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.
Post by Victoria Dubois on Sept 21, 2021 23:03:21 GMT -5
Exiting the bathroom, Victoria took a seat in her chair before beginning to dry herself off from her shower. She still had a little over 2 hours before she was set to meet the first squad member for her tea social later. After she finished drying her hair, Victoria opened the drawer, reaching in for the notebook that she had labeled with Blue Roses. She wanted to verify the information that she had learned about her squadmate in the short time she had joined the squad before meeting her. Pulling out the notebook, Victoria began flipping the pages softly, looking for the one with Willow's name. "Let's see, which page did I write down her information on?" she mused softly as her other hand reached over to her brush, picking it up. "Ah. There you are." she stated before propping the notebook against her mirror, reading over the notes written as she began to brush her hair. Information was a powerful resource and Victoria had grown up being taught all she needed to gather as much as was needed. One never knew when that information could prove useful and Victoria hoarded them all, liking it to upkeep and tending to a secret garden.
"Oh, how interesting." Victoria murmured as she glanced over the page. Ms. Willows had apparently managed to find a spirit partner from at some point in her career. It was quite the accomplishment for a commoner, even if she was an elf. She was apparently from a city in the forsaken realm, a village called New Haven if her information gathering was correct. Seeing that there wasn't any more information written down, Victoria set her brush down and rose from her seat, picking up the outfit that she had chosen before her shower and entering her changing room. She already had an idea of what sort of questions that she would be asking her and hoped to get a bit more insight toward other squad members as well. If she wanted her plans to come to fruition. then she'd have to make sure that things worked in her favor. Stepping out of her dressing room, Victoria took a last glance in the mirror, practicing different faces before settling on one and leaving her room, heading out of her house and making her way to her tea shop.
As she walked through the city of Rague, Victoria glanced around, taking in any new sights and people that had sprung up. In a major port city like Rague, there were always new people arriving and with new people came new shops springing up as well. Victoria made it a habit of hers to try out the meals from any new shops that sprang up as well as chatting up the owners of the ones that caught her eye. She had no problem getting her father to invest in some of the new businesses in town from her recommendations, so long as she was able to prove that it would be an investment. This was also a part of her training that her father gave her, making sure that she was suited towards becoming head of the family. Given that she had purposely interacted with many of the townsfolks, building up a stellar reputation as well as learning about their likes or dislikes. Getting closer to the tea shop, she noted that there were a total of 3 new shops that she'd have to visit; 1 pastry and 2 different kinds of restaurants. "Hmm. Suppose I'll set those aside for future meetings, kill 2 birds with one stone. she thought before arriving outside the tea shop.
Entering in, she was greeted by one of the workers who indicated a corner table open by the windows for her to use. Thanking the male with a gentle smile, Victoria made her way over taking a seat down as a waitress brought over 2 menus for her to go over as she made her rounds. This was one of the plant user's favorite tea spots in the city as they not only brewed good tea but also offered a wide variety of flavors. Glancing at the clock, she noted that she had about 5 minutes before Ms. Omens arrived, provided that she was on the time of course, so it wouldn't be too rude to get herself a cup in the meantime. Calling the waitress over, she placed an order for Chamomile tea alongside a plate of plain biscuits before handing her menu back to the worker before turning to glance out the window. She didn't have to wait long as she noticed the elven girl arriving, easily standing out from the crowd with her long pink hair. She waved the girl over, giving her warm smile and a handshake once she arrived at the table. "Thank you for meeting with me Ms. Omens, I hope that you managed to find the place alright. I hope you don't mind if I already placed an order for some biscuits and some Chamomile tea just a few minutes ago. I wasn't sure when you'd be arriving."
Post by Willow Omens on Oct 6, 2021 1:44:24 GMT -5
Willow was easy to pick out of a crowd. For a number of reasons, but which was the easiest reason to select though? Was it those slightly pointed ears tipped with dark tattoos? No, probably not, they were often covered! Was it those piercing amethyst eyes of hers? That could be it, but what if you weren't looking at her from the front? Surely, SURELY it had to be the pink hair sitting atop her head, you would think, right? No, that would be far from the truth. Sure, a lot of New Havenites had hair like hers and different hues, but there was one thing about her that stood out from the rest. She had a spirit that served as a translator because she still struggled to use proper Clover grammar, and often opted for her own native tongue known simply as Chaos Speech.
"Being excusing me, I am on the look for someone." She spoke to a few people on her way over, giving a description of Victoria while trying to be as normal in her countenance as possible. It wasn't until she made her way along the cobble-stone roadway at the edge of the shore that she was able to locate Victoria.
Willow wore simple clothes today, save for her Blue Rose cloak. A top that came down to just above her mid riff and long sleeves that reached her elbows. It was a nice muted color to contrast the dark pants she wore and the brown shoes upon her feet. That pink hair just stood out all the more for her.
