvious the other mage had not enjoyed their mission together.
Suna was slightly taken aback at Charles’ laugh. As far as she could remember, it was the first time she heard the man laugh. "The kid was all right. I mean, how can someone get mad over that?" She shrugged, eyes laughing at the memory. "Hmmm...so it sounds like you’re not interested in anybody right now, hmm?" She let it rest at that. For now. No use pushing someone who just was not interested in something more than friendship. When they are ready, they would know.
As they were still eating their cakes, Suna studied the young man sitting across from her. "You mentioned you preferred to focus on other things. What are your goals then? Rise up in your knight ranks? Aim for vice captain? Or even captain?" She lifted an eyebrow as she considered that possibility. From what she knew of him, he was definitely capable enough to work towards the captain position, but his personality would probably get in the way of that. But then again, stranger things have happened.
"Tea?" The elf’s ears perked up. That was all she heard, and it was enough for her. "Where?" Her head whipped around, trying to guess where the said place was. There were quite a few shops circling around the town square. "That one?" She pointed to one across the square, then to another one "Or that one?" She got up from her seat, straining to read the shop signs. Then she realized that she should probably ask what the silver mage preferred. "What do you usually fancy?" She settled back on her seat, but her blue eyes were still roving through the shops before they finally rested back on her companion. "Alcohol or non-alcoholic drinks?"
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Jul 4, 2020 17:28:53 GMT -5
"Hm, I see..." He decided to believe what she said even though he had his doubts and several other questions on why she was curious about his opinion about witches. Did she have some sort of relationship with the witches? Suna was an elf so there was no reason to ask that question. Wouldn't it make more sense if she asked him what was his opinion about elves? It will make more sense to him at least. "Yeah, I've heard that witches are not allowed to leave the forest otherwise they are considered traitors." Charles had heard several things about the witches, but he never bothered asking Rosalia about those questions. If what he heard was true, then leaving inside a forest for your entire life seemed annoying. Asking her questions about her past in the forest will probably just annoy her, but in the end, she didn't blame her because living that way of life seemed annoying to him to the point that he understands why a witch will leave the forest. Leaving your life in isolation from the rest of the world like the witches did despite the strange magic they possessed.
The blue-haired elf now went to ask him about another race, the dwarves. "I am neutral about it, I have no reason to hate them. It isn't my concern." He showed no interest at all in the dwarves and had no reason to hate them whatsoever even though Fuu was one. "Not at all. Not all dwarves are like her. The reason she is like that is that she is a noble who believes herself to be superior. The real issue here is not the races, but the treatment towards the commoners and peasants that comes from nobles." He stated in a rather annoyed tone, but he was saying the truth. There was more inequality between social classes between races. A real and big problem of the Clover Kingdom, he experienced that issue once when he was younger which is why he developed a dislike towards nobles. The black bull didn't hate all of them, he knew they were some respectable nobles out there like the Captain of the Golden Dawn, Zaven. Who he did some missions with for a while, it was a good experience for him and earned his respect. He was the Captain of the Golden Dawn for a reason.
"I see no reason to be interested in someone..." The silver mage didn't show interest in relationships. As he was more focused on his own laziness. She brought up what he was interested in as they were eating from their cakes. "Eh... I have no interest in becoming the Vice-Captain or Captain of the squad in the future. Sure, they get paid more, but they have a lot more responsibilities. That will just be a bigger pain in the ass, honestly." He replied after taking a bite from his cake. Charles had no real interest in becoming the Vice-Captain or Captain of his squad in the future. There was other people that could fill in the spots if needed. Someone as lazy as Charles will not have a lot of interest in achieving that rank.
The lazy magic knight noticed her ears perked up, which was unusual. Did she say tea, which meant maybe she liked tea? Over there." He pointed at the tea shop that was across the street. "I usually prefer drinking cold stuff. Non-alcohol drinks, I don't drink alcohol as the other black bulls do." The majority of the Black Bulls spent their time drinking alcohol, but it was something Charles never liked doing. It was a waste of time, he had a better time laughing at their reactions while they were drunk, he was the one who laughed at the end of the day.
Thankfully, he did not press any further, and Suna breathed a sigh of relief. "Mmm, that’s what I heard, too." She said, a bit cautiously, referring to his comment about witches becoming traitors if they left the forest. Of course, she knew it all too well. However, since she had been living as a hermit most of her life, it would probably work in her favor if she did decide to slip out. Perhaps. She still had to figure that part out.
Hearing his explanation about dwarves and his perspective towards nobility, she nodded, finally understanding why the distance and reason for his attitude. "I see." Back in the Forest, there were also strict codes about certain classes. But to her, she did not really care about all that, because she never really thought to rise up in the ranks. She liked her low profile, living a quiet life with no messy situations or power plays to deal with. Which was why she could relate to what the silver mage said about not being interested in the higher positions.
"How did you join the Black Bulls then?" She was a little surprised, though. Many Magic Knights that she has met had some sort of goal for being in their respective squad. She doubted it was because of some random incident, but that was just a guess.
"Cold drinks are always great, especially in hot weather." She agreed with that whole-heartedly. "Ah, yes! A fellow non-alcoholic drinker!" She seemed much too excited over that fact, but she could not help it. It was not every day when she could find someone whom she could comfortably drink with. That said, even if she did have alcohol, she was a lightweight.
