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.
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[attr=class,cyrustext]Cyrus inhaled deeply as he looked out over the courtyard of the Elwood estate, watching the sun up above. It had just begun its descent, signalling the passing of noon. It had been a long morning here in the Forsaken Region, as his family prepared to host a special party. There was a weekend long retreat arranged here at the estate for any nobles willing to join the festivities, and the party tonight was intended to be a nice way of welcoming the guests.
Truth be told, Cyrus was not a fan of these sorts of gatherings. The elders of his family often held such events in the hopes of currying favor with the nobles higher up on the food chain, with varying degrees of (usually quite limited) success. Their purpose aside though, he just wasn't a fan of how... impersonal they felt. While Cyrus could count the parties he had attended on one hand, he did have a picture in his head that they should be fun social events for people to enjoy themselves, not these high-nosed measuring contests where everyone is trying to either one up or butter up everyone else.
On this particular occasion he felt rather stuck, to be honest. His parents had asked him if he would be willing to spend the morning helping their limited roster of servants in sprucing up the courtyard and manor, which he was happy to help with. But it was only a few minutes ago that he was informed by the highest elder of the family, Eugene, that he had more or less advertised Cyrus' presence at the event due to his involvement in the recent raising of Atlantis. The recent memory of the elder telling him this brought a frown to his usually relaxed face; he was being treated like some sort of figurehead or carnival attraction.
Cyrus sighed and pushed away from the balcony, deciding that he would spend what time he could before the party trying to relax. Maybe if he was in a better mood going in, he'd be able to tolerate it more. He certainly hoped that would be the case.
As he entered his room he spotted Hama sitting on the silk pillow he procured for her to sleep and sit on, since she preferred to be out and about rather than sealed away inside his grimoire. It was understandable; she had already been sealed away inside a scroll for at least a couple of centuries, after all.
"This is gonna suck, isn't it?" She asked him bluntly as she tore off a small piece of the biscuit sitting beside her pillow. A leftover from his lunch a few minutes ago. He nodded, not bothering to hide his agreement. "Probably. And they're probably not gonna be content if I just hang out in a corner of the room until everyone leaves."
Hama groaned in annoyance and leaned her head back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling. "It's not like you were the only one at Atlantis. What about Lydia and Artemis and Rosalia?" She asked. "Why don't they have to put up with this?"
Cyrus rolled his eyes. "Because they're not a part of the Elwood family of black sheep." He answered simply, though he smiled a bit. "But actually, I did send a message to Rosalia asking if she would be interested in joining in the festivities. Atlantis was rough on all of us, but I wondered if maybe she could use a nice night to unwind after all of that chaos. Free food and drinks, at the very least." There was also the fact that of the party they were in with that particular adventure, Rosalia was the one he had interacted with the least. He was hoping that perhaps he could get to know her outside of their duties to the kingdom.
Hama hummed in response, turning over so that she was resting on her front. "So did you get a response from her yet?" She asked, her eyes falling on the enchanted mirror that Cyrus used to communicate with the rest of the Magic Knights when he was out at the Elwoods' remote home. It was almost necessary given how far out they lived.
He shrugged and walked over to the mirror. "I don't know, let me check." He said, realizing he hadn't checked since he sent the message the day before due to how busy things were getting ready for the party.
Rosalia had never really had the chance to experience a gathering of Nobles of any kind. The one time she had it was to aid in the resolution of whether Rague should have nude beaches or not…which in itself was an entertaining manner. [break][break] The beauty was close with one very particular Noble of the Blake family, so when she got handed her mail by Malcolm earlier that morning and saw an unfamiliar seal upon it, Rosalia cocked an eyebrow to one side. Her Captain was just as confused as she was. The pair had grown up as commoners, and could relate to one another through that, which is why they got along so well. (Well, it was one of the reasons for their close relationship anyways). [break][break] Pale fingers broke the wax seal carefully and then took out the paper inside of it. Pausing to read, Rosa brushed a loose strand of her crimson hair behind her ear before humming to herself. Cyrus Elwood…what an unexpected surprise. In all honestly, she half expected Zaven to be the first to invite her to a noble gathering of some kind, seeing as they’re best friends…but then again he did hate his duties towards his family with a passion. [break][break] “I think I need a ball dress. Or something that won’t scandalize a lot of nobles, at least.” The ex-model joked to her Captain, causing him to raise an eyebrow as she further explained the situation. It earned her a heavy sigh from the Black Bull, but no complaints. What’s the worst that could happen at the party? [break][break] Rosalia quickly wrote a message back to Cyrus, telling him that she’ll see him there and some minor pleasantries that the noble may or not appreciate. Once it was sent off, the witch asked if she could steal a bottle of some of the Ravencrest wine they had stored in the alcohol pantry, before heading up to her room. [break][break] She greeted a few of her fellow members as her heels clicked over the wood floor of the Black Bulls base. A bunch of the older members joked about the bottle of wine in her hand, telling her that not to start that early, and she just gave them a joking middle finger. Her family always meant well, and that’s what Rosa loved about them. [break][break] A minute later, that same bottle had been thrown on the soft queen bed of the vice-captain as she picked through her closet for a good dress that wouldn’t immediately cause too much of a scandal with the noble families. Then again, the beauty was an ex-swimsuit magazine supermodel… sometimes that in itself was enough to cause horror on a nobleman’s face. She’d recently posed with the Captain of the Silver Eagles for a magazine cover for a more high-class magazine too, so she wasn’t quite certain about how that was going for her. Maybe her reputation had gotten worse? For all intents and purposes, it was safe to say that every man with decent profits over the age of 25 owned a magazine with her posing scandalously on the cover. [break][break] Ah! This would do. [break][break] Her fingers touched the soft fabric of an outfit that she’d…in hindsight never really worn before. It was something she intended to wear if she’d ever gotten accepted into the Golden Dawn through the Magic Knight Exams. Boy did fate have something very different in store for her. [break][break] With a brush of gloss over her lips and some concealer to hide the dark circles over her eyes, Rosalia quickly slipped over the rather fancy-looking military fashion-style outfit. She gave herself a quick once-over in the mirror, and after slipping a pair of heels on, headed out to get transported to the location mentioned in the letter. She didn’t know what to expect upon arrival, but today would be…interesting. [break][break]
The Vice-Captain of the Black Bulls quickly hopped onto one of the brooms lying around the base and did her best to coordinate the many small villages and forests, until she finally reached the place that was pointed out in the invitation Cyrus had given her. The wizardess was about 20 minutes after the designated time…she’d apologize to the boy first thing when she saw him.
[attr=class,cyrustext]Much to Cyrus' delight, when he checked to see if Rosalia had responded to his invitation he found that she indeed had. The confirmation put him in a considerably more enthusiastic mood, glad to know that he wouldn't be alone amidst a sea of strangers at the very least once the festivities began.
Cyrus set to getting ready, appraising himself in the mirror. He hadn't really noticed until the party announcement just how much he had changed in the two years since he joined the Golden Dawn. How gradually it had happened, he wasn't sure, but he could tell the difference quite clearly; his features were sharper and less soft, and his eyes seemed a bit more narrow. His hair had gotten longer as well, and even his skin seemed to have lightened up a bit (perhaps from all his time spent in dungeons and such dark places?). Were it not for the fact that it mimicked all of his movements, he might not have realized the face looking back at him from the other side of the glass was his own.
Cyrus shrugged it off, and dug through his closet in search of the clothes he would be wearing tonight. He had a few outfits suitable for such an occasion nowadays, but one that caught his eye was a distinct green and white number with a wine red cape. Truthfully he wasn't overly fond of super fancy clothes, but dressing up nicely once in a while wasn't going to kill him. So he might as well try and take some pride in his appearance.
Once dressed, Cyrus looked in the mirror again. If he couldn't recognize himself before, now he was even more unfamiliar with his own image. Briefly he pondered if perhaps he had changed during the Shatter without realizing it. It was almost as though he had simply had a massive growth spurt or something just overnight.