Why was it she was asked to come here of all places? Raque had a strange history for her, with a number of difficult missions and hills to surmount. She was happy to come and meet her ally here, even if they could have inside of the base just the same.
"Hello to you Victoria! I was not having much of a trouble locating the eatery." She sat down at the other side of the small table, looking right to Victoria. She reached up to brush some of the hair away from the side of her face, tucking it away behind her ear.
As if on cue with that, a little flash of purple bubbles formed in the air, and out came a floating humanoid of purple jel-like substance with glowing white orbs. It was like a cross between a homunculus and a jellyfish.
"She means to say she found the place just fine." The voice echoed from within the entity, the light pulsing around her body. This was Nydaria, Willow's companion spirit.
"I am wondering do they have sandwiches? Tea sandwiches are a wonderful treat." Willow had a notorious reputation for being a big eater, there was one time she ate a dectuple decker sandwich in one sitting with no problems afterward. It was a call back to the person she used to be before the shattering, someone who could drink an entire tavern of its alcohol single-handed.
"What was it you wanted to be speaking about Victoria?"
Post by Victoria Dubois on Oct 17, 2021 20:14:53 GMT -5
Victoria smiled gently at Willow as she sat down across from her, taking in her outfit. It was a rather simple outfit that seemed to direct attention towards her unusual hair color. It looked a bit cheap too but then again, Willow was from a peasant family from what information she had managed to gather on her squadmate, so it's not like she could expect her to better-looking clothes. She still could have put a bit more into her appearance though, not looking as if she had merely picked the first thing in her closet and thrown in on before coming here. Victoria had at least put some effort into her appearance, choosing one of her favorite outfits which gave her a more youthful and cutesy appearance for this meeting. "Poor thing." she thought before speaking to Willow. "I'm glad to hear that you found the shop alright. I know that this is a bit of an out-of-the-way shop but they have a wide arrange of drinks and teas available here which is how I ended stumbled upon it." she said with a small wistful smile on her face at the memories.
Focusing back, Victoria was about to begin speaking to Willow about why she had asked her to come here but before she could even open her mouth, a flash of purple bubbles appeared in the air around the pink-haired girl's head, shocking her. Before Victoria could even ask about it, the bubbles condensed and formed into some weird jellyfish-looking creature that began to speak, clarifying on her squadmate's earlier comment. Given that Willow didn't look surprised at all, she guessed that this was the spirit companion that she had heard about and that this was most likely a common occurrence between the two. Waving at the spirit, Victoria decided to introduce herself to the being, as it was the polite thing to do even if she personally felt that the spirit should have done so first though she kept this to herself. "Hello, I'm Victoria Dubois. I'm not sure of how much you hear but I'm a recent addition to the Blue Roses. It's a pleasure to met you, can I get you anything to drink or eat?" she asked, making sure to make eye contact with the spirit as she spoke before taking another sip of her tea.
Victoria couldn't help but find herself curious about this spirit creature. Given the fact that she had wraith magic, anything to do with spirits or magic that interacted with the soul drew her interest. She tried not to make her interest obviously, keeping her focus on Willow which is how she caught her question regarding sandwiches. "They offer a wide arrange of different foods and snacks here, it's why it's one of my favorite restaurants in Hage." Victoria said, hesitating slightly before continuing forward with her thought while signaling the waiter over with menus. "Feel free to order anything you want, my treat. She had heard rumors about the amount of food that Willow was able to eat but she very much doubted that the girl would be able to put any sort of significant dent into her personal account that the Plant user couldn't easily make back up with some missions or something else. "Will your spirit be eating as well? I'm actually curious if it needs to or even is able to eat actual food or do they subsist purely on your mana?"
After the waiter dropped off the menu alongside the biscuits that she had ordered previously, Willow decided to get straight to the point of this meeting, asking Victoria why she had called her out here. Victoria appreciated the bluntness of it, at least in this scenario as it wasn't really anything that she had nothing to hide or any issues to dance around this time. "I wished to take the time to get to know the members of Blue Roses in a scenario outside headquarters as I felt that would be a more relaxing and intimate setting. There might come times where we have to work together on missions and I'd rather be working with someone whose capabilities I'm already familiar with than waste time learning about what you can do and such. " she stated before reaching out and plucking one of the biscuits, taking a bite. Should she indicate consent, Victoria would go forward with her first question towards the pink-haired girl. "So what made you decide to join the Blue Roses out of the other squads available to join?"
Post by Willow Omens on Jan 3, 2022 23:55:49 GMT -5
Willow's eyes lit up with sparkles and fireworks the moment that Victoria offered the food being her treat. Willow wasn't strapped for cash, but, she certainly wasn't about to order one of everything off of the menu! Most of her paycheck went back to the village which she saw fit to help out. That was something that anyone in the Blue Roses could tell you about Willow, she cared a lot about her people, and any excess money she had was for supplies and repairs. So getting the opportunity to engorge herself, while being known as a Big Eater, well it was time to show why people thought her real magic was a bottomless abyss in her stomach...