She put her elbows on the table, looking suddenly serious and somber. "I have to ask you a very serious question." The elf looked straight into the eyes of Charles. "Are you a coffee or tea person?" Then realizing that there were other options, added quickly, "Or neither?" Some may say she was taking it too far, but she was terribly serious about this.
WC: 352 ⊹ TOTAL WC: 4,044 ⊹ TAG: Charles Constantine✾ NOTES: Sorry for the short reply!
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Jul 5, 2020 19:08:25 GMT -5
Charles stopped eating and looked at the blue-haired elf when that question came up. He took a moment to place down the cake on the table. How did he join the Black Bulls? That happened quite some time ago. It was something he never bothered talking about nor did anyone even bother asking about. "...How did I join the Black Bulls? Huh..." The young magic knight muttered to himself and placed his hand on his chin. The ambiance around him will change, from that lazy and laid back attitude of his. To a more serious and nostalgic one. "I never expected you to ask such a question, but. He let out a sigh and scratched his head. "Almost a year ago... Someone I knew insisted me to go to the Magic Knights exams even though for the most part I didn't want to go. I remember I humiliated a noble during the combat section. The silver mage started to laugh after remembering that, it was a good time humiliating someone with a lot of confidence in their abilities, but Charles's magic was unexpected. Commoners weren't usually seen wielding elements like Silver especially with the type of properties his element had. "When the results came in there was just a single squad willing to take me. The Black Bulls, I never cared about their reputation and I accepted to join them because Magic Knights get good payment." He explained, though he was only wanted in the Black Bulls due to his general lazy attitude in the entire test. He showed incredible ability in combat even for a commoner, but his personality just allowed him entry into the Black Bulls, the squad of misfits. That never bothered him no matter what people say. The black bulls weren't even as bad as people said they were. His time in the Black Bulls so far has been something different from what he experienced by being a civilian. Being a Magic Knight brought him a lot of benefits alongside with good payment. Every time of the month he got paid he made sure to send some of his money to his family, the payment he received was good especially for a commoner so that's one of the reasons why he didn't constantly complain about being a Magic Knight.
"Oh you don't drink alcohol?" He actually seemed a bit happy over the fact she didn't drink alcohol. Charles was getting tired of just seeing alcoholics. Meeting someone who didn't like drinking alcohol actually made him feel good. "Jesus Christ, finally." The black bull was relieved. Well, Suna didn't look like a drinker in the first place, but he was still somewhat glad.
The elf then looked at him who seemed to have a very serious question, but what type of serious question will it be? She then proceeded to ask him if he was a coffee or tea person. He honestly thought it was going to be a different question, but it seemed that for the elf it was a very important question. "Uh... I prefer tea..." After replying to her question he decided to ask her a question himself. Since she has been asking him a lot of question it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to ask one, right? "Are you ever planning on joining the Magic Knights?" He said lazily, but with some interest. The black bull raised an eyebrow and was curious about her reply.
Suna had always found it interesting whenever someone was talking about their history. For some, it may not be their cup of tea, but for the elf, it was a chance to learn more about themselves and more about different perspectives. Being the observer she was, it was not always hard to understand and sympathize with others. When she asked the Black Bulls knight of how he joined the squad, something shifted in his attitude, but not in a negative way. "Well, I never expected to ask that question either." She lifted her hands and shrugged, eyes dancing in amusement. "It’s not like I plan to ask people certain questions, after all!"
Her playful attitude turned serious though, as she listened to his story. "I’m sure you put up a good show with that cool silver magic of yours." While she personally would not try to humiliate anyone in public, there were a few people that would benefit from such types of shame. She was not nobility herself, but she would guess that those in the upper ranks had their own struggles, too. Obviously they would struggle with much different things from normal citizens or Magic Knights, but in the end, everyone had to face their own battles. Then again, she herself had not met any nobility for herself, so she could not judge those who have suffered under them.
"The Black Bulls must be glad to have you, though." She wrapped up her cake - she would eat the other half later. "I’m sure you bring your own flavor to the squad." Speaking of which, he had also seemed happy to hear that she was not an alcoholic drinker. "So I’m assuming that many of the knights in the Black Bulls drink?" She guessed aloud. She could never really understand what was the lure of drinking alcohol - it always tastes bad, it stings her throat, and gives people headaches afterwards. Nay, she preferred tea, the ancient and sophisticated drink with all its history and art and grace.
That was why she almost jumped out of her seat when she heard that her companion preferred tea. "You have good taste!" She stuck out her hand, like she was going to shake his hand, but thought better of it and pulled it back. However, her enthusiasm did not drop. "We can be friends." She said approvingly, and leaned back on her chair, a beaming smile on her face. "We can definitely get iced tea after this."
Her bright smile continued on even as he asked her about joining the Magic Knights. "Who, me? A Magic Knight? Really?" She looked at him in mock incredulity. "Do I look like one?" Then her face turned more thoughtful. "Hmm, I did some training with a vice captain, and even went on a mission with her, but I don’t think I’m ready for it yet. Although I might if I need the yul!" She laughed. "Maybe one day...but for now, I rather like being a wanderer. New places to go, new people to see, new books to read—life is good!" Perhaps she might join a Magic Knights squad in the future, but at the moment, she was perfectly content with where she was. "What, are you trying to recruit me, hmm?"