Not too terribly long after the party had started, Cyrus was standing out on his balcony again as he watched the guests arrive; some by broom, some by spatial magic, and still others by simple horse and buggy. Everyone had their own brand of opulence, it seemed. As he watched a couple he recognized as prominent merchants back in the Royal Capital, Hama called out to him. "Hey, there she is!" She told him, pointing up at Rosalia as she arrived on her broomstick. Cyrus smiled and nodded, turning around and beckoning Hama to follow him. They would meet her at the front door. He doubted she had seen him, since he had been staying out of his room's light so that the guests wouldn't notice him watching them either.
Cyrus made his way downstairs and found himself in the entrance hall, where a lone servant was manning the door. He waved the man aside, telling him that the next guest was one he had personally invited, and pulled open the large front doors himself.
There was Rosalia of the Black Bulls, standing as beautiful as ever. Her outfit was not one he was familiar with, and was almost militant in design. He wondered if the short length of her skirt might be problematic, but then decided that he didn't particularly care one way or the other. And while it was quite different from what he had seen the witch wear before, or had been expecting, he found that the contrast actually worked out rather nicely. He smiled at his friend. "Rosalia, I'm glad you could make it! Welcome to the Elwood Estate!" He greeted her, making a bit of an exaggerated bow to welcome her inside. "You look as lovely as ever! Though it's a different brand of loveliness, I must admit." He added with a quiet chuckle.
Hama rolled her eyes from her usual perch on his shoulder, waving to the ice user with a friendly smile. "Hey hey! It's been a bit, hasn't it? How've you been?" She asked casually. It was pretty obvious that Hama had precisely 0 interest in even attempting to act the slightest bit "proper".
Sensory wasn’t one of the stronger abilities the woman had in her arsenal. In fact, she barely had it at all. Usually she shielded herself with magic and waited for the enemy to show itself by smacking her straight across the face or in the back. Then she’d fight. And while this situation wasn’t one of combat in any way…the beauty still wouldn’t be able to notice Cyrus until he’d called out to her. She was instead admiring the designer dresses of the noblewomen walking past her into the mansion of the Elwood family. She didn’t even notice the mild disturbance that was caused at the disappearance of the man standing at the door and welcoming guests. [break][break] A large smile, albeit still a polite one, graced the glossy lips of the commoner as she heard Cyrus’ voice and turned to look at him, almost pausing as she saw his appearance. He’d changed. Grown since they’d last seen one another despite how recent that was. He’d become taller, his cheeks had lost some of that adorable chubbiness, his hair had grown longer but retained its straightness. From the attitude she could still tell it was him. His outfit was quite nice, and seemed to match hers in the choice of undertones. Oh! And that on his shoulder! Was it? The closet nerd inside of her rejoiced. The beauty had almost forgotten about Hama, but the pretty amber spirit was there, as striking as ever, even somehow giving Cyrus a glow that only other Spirit Owners could match. [break][break] “Thanks! I’m glad I could make it, though I must admit this isn’t my usual crowd.” Rosalia grinned as she stepped forwards and gave a slight curtsy, blushing a bit at the deep bow as she wasn’t used to it. The woman was used to being the one bowing, not the other way around. The second comment did indeed surprise her, however, as the ex-model’s mind wrapped around the potential different connotations of the word choice. [break][break] “Oh, would you prefer I’d come here in tight black latex?” The ice witch teased with a half-smile, holding his gaze with her glistening ruby hues. After a few seconds she shook her head and glanced away, chuckling lightly. “Lovely is far off of the first adjective that comes to my lips when I think of my style.” [break][break] When Hama spoke up, Rosalia’s grin widened. “Yeah, a bit less than a month I think…I’ve been alright. Dealing with rogue daemon threat here and there alongside your Captain.” The beauty admitted before waiting for Cyrus to lead them inside. They were already starting to cause a bit of a fuss for taking too long at the entrance. [break][break] Once the Vice-Captain of the Black Bulls glanced inside of the house at the display of wealth in the form of high-end alcohol, food and decorations, she paused. “Oh wow, I uh…should’ve worn something fancier I guess?” The beauty murmured, a few women already shooting glares at her and whispering to one another. She ignored them, that was easy. What instantly made her want to hide however was the large dancefloor at the center, where waltz and chamber music was played by a small but talented band. Rosalia instantly leaned close to Cyrus, her lips near his ear as she whispered. “Just keep in mind that dancing isn’t my forte…so uh, expect me to run to the alcohol table if anyone approaches me for a dance.” The scent of her cherry shampoo would waft through the air as she pulled away and gave him an apologetic smile. She then gave Hama a grin. [break][break] “So how’ve you two been?” The witch asked as she waited for Cyrus to decide what they were doing. What Nobles would they have to act all polite about and introduce themselves to? She didn’t know much about politicking between the upper classes. She’d always been told that women should stay at home, look pretty and cook for her husband…which the Vice-Captain of the Black Bulls obviously disagreed with. Still, the red-head had been taught her whole life NOT to hold the gaze of any noble and to run far away from them. Silas Vermillion had been the one difference. Then Zaven Blake…Then Chisana… and now Cyrus. [break][break] “Is there uh…a checklist of who we should be presentable with tonight? Anything I should say to make you look better or something like that?” She asked. She’d read books about these things, but still her strengths were in Magic, Creatures, Military Strategy and Mythology. [break][break]
[attr=class,cyrustext]It was good to see a friend again no matter how long you might have been separated, Cyrus thought. Especially when your usual company at home was snobby fops who are unable to stomach the slightest deviation from their usual patterns. Rosalia even returned his greeting with a curtsy, and actually seemed uncharacteristically embarrassed by his own formal motion. The fact that she was willing to visit a crowd that she likely knew would probably be rather uptight was also somewhat flattering to the boy; being able to put up with this sort of crowd to meet a friend was remarkable, he thought.
The Vice Captain of the Black Bulls gave a teasing remark about what he would have preferred her to wear, sparking curious and nervous glances from several of the other guests near enough to hear her (particularly the men, some of which received glares from their dates in response). For his part, Cyrus merely chuckled. Perhaps surprisingly, the sap wizard had a tendency to be unbothered by such comments, or even seeing women in such a state in person. He was fairly certain that it was a result of his own mentor's, the former Green Mantis knight Lady Pesha, usual choice of dress whenever she would tutor him.
Regarding what she said about how she herself saw her usual style, Cyrus merely gave a small shrug. "If that is the case, than I might suggest you adjust your vocabulary." He joked back, perhaps a bit overly wordy; Cyrus never claimed to be a very funny guy. He did believe it to be true, though.
Hama laughed more openly compared to the two. "Hell, I would have loved to see what happened if you did!" She told Rosalia in regards to the latex comment earlier. "I bet these people'd whip their heads around so fast they'd break their necks!"
Cyrus ushered Rosalia to follow him into the manor as she shared what her time since they last met had been like. "I can relate, about the daemon thing." He noted, remembering a particular outing he had been on with Zaven. It hadn't been too long ago; less than a week, that they had dealt with a strange daemon gorging itself on an old house deep within the Forsaken Region.
That particular adventure had been interesting for more reasons than one; in particular, he was hoping to share a decision that had been reached on that day tonight.
Seeing the beauty wonder if she had under-dressed, Cyrus cast an eye over the crowd. Several who had been looking at her caught his gaze and returned their attention to one another. "Nonsense, you look just as stunning as ever!" He assured the woman with a friendly smile, before speaking a bit more quietly. "Besides, it's nice to see something different in this sea of petticoats, suits, and gowns I think."
Hama snickered in agreement with her partner, and got a mischievous look in her eye when the ice witch noted how much she dreaded the possibility of anybody asking her to dance. "If it makes you feel any better, Cyrus has got bricks for feet on the dance floor!" She noted, and the boy gave her a not entirely fake look of annoyance that only made her laugh more.