The first order of business was ordering the plate of freshly cut cured meats and cheeses, with an assortment of small berries and compotes to go with it. A wonderful set of various accouterments et al to help start the appetizing meal ahead of them. But she topped that off by ordering the finger sandwich tower! A four tier tower of stacked finger sandwiches filled with different fillings from cream cheese and cucumbers to apple jam and cured ham slices. She was marveling at how the order already sounded, it was like eating out in the noble region -- well they technically were, but it was sending her heart aflutter at the thought of eating all this fancy small food. Topping it off, she placed an order for four different pots of tea, a red, green, black, and puerh-oolong blend.
When her order was finished, and Victoria's was taken as well, Willow happily returned to the conversation, though her mind seemed to be elsewhere. Nydaria meanwhile just hovered there for a moment, jelly hand pressing to her forehead in disbelief, "Yes, I do enjoy food, but I prefer to get my sustenance through filtered liquids and the leftovers therein; coffee grounds, tea remnants and the like." The spirit softly spoke to Victoria.
"Well, I am having joy to being associated with you and the Blue Roses. I am not quite certain of the reasons why I joined beyond hunches!" Well, that was cryptically put...
"The Shattering, that's all that I know about why I was having to choose Blue Rose. I was a part of a lot of squads in the past. The Azure Deer, the Silver Eagles, the Green Mantis, and the Blue Rose. I get -- fragments of memories when I sleep some times..." SHe was gripping her teacup, trying to find the words to use, to give a proper response to the girl before her.
"She's a lot more complicated than she looks, even I can't really explain it. It's like trying to explain the past lives of people she wasn't even before, and now she's someone else?"
"Willow, there was another Willow Omens, before the shattering, that is all that I know about him, and, during moments of danger, I get....these flashes of people." She sighed, figuring it was going farfetched, even for a world filled with magic and daemons.
Post by Victoria Dubois on Jan 15, 2022 19:09:12 GMT -5
"Certainly wasn't expecting her to be that happy." Victoria thought as she observed the excitement fill Willow's eyes at her generosity. Calling the waiter over, Victoria watched Willow order a great number of different food; including a four-tier finger sandwich tower, berries, meat, and cheese while she placed an order of scones with jam and clotted cheese. Victoria was glad to see she ate a balanced variety of meals and made sure to keep her body in shape. She had a decent amount of mana from what she could tell but given she was a peasant, it was likely that her rate of growth would be negligible at best. It was just a simple fact of life that peasants were less likely to be blessed by mana, not like nobles were, and being born with such a common magic ability as water just served to reiterate her point. She kept this point to herself though as it would tarnish the image that she had built up over the years as a charitable and kind noblewoman.
When prompted, the spirit revealed that its less than ideal feeding habits. Having a choice and choosing to feed upon used coffee grounds and tea remnants was a truly disgusting existence but if she wanted to ensure a smooth transition with no pushback for her bid to be the captain someday, she would need to endear herself to each of her squadmates while getting to know them. This was an easy task for the likes of her; manipulating others and scheming had become like second nature. "Excuse me, waiter, may I get some of the used coffee grinds in a bowl for my colleague's spirit partner?" she asked the waiter. He gave a confused look for a second before nodding and heading off to complete her request as ordered. He was probably used to filling odd requests from the number of foreign visitors that came through during their trade voyages or had been taught to simply go along with whatever is asked of him by the clientele. Quite a lot of nobles frequented this restaurant so it was only natural that the manager would implement something like that in order to keep business flowing and his customers content and pacified.
Once the worker was gone, Victoria wasted no time in getting down to her reasoning for calling Willow out here and what she hoped to get from this meeting. As she listened to pink-haired speak, Victoria began more and more visibly confused. Just what was this Shattering that she spoke of and why hadn't Victoria heard of it before now? It was clearly an important event given that she could hear the capitalization that Willow was putting on the word and revealed a gap in her information which she didn't like. On top of that, Willow seemed to be implying that she had lived previous lives and been reincarnated numerous times. This girl was far more interesting than Victoria had first thought she would be. She was a mystery that the noblewoman wanted to unravel and dissect and Victoria would be getting to the bottom of it; she was nothing if not persistent. "I'll admit I didn't expect to hear that you're a reincarnated soul when I called you out here." Victoria stated, taking a sip from her teacup before continuing on.
"I find myself curious to know what exactly is this Shattering event that you speak of? I've never heard about it before and it seems to be a rather major event from what little you've said about it." Victoria paused for a second, an unsure look appearing on her face before she elected to continue. "One of my magic affinities deals with soul manipulation but it's a bit of a rare ability; I haven't run into anyone else with the same magic so I'm a bit curious." she said, allowing herself a moment of vulnerability. She would have to keep an eye out for her should the two ever be paired for a mission though as she was sure that suddenly receiving memories from a past life could be a very jarring experience, leaving her vulnerable during moments of combat.