Still, he also looked out at the dance floor, reminiscing a little bit. The last time he had been to an event such as this had been the Winter Gala last year. It had been an open event for people of all walks of life, and he had attended it with Fibi. Briefly his relaxed smile faltered at the memory of the girl who had mysteriously disappeared after the Shatter, but he made an effort to put it back on quickly.
Rosalia then asked him if there was anything they would be expected to do tonight for the sake of appearances. At this his withered smile grew more genuine. "Oh, I don't think too much will be required of us. Not unless the Wizard King shows up as he promised; then you might need to do some dancing after all."
That was a joke, of course. He very much doubted that someone of the Wizard King's stature would be willing to spare an event such as this even a once over.
"These people do like a good show, though. I was thinking about putting on a bit of a performance of sorts. Remember the stuff we did when we first arrived at Atlantis? Something similar to that."
He was about to answer her question regarding what they had been up to since their adventure beneath the sea, when a young woman walked up to the trio, dressed in a long maid's uniform and wearing her black hair in a short ponytail. "Drink, Master Elwood? Lady Boreas? It's a special wine made from grapes grown at the edge of the volcanic grand magic zone!" She offered, presenting them with a tray full of filled glasses of wine that she held perfectly steady.
Cyrus smiled and nodded, taking the glasses from her and handing one to Rosalia. "Yes, I think we will. Thank you, Eve!" He said gratefully, to which she smiled and gave them a small curtsy with her free hand. She then reached to the edge of the tray and produced what seemed to be a tiny glass, also filled with wine, which she held out for an eager Hama. "Thanks Eve!" She said happily, the maid nodding pleasantly before turning to serve the rest of the partygoers.
Cyrus lightly swirled the glass of wine around, looking down at it. "Truth be told, I'm not much for alcohol." He admitted to his friend as he glanced at Hama, who eagerly took a sip of the drink. Cyrus took a small sip as well, wincing slightly at the strong flavor he was unfamiliar with before he got used to it. Once he swallowed he blushed a bit as he chuckled nervously. "I think my tastes are a bit too basic to drink it too often." He added; it seemed odd to him, being a noble without a taste for such things. Then again, he was sort of a black sheep among black sheep.
Hama laughed at her friend's sheepishness. "Hey, just send it my way if you can't finish it! I can't get enough of this stuff!" She said, wiping her mouth on her arm. "You just gotta get used to it!"
Cyrus just nodded in response, not sure if it was possible for him to get used to such a taste. "As for what we've been up to, it's been pretty busy. I've been back to Atlantis a couple of times to check in on things and see how everyone is adapting to life on the surface. So far things seem to be progressing about as smooth as they can, given the circumstances. Besides that and some extra business with the Golden Dawn, I've spent a lot of time here at home. My sister Alex is teaching me how to use Healing magic."
He still felt a little odd, speaking about his sister. He was slowly getting to know her after the Shatter thrust her into his life, but the fact that she had memories of events he did not was something he would probably never get used to.
Rosalia’s eyebrows jumped in surprised, not really expecting to have proper banter with the blond nobleman who’d invited her to his family occasion. Hama’s response to her joke made the ice witch’s grin grow and a giggle left her lips. The little spirit had no filter, and it was great. It made her wonder what kind of one she’d meet once she figured out the last ancient runes in her minor scroll. [break][break] “Yeah, it’s unfortunately not as uncommon as we’d like to think.” She nodded softly when he recalled also having to deal with daemons. It was a pain, but nothing that the mage wasn’t used at this point in time. When the discussion turned back to what she wore, the witch smiled at his compliment and scanned him. That smile wasn’t of a man trying to take her to his bed, and while it surprised her, it definitely wasn’t unwelcome. Then again, Rosa had the tendency to fall into bed with any man above the age of 18 that was moderately attractive. And Cyrus was definitely handsome. There was no denying that. “I’m glad you think so. In all honesty, I think that even the few gowns I own would be scandalous in these circumstances.” She laughed as she imagined the glares from the women. Well, what could an ex-swimsuit model do but wear things that attracted attention to her body. Luigi, the designer she was closest, had even said that it was a sin that she had to wear clothes in the first place, which…from a gay man, she took as quite the compliment. [break][break] The Vice-Captain didn’t notice the look of annoyance on the nobleman’s face when dancing was brought up as a topic and Hama politely dissed her partner. She did, however catch that very particular emotion that passed over his face once he looked at the dancefloor. Rosalia couldn’t quite put her finger on it. When he mentioned the Wizard King being invited, however, the Vice-Captain of the Black Bulls visibly tensed. She’d never had the pleasure of meeting Jagen Lavander personally…but good god did she wish to. Every little nerdy cell in her body went on high alert whenever the man was mentioned. She wanted to sit down with him, get to know him, learn about his magic, about his views. Fuck. “I mean hey, dream come true for some.” She murmured, glancing around the place quickly before returning her burning ruby gaze to Cyrus’. One of her hands gently ran through her crimson hair before he brought up planning on putting on a performance similar to Atlantis. It made Rosa raise an amused eyebrow and purse her lips. [break][break] “Hmmm… I recall playing with the light due to my use of two colours of ice. And your storytelling.” The witch thought back to making her ice glitter in dark purple and white snowflakes and small shards that melted before they touched the ground. It had been an entertaining use of her elemental affinity and oddity. “I fear that if I help you, the temperatures in the room will drop quite significantly.” [break][break] The witch blinked as a woman, dressed in a nice dressed walked over to the pair of Magic Knights, offering them drinks. The moment she heard the word “wine” the beauty grinned and was about to grab two, but not before Cyrus presented her with one in return. She, in turn, shot him a dirty look in jest. Had he already known she’d try to get more than one? “Thank you, uh miss.” The witch said and watched Hama get her own glass. A little action which, made the beauty smile. “Why I see they don’t leave the most important member of the household out of the good stuff?” She teased both Cyrus and his spirit before taking a small sip from the wine for taste. Her eyebrows jumped in pleasant surprise at how strong it was before she glanced at Cyrus. [break][break] “Really? I kind of grew to basically function on alcohol over the last two years.” Rosalia admitted before she tipped her head back and drained the glass out of all of its contents, wiping her lips with her free hand and giving the Elwood a little wink. She noticed the color on his cheeks, and found that she liked the way it looked on him. “I wouldn’t say they’re basic.” She grinned as she casually placed her empty glass on top of the tray of a random servant who was passing by them. “There’s nothing wrong with not liking something. I just uh…my two best friends both own breweries. Since I joined the Bulls I really only drink on the day’s I have off, like today.” Rosa gave Cyrus an encouraging little nudge with her elbow. If someone didn’t like something, they shouldn’t have to push themselves to enjoy it. Hama was also encouraging, in her own little way. The two females had different points, but they both wanted to just make Cyrus feel better. [break][break] Her head snapped over in the boy’s direction so fast when he said he’d been back to Atlantis. “Are there any Magic Knight squads that are handling the adaptation of the Atlantean civilization to the surface?” She asked curiously. The Black Bulls certainly weren’t called for such a thing. It annoyed her a little bit, but there was nothing she could do about it but rant to her Captain afterwards and ask if he had any information. [break][break] “You have a sister?” Her gaze scanned around the room for a girl that shared Cyrus’ facial features. “Is she in attendance?” Rosalia never knew her parents, never really knew if she had any siblings in the first place. Considering her lineage, she fully expected to only have sisters, since boys were usually killed in the Witches Forest upon birth. It made her wince, and while she carried a grimoire from there, she still considered herself human. She’d grown up in Kikka. She enjoyed men. She loved sex and in the future, hopefully, wanted a large family. A healthy one, where she wouldn’t have to murder baby boys. If the Witch Queen had a problem with it…well then it would be a problem for another day. [break][break] “Say, Lord Elwood, why'd you invite me over Lady Ravencrest or Lady Somerset? They're both gorgeous and actually familiar to the circumstances of Noble outings.” She asked casually, her feminine curiosity getting the better of her.
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Combat summary
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[attr=class,cyrustext]Cyrus couldn't help but chuckle in response to the way Rosalia's eyebrows shot up when she heard him make a joke, though in hindsight he supposed it was understandable; he was a lot more relaxed when he wasn't out on a mission. Especially when he was at home; noble gathering or not, this was still where he grew up. Sort of, at least; he had noticed a few differences in the estate's setup ever since the Shatter. Hama also snickered. "I know, it's weird to see him not being all uptight isn't it?" She joked to the other woman.
He nodded in agreement with her statement about how common the daemon attacks were, despite what some may think. He was still honestly a little exhausted from the last day he encountered a daemon, though it was moreso from what transpired after the beast was dealt with. Her comment about how even her actual gowns might still have been a bit risque for an event such as this made him and his spirit companion laugh with her again. "Well, perhaps next time we could try and see how everybody responds." He joked, though he was honestly interested in seeing just how much the other nobles would freak out if the outfits were really as different as his friend from the Black Bulls claimed they were.
The girl's reaction to his joke about the Wizard King attending did not get the reaction he expected, though perhaps it should have been obvious given the fact that she shared his own fascination for magic and such influential figures. "On that we can agree. But truthfully I doubt he would ever attend an event hosted by the Elwood family. We've never exactly been seen in the best light, though I couldn't tell you why personally. Well, beyond the constant brown-nosing."
Hama rolled her eyes, having always found the way most of her friend's family was always kissing up to the higher nobles to be disgraceful and pathetic. "Yeah, I can't imagine that makes too many people eager to be around them." She said with a sigh and a shrug, shaking her head as well.
Rosalia mentioned the potential hazards that could occur if she assisted in another such performance, and Hama grinned. "Well we certainly wouldn't want these people to get cold... through their 62 layers of clothing." She joked, and Cyrus laughed. Though at the moment at least he wasn't much better, seeing as he was dressed a bit more thoroughly than he'd prefer.
The sap wizard took another sip of his wine while listening to Rosalia give her own explanation on why she had been so taken with drinking, giving him a playful little nudge as if to tell him it was fine not to like it. "I see. Well, be that as it may, it isn't in me to waste something our servants prepare. We don't have very many, so they work very hard on our behalf. It's the least I can do." He smiled and took another sip, with Hama snickering as she scooped up some of the wine in his glass to fill her own since she had already emptied it.
"One of these days you're gonna be taking a bath in my wine." He warned the spirit, who grinned widely. "Is that supposed to sound like a bad thing?" She asked, and he chuckled.
The mention of his visits to Atlantis certainly caught the ice witch's attention, and she asked about the Magic Knights' efforts to help the people. "I don't believe that any squads have yet been given an official assignment to assist. But you may recall me mentioning how I felt we should take responsibility for bringing them to the surface; so, I decided to visit them to see how I could help."
Hama hummed as she enjoyed her drink. "They're a tough bunch, though! I think they're gonna be just fine for the most part. How other people react to them might be a different story, though." She added onto her friend's explanation.
Rosalia also expressed interest in the news that he had a sister, which he expected. "I do now. And I suppose I always did... at least, here I did." He mused before taking another sip of the wine. He was getting used to the taste. "Truth be told, shortly before the Shatter took place, I found some evidence that suggested I had once had a sister that I never knew of when I was growing up. But ever since the Shatter, she's actually been living with us. It's strange; she recalls memories of us growing up together, many of which I can recall but not with her there. Honestly, I am still finding it difficult to interact with her."
Hama nodded. "Alex is really nice, though! She's a healer working with the Church, and has been teaching Cyrus how to use healing magic! Apparently she taught him some in the past here in this timeline, but Cyrus has been having to build new spells from scratch. Oh, and she uses these cool green flames for her magic!" Hama then pointed up to the second floor when Rosalia asked if Cyrus' sister was attending. "That's her up there, talking to the lady in the poofy red dress!" She told the knight. Just where she pointed was a woman with the same blonde hair as her younger brother, worn in a loose but elegant style that served to frame her soft face. She wore an elegant black dress, but her hair was kept in place by a distinctive hairpin that seemed to be made of multicolored glass, or perhaps crystal. She spotted her brother and his companions and waved with a friendly smile, before turning her attention back to the guest for the moment.
It was then that Rosalia asked Cyrus why exactly he had invited her specifically, rather than Lydia or Artemis since they would be equally stunning and more familiar with this sort of soiree. To this, he thought of how best to put his thought process on the matter into words.
"Well, for one thing, I was asked to keep invitations to one person. And given their relationship, I felt it would be improper to invite one if I could not invite the other... plus, I believe Lydia might think I'm a bit of a jinx since we only seem to make contact when there's something bad happening."
At that remark he gave a small laugh, though he wondered if it might be true. "But more importantly, I honestly felt like you could maybe use a night such as this." He admitted with a shy shrug. "Things were quite chaotic at Atlantis, and a lot happened. It was pretty stressful. I just thought that maybe a fancy shindig like this could be a way to unwind that you might not have experienced before. That's all, really. I hope you don't mind."
He gave her a small smile, showing the sincerity of his words. Even if he might not approve of the way many nobles carried themselves, he did feel as though a party such as this was something that people should get to experience at least once. And what better time to relax than after a life-threatening experience or two?
Hama gestured for Rosalia to get a bit closer so she could speak quietly. "Also, Cyrus really hates talking to strangers at these sorts of things." She noted, to which the boy scratched the back of his head. "Well that's not... untrue." He admitted with a nervous chuckle.
Rosalia smiled at Hama’s joke about her Master’s uptightness. It was cute. It was very far off of what she expected a relationship like this one to be, but it gave her hope. The other spirits she had met were either shy or couldn’t communicate with her directly. It gave her hope for the spirit scroll she had at home, perhaps she would be able to get along with the creature inside as well… “I think it’s nice to see someone outside of their work environment. It shows you a different side to the person.” She responded, giving Cyrus a little wink. [break][break] The beauty was, however, completely caught off-guard when Cyrus said that there might be a “next time.” She raised an eyebrow curiously and let her eyes slide over the form of the blond male. He wasn’t her usual type. In fact, he was far from it. Rich. Younger than her. Noble… His laugh before the response did seem earnest. Perhaps he simply invited her for the company? For the entertainment factor, and not to have a pretty titled woman on his arm? She could understand all sentiments. The boy had shown no inclination of interest in her sexually so far, but she’d keep an eye out just in case. Who knows… [break][break] “Well, if you feel like having me over a second time, Lord Elwood, I’d certainly make note to wear one of them.” She grinned wolfishly at him, grabbing another cup of alcohol from a passing servant while the topic moved to the man in charge of the knights and Cyrus admitted that the wizard king…probably wouldn’t show. It was a disappointment, but also a reason for relaxation. Rosalia was surprised at the mention of the Elwood family not being particularly popular for some reason. “Perhaps it’s because of your questionable choice of woman for the evening?” She quipped with a little laugh. The beauty then took a sip of the alcohol happily, offering for Hama to fill her little cup from her own before she promptly downed this one too. God she loved this shit. [break][break] When the topic of a performance for the party-goers came up and she voiced her concerns in aiding him, Hama’s joke caught her so off-guard that she burst into a little fit of laughter. One that attracted more than the necessary amount of attention. It made her tear up. Damn, this little sap spirit reminded her of Malcolm and Zaven. And she liked it. She let the glares slide off of her like oil and placed her second empty cup on the tray of a nearby maid once more. “I like you.” Rosa admitted, looking at Hama. “You remind me of some of my favourite people.” [break][break] The talk about Atlantis made her nod, she had nothing more to add. The Golden Dawn knight had been there to check up on the race and if he and his spirit said that they were doing good, than they probably were. [break][break] The blond lady that they discussed was his sister…the information made her eyes widen. She was surprised that Cyrus and Hama were willing to be so open with the red-head on their relationship with their newfound family member. “I see…that must be tough for both of you nonetheless. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I suddenly found out I had people I shared blood with.” The woman never really knew her parents anyways. She fell quiet as her gaze moved around the room. She was still garnering more than the proper amount of male attention, but she ignored it with ease. [break][break] Her ruby eyes met Cyrus’ once more when he answered her question about why he wanted to invite her over the two other noblewomen. She raised her eyebrows in surprise when he said that Lydia thinks he’s a jinx and rolled her eyes. “Nonsense. You’re no such thing. You were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.” Her voice was sharp and the retort came out of her mouth before she realized. It was attributed to a few factors, one being the crumbling relationship between herself and the Vice of the Lions, the other, that she simply didn’t believe the blond boy was a bad luck charm. He was a charmer though…in his own rather adorable naïve way. When he revealed that he thought she could use the night off after Atlantis, she blinked and smiled. It was a very fair assumption. And a sweet one as well. [break][break] “I…appreciate the observation, Lord Elwood.” At Hama’s addition, a little smile painted over Rosa’s lips. [break][break] “Well, I’m not exactly far off of a stranger…” A grin grew onto her lips as she wiggled her eyebrows teasingly at Cyrus. A part of her was tempted to flirt with the boy, but he’d shown no interest in her as more than a fellow magic knight and acquaintance. [break][break] All in all. Rosalia was enjoying getting to know Zaven Blake’s squad-mate. [break][break] “So tell me, lord Elwood, do I make satisfying arm-candy for the man of the house?” She teased, trying to get a read on his opinion of her. [break][break] Unfortunately soon after he’d given her his answer the woman would notice a middle-aged gentleman head in their direction and she’d bite her bottom lip. Oh god not this. She could see the hopeful look in his eyes. That hopeful look that she could recognise about as well as her own reflection. [break][break] Boldly, the red-head took hold of Cyrus Elwood’s hand with her own and dragged him away to a quiet hallway that hid them rather effectively…hopefully. She didn't notice the many gazes and gasps that followed her action. [break][break] “Fuck me.” The witch hissed under her breath as she pulled them in the most secluded corner of the hallway. Not realizing exactly how close she’d gotten to him in the process as she was so set on escaping the nobleman. “It’s one of those “may I dance with you please”” and then the entire conversation is him listing his assets and telling me how our genetics would make beautiful babies.” The roll of those crimson eyes was hard, and the annoyance was thick in her voice. She was never one to hide her emotions, and she did so poorly. The ex-model leaned against the wall, stepping away from the male in the process.[break][break]
“Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
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Combat summary
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[attr="class","raescroll2"]
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
[attr=class,cyrustext]When Rosalia made her little joke about seeing him and other people outside of their work environment, Cyrus chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Yes, but sometimes you have to wonder which side is how they really are. Or are they both real? With some people you can never tell."
Briefly he felt himself under the appraising eye of the Black Bulls' ice witch after his comment about a possible next time, and wondered what she could be thinking about. Truthfully he had meant precisely what he said; Cyrus wasn't the best at saying one thing and meaning something else. An unfortunate (in some peoples' eyes) side effect of his honest nature. She did offer to wear one of the outfits she had mentioned should he invite her over again, and he simple laughed at her grin as she grabbed some more alcohol from a passing server.
Hama gladly took the woman's offer of refilling her glass from the woman's own, while Cyrus took another sip of his own. "Oh please. If Cyrus' female company were a factor this place'd be on the upswing." She joked, pointing a thumb at herself with a laugh. "Nah, the Elwoods just tend to annoy people since a lot of them are always trying to butter up the other nobles."
Cyrus felt a few eyes on their little trio at these words; Hama did as well, but had no issue with ignoring them. For his part a brief glance in the direction of his more distant relatives put a stop to any looks. Rosalia's remark about Hama reminding her of some of her favorite people made the spirit laugh again, giving an exaggerated bow in gratitude. "Tis high praise indeed, I'd wager!" She said, and this time it was Cyrus' turn to go into a short laughing fit. One of his cousin's had said the same thing in response to another noble's comment before Rosalia arrived, and the sap spirit had even deigned to imitate the man's thick accent.
Her words of sympathy on the matter of his sister were appreciated, but he smiled as he calmed down from his laughter. "Thanks. It has been rough, and I do feel bad for not remembering things the way that she does. But for what it's worth, we do get along pretty well. And as Hama mentioned, Alex has been reteaching me Healing magic. Well, teaching me for the first time, by my own memories. I only have one such spell as of now, but I think it's fairly potent."
Rosa's reassurance that he wasn't a jinx was actually quite comforting, given that he wasn't sure how she would enjoy this gathering. But thankfully she was. He chuckled. "Well it's certainly harder to believe I'm a jinx in your company, I'll admit." He said, and Hama rolled her eyes but laughed as well. "Better than these other stuffed-shirts, that's for sure!"
The woman seemed genuinely touched by his explanation of why he had invited her, but noted that he didn't know her all too well either. To this he shrugged. "True, but from our brief time together I can tell we have a few similarities. Like our interest in Atlantis' culture and magic; and more such civilization and history, I'd wager. You really must go when next you get a chance; some of the Atlanteans are preparing a sort of museum as a way of honoring their history."
She asked about how he was enjoying her presence, and he smiled. "Well, I can say quite confidently that I made the right choice in who I invited." He offered, raising his glass slightly in a joking toast. Rosalia suddenly seemed uneasy though, biting her lip before suddenly grabbing Cyrus and dragging him into a hallway away from the crowd. Others watched as they departed, and he looked at her with concern as she explained why she had reacted this way.
His face grew more serious; while he couldn't say he was personally familiar with such words and actions directed at him, he could certainly understand why it made the woman uncomfortable. Hama in particular was glaring at the man who had been approaching Rosalia, and when the witch apologized Cyrus' expression eased up and he smiled. "Don't worry about it. I can understand why you'd be upset." He assured her, glancing at his spirit. She grinned mischievously as he whispered something in her ear, and gave him an eager salute before suddenly flying away and disappearing into the crowd of people.
Cyrus watched her leave, then turned back to his guest. "Would you care to join me upstairs?" He asked, pointing to the balcony looking over the entrance hall. "It's less crowded up there, so I doubt people will bother you as much. Plus I have a bit of an announcement to make."
As he awaited her response his eyes shifted over to one of the waitresses walking around with wine, knowing that his fairy friend would be there from his brief instructions. He subtly nodded in her direction, telling Rosalia to look, before giving her a wink of his own. Hama was getting more wine, but now she had multiple of the little glasses she drank from floating around her, held by little sappy tendrils. A few of the nobles had noticed her, chiefly the other Elwoods, but they made no move to see what she was doing or why; his family had long since learned not to pester the volatile spirit lest she or her partner give them an earful or more.
Hmmm. Cyrus had a point. You could never really know who a person was really. It all, in the end, came down to trust. You hope you like what you see and stick by the person, or don’t and politely remove yourself from their company. It was how society functioned. Why her relationships with Malcolm and Zaven were so different to the ones she had with Artemis and Lydia. The ice witch voiced these opinions in short, before adorning Hama with a little giggle. She quite liked the little spirit. In honest reality she could see the three of them being quite good friends. “I feel like that’s all the noble families though, I can’t really blame them for being this way. This world is ruled by money and magic.” Rosalia pursed her lips
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When the topic switched back to the discussion of Cyrus’ sister, and magic, the ice witch’s inner nerd decided to make an appearance as her eyes lit up. “Yes? And how does healing magic feel to use? Is it comfortable? Does it feel different from any of the other specializations you possess?” Her voice had grown visibly warmer as she tried to imagine what the logic and mechanics behind such a spell type would be.
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The conversation took a few turns afterwards, but the witch blushed a little when her interests in culture, history and magic were mentioned. A nervous laugh escaped her rosy lips. “Yes I…admit I’m much more of nerd than I look to be.” She scratched the back of her neck. Those who knew her well had observed and been a part of many sessions of her geeking out over a book or a myth, or the potential possibilities of using a special spice in tea. The ex-supermodel truly wasn’t quite what she appeared to be on first glance. “I’d love to go see the museum, in all honestly. It sounds very intriguing. If only I could get the time off…I already have people trying to get the Vice-Captain title off of me.” This time her laugh was a nervous one. She didn’t want that to be so, because in truth she liked having another excuse to spend time with her best friend and Captain. On the other, if Chisana did more work than she did and Malcolm preferred him, she’d step down willingly.
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Finally, when the pair had managed to avoid one of the potential single noble suitors, ready to ask Rosalia for a dance, the witch was pleasantly surprised at Cyrus ’quick solution. A balcony! Oh god yes! “Honestly darling, as long as I’m away from prying eyes for a little bit I’d join you anywhere.” Her gaze followed that of the blond as she spotted the adorable Hama, wine in…sap tendrils?
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“Lead the way, Lord Elwood.”
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Combat summary
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[attr="class","raescroll2"]
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
[attr=class,cyrustext]Rosalia made a fair point in response to Cyrus' remark about his family's tendency to suck up to their superiors, noting that many noble families did so. He nodded slightly, conceding the point. "Fair enough, I suppose." He admitted.
The ice witch clearly was interested by his mention of learning healing magic, immediately letting that familiar excitement of hers take over as she asked him about his experiences thus far with it. Seeing the normally smooth and coolheaded beauty in such a state brought forth a quiet chuckle from the sap wizard as he considered how best to answer her questions. "Well, I can say that it does feel different from my usual brand of spells. There's a certain warmth to it, and a degree of... I suppose a good word for it would be 'cleanliness'. Sap magic, as I'm sure you could gather, is rather sticky by nature. But this spell is more akin to a salve than a sticky trap."
He smiled a bit. "I was having trouble with it, admittedly. So this one healing spell I know is actually a combination of healing and defensive magic, since I'm more familiar with the latter. I like to think of my spells as having meaning when I create them; something to give them purpose and direction, I guess you could say. For example, this spell is meant to evoke the feelings of arms embracing you, like a friend or family member giving you a hug to reassure and protect you. I even call it 'Mother's Sweet Embrace', actually."
The description of his mental process in developing spells tinged the boy's cheeks a faint red, feeling like it sounded pretty stupid when he actually put it into words. But when he saw how Rosalia had reacted to his mention of her interest in magic and the like, coupled with her bashful admittance to the interests, he smiled again. "And I think that's wonderful!" He insisted, even making a small sweeping gesture with his cape as if to emphasize it. "I say you should wear your interests as proudly as any piece of your wardrobe; a person strikes the boldest figure when they bare it all... oh my, that was poorly worded." Cyrus' eyes widened slightly at his own way of putting things, but then he laughed at the thought of himself saying such a thing.
It was then that the Black Bulls' Vice Captain noted her desire to see the museum, but lamented her lack of time due to her duties as well as frequent challenges for the position. This made the young man pause, thinking about it. "Yes... I'm told that such challengers can be rather persistent." He noted, remembering some conversations he had with other knights within the past few days.
Hama noticed Rosalia looking in her direction and snickered, waving to the woman as she filled the last of her tiny glasses. She then covered the openings with lids of amber, sealing the drink inside each cup before rising into the air to look around the hall. Cyrus also caught this and smiled, beckoning for Rosalia to follow him up the stairs after she told him to lead the way.
Just as he had said, there were much less people on the second floor. Several of the guests present looked over at the pair and whispered to each other, though not quiet enough that they went unheard. "I heard Cyrus intends to make some sort of announcement soon." Spoke one man to his sister, who glanced in the Magic Knight's direction. "Maybe he plans to assume control of the Elwood family?" Suggested the woman. The sight of Rosalia stirred more whispers, likely more gossip about what the announcement he was gonna make could be. Thankfully though, people kept their distance; most of the people upstairs were informed by his relatives not to disturb him once he arrived so that he could focus.
"Word certainly travels fast on gilded ears." He muttered to the witch dryly, when a servant approached. In one hand she carried a tray of the same wine that was being served down below, but in the other she carried a small stone with grooves carved into it. She smiled and offered the wine to the two, Cyrus took one of the glasses, and also the rock. "Thank you Jeya." He told her, turning to face his fellow knight as they approached the balcony. "I really didn't want to make a big deal of this, but the elders insisted. They told me to think of the good it could do for the family name to personally announce my promotion." He told his guest, seeming a bit annoyed as he looked at the stone. It didn't really occur to Cyrus at the moment that he had neglected to mention to Rosalia what this announcement was all about.
"Best to get this over with. Sorry Rosalia, please give me a minute. Then we can get back to our chat." He said with a sigh, taking a moment to collect himself before stepping onto the balcony overlooking the crowd below. "Good evening everyone!" He said into the stone the maid had given him, which began to glow as he spoke. His voice carried throughout the room, and the crowd quieted down and turned to look up at him.
The feeling of all their eyes on him made the boy nervous, but he took a deep breath to calm down before resuming. "Thank you all for joining us at the Elwood Estate! For those of you unfamiliar, I am Cyrus Elwood; son of Rowena Elwood and Wendall Elwood, and member of the Golden Dawn Magic Knight squad!"
The crowd was mostly quiet, save a few hushed whispers that died down quickly. "As some of you may know, I have been serving as Captain Zaven Blake's second in command for some months now, as our squad is without a Vice Captain. Or it would be more appropriate to say... it was without one."
More murmuring among the crowd, this time for longer. He glanced back at Rosalia, thinking about what she said about the challenges she frequently received from others knights hoping to claim her position. He had considered making note of her presence in his speech, but after the incident with the man down below he decided against it; the fewer who knew of his guest and her title, the less likely they were to bother her.
His eyes went back to the crowd. "Well tonight I stand here before you to share news; just four days ago, as we completed a mission in the Forsaken Region and following a brief... test, of sorts, a decision was made. I, Cyrus Elwood, have been named the new Vice Captain of the Golden Dawn!"
This really got the crowd going, first quietly before it erupted into cheers and shouts. He was a bit surprised by this, having expected more vitriol, but perhaps he wasn't giving the nobility enough credit.
Or perhaps his relatives were simply very loud about the new position of power "they" possessed.
He waited a few moments before raising his hand to get everyone's attention. "To be named Vice Captain of the Golden Dawn is an honor that even now, I can scarcely fathom. But know that I intend to redouble my efforts in protecting our fair Clover, so as to prove that Zaven's trust was well placed and to ensure the safety of us all!"
He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, glancing over across the second floor to see Alexandra on another balcony, clapping enthusiastically for her little brother's success as the rest of the crowd reacted in their own ways. A faint glimmer of light caught his eye, and he smiled knowingly.
"ARGH!!" Shouted a voice from down below suddenly, stealing attention away from the Elwood boy. There stood a man Rosalia would recognize as the one who had been approaching her before... only now his fine clothes were horribly stained with an equally familiar wine. "Who's responsible for this?!" He demanded, whipping around in search of whoever had sullied his expensive outfit. Laughs filled the hall as the man's face burned red with anger and embarrassment in equal measures, but none were as boisterous as that of the sap spirit floating above his head with a collection of now empty glasses, all pointed straight down. "Whoops! Clumsy me!" Hama said without a hint of remorse or concern, earning the man's attention.
She waved. "Sorry there Mr. Noble guy!" She continued in the same enthusiastic tone. "I had no idea about Cyrus' promotion, so I was just so surprised that I forgot all about the wine I was carrying!"
The man simply stared at her, emotion unreadable; it wasn't often a person found themselves the target of a spirit's prank, after all. "Oh, but don't worry! I'm sure it'll come out!"
The man's red face grew even darker. "W-why you! Do you know who I am?! I-I am the owner of The Walking Fro-!" He started, but found himself silenced by the even louder laughter of the crowd at the spirit's joke. He began to shout obscenities at the crowd, insulting and threatening those closest to him in an effort to make them stop, but the only people who seemed to pay his words any mind were the guards stationed nearby who saw his increasing belligerence.
Hama waved at them as they approached the man, each taking one of the man's arms and leading him outside while Hama waved goodbye. "Bye sir! Thanks for coming! Hope you had fun!" She bid him farewell with all the same friendliness one would reserve for an old friend. She glanced up at the second floor to see Cyrus with a grin a mile wide as he stepped away from the balcony to rejoin Rosalia, and decided that she would rejoin the pair.
Hama landed on Rosalia's shoulder, stretching as though she had just finished a long day's hard labor. "Well, I'm exhausted. Is there any more of that wine around? I spilled a little bit of mine."
Cyrus didn't even bother to hide his chuckle, knowing that the crowd was entirely focused on the scene the noble had made over clothes he likely could replace with a snap of his fingers. "Terrible luck, that." He said, casting a wink in Rosalia's direction as he held the wine up for Hama to refill the only glass she still held.
Cyrus took a sip of the wine after Hama got her share, and let out a comfortable sigh. He even felt like he might be getting used to the taste. "So... where were we?" He asked the ice witch.
[attr="class,cyrusstats]Stats & Information
WC: 1793 | TWC: 6645
[attr="class,cyrusstats]
Mana Skin
24/24
Health
16/16
Mana
385/385
Movement Speed
05
Damage Taken
00
Healing Recieved
00
Mana Used
00
Mana Regen
00
[attr="class,cyrusstats] Combat Notes Hama used Splash!
Upon the little laugh that left Cyrus’ lips, Rosalia found that she’d let herself go too far. She’d let that little nerd of hers escape the dark closet's confines and reign over her with questions. It was reminiscent of the young Rosalia at 16, the one filled with hope and promise of the goodness in the Magic Knights. War…unfortunately tended to change all of that, it was simply how the world worked. She was forced to grow up too fast. [break][break]
When Cyrus started explaining about healing and its relation to his very particular element of sap, however, the ice witch found herself wishing she’d brought a notebook to write everything down. She hung on his every word and listened attentively. “That’s fascinating.” She responded before tilting her head one side when the noble admitted he had trouble with the magic specialization. Would it be like this for her too? When the boy further elaborated on his view on magic, spell creation and even talked to her about his spell… [break][break]
Rosalia was lost. [break][break]
The beauty hadn’t known what a mother’s embrace was. She’d never met her mother. Her expression turned blank for a split second before she gave Cyrus a little smile. “That’s an interesting intention behind a spell. Mine are usually always based on fairy tale weapons, stories or myths.” She explained, not letting the unfamiliarity shake her as she quickly changed the topic. Hopefully it wouldn’t come off rude. [break][break]
When the boy complimented her on her nerdiness, she hid her blush behind the empty wine glass and glanced away. Oh god, getting encouraging words about it made her feel even more embarrassed in such a public place. As an ex-supermodel she was able to talk fashion and do gossip easily, as a Magic Knight she could talk adventure, and as a nerd she could talk Magics and Mythologies. She could go on for hours, and so far only Malcolm had been able to see the full extent of her adorkable nerd-self. A little giggle left her lips at Cyrus’ final phrasing. [break][break]
“Well, yes, I’ve been bare quite a lot for the cameras already.” The ice-user tilted her head, her swimsuit modelling days flashing before her eyes. “Perhaps you own an issue?” She asked curiously. The percentages of her popularity in the adult male market was larger than the young-adult one, but who knew, maybe Cyrus was secretly a fan. [break][break]
Once upstairs, there was a fortunate lack of people. The room wasn’t empty by any means, but it was less stifling nonetheless. At least no-one was going to ask her for a dance up here. A few whispers caught her ear and she pursed her lips, before glancing at Cyrus. Was he hiding something from her? She took the glass of wine and tilted her head to one side curiously once more. What now? He walked her to the edge of the balcony…before stepping forwards and instantly attracting everyone’s attention. How was his voice projecting with such power? Rosalia made a note to ask him about it later, before dipping into listening to the male’s statement. A smile rose to her lips at the name of the Captain of the Golden Dawn. He was one of her closest friends, and her lover. As he was speaking, and the mention of the Vice-Captain title came up, her eyebrows rose briefly. Ah…She sipped her wine, a small smile on her lips. So that’s what this was about. When the announcement finally came she clapped gently with one hand onto the one holding the wine glass. [break][break]
The moment the announcement was done, a commotion spread, and when the beauty clicked her way over to see what had happened, a soft chuckle left her glossy lips. Hama had spilled wine onto the man who’d been giving her the “Lust eyes” and he was making a fuss about it. Once the ruckus subsided the beauty froze for a second when Cyrus’ spirit landed on her shoulder as if they were familiar. It was sweet. “Well I have a bit of my wine left over.” Rosa offered her glass to Hama with a soft smile.
Somehow they suddenly had all of the attention of the room, again. But she didn’t mind. She smirked at Cyrus’ wink and gave Tama a gentle pat on the head. “Mmhmm…I almost feel bad for him. If It had happened to me I’d just have stripped to my underwear and called it fashion.” She joked and shook her head. [break][break]
Once he approached her she sat on the side of the balcony, not in the center of attention but a bit to the side. Some part of her wondered if Cyrus had invited here because they would now be on equal ground within the Knights. Allies were valuable after all. [break][break]
“Well you’ve done well to attract the attention away from me,” She giggled “how long until they start expecting you to say we’re engaged?” [break][break]
“But in all seriousness, how did you project like that? That was quite voice for anyone to pull off…” [break][break]
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Combat summary
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[attr="class","raescroll2"]
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
[attr=class,cyrustext]Cyrus hummed thoughtfully as Rosalia explained her own typical leanings when it came to the form her spells took, happy to hear her own thoughts on the matter. "History, myths and the like are always a nice source to draw inspiration from. My golems tend to be based on various creatures that I've come across in my studies and research."
His fellow Vice Captain took his slip of the tongue in stride, even seeming amused by it as she let out a giggle. She mentioned her well known history as a model, asking the sap wizard if he happened to own a copy of one of her issues. To this the boy laughed quietly. "I'm afraid not; most of the books in my collection are decidedly more... mundane, as it were. Mostly study materials, a few play transcripts, and a couple of reports my instructor Lady Pesha wrote when she was a member of the Green Mantises."
"Yeah. Speaking of, it's been forever since we've seen Pesha. Not since the Shatter, right?" Noted Hama as she gladly partook of Rosalia's offered wine, cheerfully filling her own glass. It was true; try as he might, Cyrus had been unsuccessful at tracking down his mentor. She wasn't exactly the social type by any means, but it was still strange that they hadn't been in contact at all. He had actually wanted to let her know before anybody else that he had been named the Golden Dawn's new Vice Captain, but had no such luck.
"Yes, it has been a while..." He agreed simply, briefly trying to figure out if there were any avenues left unexplored in their search.
Cyrus and Hama both laughed when Rosalia said how she would handle the wine spill, the latter quite a bit more boisterously. A question came from the cool beauty, and to this Cyrus gave a small but somewhat tired smile. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Rosalia." He assured the woman, Hama glancing at him as she took a sip of her drink. "Talk of me and relationships is pretty rare, after... well, for a while now. Besides, I think it's safe to say you're a bit out of my league."
The last sentence came with a quiet chuckle, the young man being more than used to self-deprecation by this point in his life. Her question about how he had projected his voice a moment ago, however, seemed to put him in a better mood pretty quickly. "Oh, that? That would be the work of Jeya, one of our maids!" He said, holding up the small stone with grooves that she had given him before he made his speech.
"Jeya is a stone magic user specializing in communications magic; she helps direct the other servants in a lot of the day to day stuff. She calls it the Echo Shell; you just give it a little bit of magic as you speak into it, and the stone amplifies your voice proportionately to how much you put in!"
Knowing her fascination with magic, Cyrus offered the Echo Shell to his companion to take a look at.
Interest sparked in Rosalia’s eyes. Mana beasts and creatures were fascinating to her. A part of her even wished she could inquire as to the specific books she could read up on the aforementioned monsters… but then the activity of going through novels to find every specific one sounded like too much of a chore. Rosalia couldn’t impose it on the nobleman. [break][break] “That is also a fair way of naming spells. Perhaps someday you will elaborate on these mana beasts for me?” The witched winked at the man. When Cyrus said he didn’t own an issue of any of her magazine shoots the woman raised an eyebrow. A straight man who lived in an anti-seduction cave his whole life? It seemed likely for a noble outside of the Royal region of Clover. [break][break] “Well, I’ll one scandalous issue sent to you first thing tomorrow morning. Can’t have someone I work with not knowing the reason for my…entertaining reputation after all.” It was a joke at her expense, a twinge of dark humour. After all, the Roses infamously disliked her for her boldness. An honest part of her also was curious of Cyrus’ thoughts on her modelling work. He wasn’t going to get a choice in this matter. He would receive a swimwear issue whether he liked it or not. “Just…don’t let your parents see it. I’m already in enough trouble for showing 10 centimetres of thigh…” An adorable chuckle left her luscious lips. [break][break] Hama and Cyrus would then get into a little discussion, a little labyrinth of thought that she couldn’t quite trace. Something about a lost mentor in the Shattering. It made sense… the beauty left them to the privacy of their thoughts there, her mind instead wandering to her own first mentor, Vulkan. She missed him. He was her close friend and very first crush, after all. First innocent crush and last one for a really long time. The smallest thought of the other man on her mind made the ice witch bite her bottom lip and glance away for a brief moment.
Her eyes moved back to the pair as they spoke about the wine spill on the asshole’s shirt. One of the best memories of this moment to be sure. When the Elwood heir however revealed that he though her to be out of his league, she blinked twice. Wait really? The young talented heir to a noble family found her outside of his grasp? Her eyes narrowed. [break][break] “I don’t know about that bit. You’re young, handsome, ridiculously talented and of noble bloodline. There’s quite a few ladies that would die of happiness if they were asked to marry you. Oh, and Vice-Captain, by the way.” She added the last bit and gave his shoulder a playful nudge with her elbow. A little encouragement could go a long way. “Unfortunately, for better or for worse, my mind is currently…” Rosa paused, wondering if she wanted to say what she was intending to express. “…sort of occupied with someone.” Fuck she was gonna need a lot more alcohol to get over that admission. A LOT, more alcohol. [break][break] Before she could stomp away to the nearest alcohol-carrying lady or gentleman, Cyrus explained to her of the echo shell. Communications magic was something she’d heard of but never experienced. The beauty reached out to take it into her grasp gently, fascinated with the smoothness of the item. It was an intelligent spell, put in an object she never would’ve thought to use for a function of vical projection. Simply marvellous.
“It’s pretty…and I believe that in my state I shouldn’t be holding it.” A laugh escaped her as she handed it back. “It’s masterful work though…” [break][break] “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need a lot more alcohol.” The witch stalked away briefly and fetched four glasses, three in one hand in between her fingers, and one for Cyrus, just in case. She offered it to him, and if he refused it she’d down the first one. Then she’d offer another to Hama, in case the spirit was thirsty. [break][break] “At least I can drink properly up here without embarrassing you.” Rosa giggled. She had to get that gorgeous man off her mind somehow…it was getting late, and a few couples would start heading home here and there, guided out by servants. It was her duty to wait it out with Cyrus, as he was hosting. That’s what she’d read in her basic manners for nobles guidebook. So she’d wait and chat about the small things that came up on her mind. [break][break]
“So how do you like Captain Blake?”
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Combat summary
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[attr="class","raescroll2"]
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[attr=class,cyrustext]At the mention of him possibly sharing some of his knowledge of strange creatures with the woman, Cyrus smiled and nodded excitedly. "Oh, definitely! There are so many curious creatures that I've come across in my studies. I am actually looking into information on one beast in particular at the moment, for a spell I've been working on. It's far from done at the moment, but I have a good feeling about what it will be once it's completed."
Rosalia went on to tease that she might send him some of her modeling work, but she might be surprised by the fact that he seemed more curious and thoughtful than embarrassed. "Well, I haven't ever really looked into that sort of thing, but I suppose I could have no better option!" He noted with a laugh. To this Hama shook her head in amusement. "Leave it to Cyrus to turn a modeling magazine into a project." She noted with a roll of her eyes as she took another sip of her wine.
In response to his doubts, the Black Bulls' Vice Captain encouraged the Golden Dawn's to reconsider, listing what she considered to be several rather attention-grabbing facets of his identity. Cyrus was flattered, to be sure, but simply let out another quiet chuckle. "Talent is not quite the word I would use to describe my abilities." He said, leaning his head back a bit as he thought. "I was never particularly smart or strong or skilled. I had higher than average mana, sure. But the rest of it came with a lot of hard work and studying. And I've only redoubled my efforts since joining the Golden Dawn out of a desire to not shame the squad."
Rosalia noted that she herself was actually interested in someone, which definitely caught the young man's attention, but he decided not to press the matter. A social gathering such as this seemed a poor place to air such things. "I see." Is all he said, briefly swirling the wine in his glass. "Well, I would list off the qualities I see in you that would make you quite the catch, but no doubt you've heard such things time and time again."
He laughed again, hoping they could steer the conversation away from the subject for both of their sakes. The frigid witch excused herself to get some more alcohol, offering one to Cyrus and Hama each, to which they both obliged with words of thanks.
He smiled at her remark about not embarrassing him. "Oh believe me, Rosalia. There is nothing you could do that would embarrass me more than the antics my non-immediate family get into every day." He insisted rather confidently.
It was then that the conversation turned to his squad's Captain, Zaven Blake. And to this his smile grew wider. "Did you know that Zaven sought me out personally?" He asked her, wondering if perhaps he had told her about how the met. "He said that he had heard of a noble with a strange element who signed up for the Magic Knight Exam early and wanted to see me in person. Back then I could just feel his approach long before I saw him... though that was before my Sensory abilities began to weaken."
He took a drink of the wine Rosa had given him. "Zaven is an interesting person. He can seem very cold, but also welcoming. Training with him is an exercise in survival all on its own. And I can appreciate his straightforwardness when it comes to sharing his thoughts."
"I've been personally training with him ever since Hama was first delivered to me in an anonymous package. When he gave me my test to determine if I was ready for the position of Vice Captain, I had no idea that was what was going to happen. We had just been called out of a dungeon run to investigate a demon attack, and he challenged me after we had dealt with the beast."
He looked up at Rosalia. "When he named me the Vice Captain, he made his expectations and desires of me clear. And he named me his brother; a title I hold just as dearly as I do the former. I owe much to him; as a mentor, as a comrade, and as a friend."
Hama snickered. "Yeah, and let's hope you can keep that Vice Captain spot! That new guy that just joined seems like quite the challenger."
Cyrus glanced at the sap spirit, and then back to the third member of their party. "Ah, right. A man has recently joined the Golden Dawn, you see. Or rather, he has returned; apparently he went missing some time ago, but has finally made his way back. An old friend of Zaven's as well, I believe. Actually, perhaps you might know him!"
He had yet to personally meet the man, but he had heard much from those who had been in the Golden Dawn before him about the wizard. And even if only half of what he had heard was true, he still seemed like a tremendously good person to have working with them.
Knowing about the young woman's friendship with Zaven, a thought occurred to Cyrus. "Does the name Vulkan seem familiar at all to you?" He asked curiously, not knowing anything about if she had some sort of connection to the man.
Whatever the case may be, he was glad to have invited Rosalia to be his guest at the party. Certainly the night had turned out far greater than he could have hoped for.
Before she left, he would have to get her a bottle of the wine she had been so enjoying. It would make for a nice sort of party favor, he thought.
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