In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
Shattered Grimoires is the work of the mind(s) of Ardere & Shattered Grimoire's staff. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. Black Clover is owned by Yuki Tabata and published by Viz Shonen Jump. All images belong to their original owners. The theme you are currently viewing was made by Eliza of ElizaCodes exclusively for Shattered Grimoires.
It was onto the next amount of festivities for Magnus today, he made his way down the dirt road that led from the pumpkin carving event. Now it was on to the next venture, he glanced at the sky noticing that it had become more purple and pink as opposed to its earlier orange and red, now it was growing steadily darker, the clouds seemed to be moving in closer as if it was going to rain in some parts, the wind began to pick up slightly and it was only then as he was distracted by mere leaves dancing in the wind that his eyes glanced across the next event he would be entering it was named the "Fancy Dress Competition" in big bold letters atop or a nice regal building. The building looked to be a town hall of sorts or at least seemed to function as one in the inner workings of it from its structure. Magnus secured his noble stallion to a nearby post before entering in.
Magnus walked up the small flight of steps, the white building seemed to brim with a clean crisp atmosphere, and from it, he could see that its standards of cleanliness were held to a much larger one than some of the other events by far. After all, it looked as if the most amount of nobles had come to this area, perhaps it was simply because of the large amount of servant staff this building seemed to have. Something Magnus took note of from the second he took a step in the door. As he did some turned to meet his gaze only to turn around quickly unnerved. Some of whom were lesser nobles he recognized gave a nod and glance of approval in his area. He gave a smile and nod back, however, he was curious about finding the meaning of this area, and where the contest would be held. He wasn't one to wear a dress himself but the atmosphere of the contest was tempting him enough to want to be involved somehow. That's when he saw her a girl that he had met earlier in the day, one he was sure could possibly benefit from his help.
"Alright everyone, there's approximately an hour before the contest starts, time for last-minute changes, and if you'd like to participate this is the last time available for signup." Magnus smiled at this, it meant he wouldn't have to wait long, but he still wanted to join the festivities somehow, to be a part of the nit and grit of the contest. Beauty contests of sorts had always been something he enjoyed, it was all about showing your creativity using an interesting medium, the primary one being the human body itself. He made his way over the familiar face, the young noblewoman. He bowed his head slightly and glanced his good eye in her direction with a warming smile on his face. "Milady, lovely to see you again," Magnus said in a soft tone before standing back up straight.
"May I ask what brings you to this venue, are you perhaps participating?" Magnus said wondering if she was just here to see things or if she actually did plan on participating. He glanced at the young blond girl's hair, already going through the motions of how to assist her in his mind. He had a plan of action now, but it only worked if the young woman wanted help and was accepting of his service as well. However, as he thought such things, formulating his plan of action even further, he began to measure her with his eyes, taking in her sizes and shapes, and immediately applying them to garments and designs that the girl in his mind that would fit best.
Upon hearing her response Magnus was visibly delighted. He decided to phrase his next response carefully, to let the young noblewoman know that he was only trying to help. "Well, I do believe earlier during a discussion about my costume that you liked my taste. If I'm not being too forward, I'd like to offer my services to help you find a befitting dress for the contest." Magnus said with a smile, he waited patiently for her answer. As he did he glanced around the venues seeing all the other participants either already dressed or in a hurry to head out to the nearby vendors that he could be heard whispered about by some of the nobles roaming the competition grounds. His ear flexed a little as he listened intently taking note of some of the vendor's names being thrown out, realizing that he recognized a small amount of them, but one name interested him in particular, a vendor he had worked with before, and one that made textile fabrics for the Aurelius family at times. In fact, Magnus's own costume fabric had come from such a vendor, and he knew that this same vendor's wife also owned a shop that wasn't too far from him.
Post by Victoria Dubois on Dec 7, 2021 18:38:32 GMT -5
After parting ways from Mangus, Victoria steadily made her way through the fairgrounds. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits as they walked around, pointing at the different games while eating at the various snack shops. You would hardly think that they had a bandit problem on the outskirts. Of course, she made sure to keep up awareness of her surroundings and person; after all, this was the perfect place for pickpockets and thieves to skulk through in an effort to make a quick dishonest buck. Any thief that decided to target her though would be in for a rude shock. They would quickly and painfully learn that she was not an easy target and more than capable of defending herself. Of course that this would give her an excuse to indulge her more sadistic urges was just a bonus. She was sure that no one would raise any objections as she would be simply be apprehending a criminal after all.
As she continued to walk around, Victoria ended up in front of the town hall which was hosting the Pretty Dress competition. The building was immaculate, its white walls standing out from the rest of the architecture, something that didn't surprise her as this was where the nobles ended up congregating. Entering in, she began to debate if she would end up actually entering the competition or not. From what she could see, Victoria was confident that she would be able to snag a win here. None of the other women here really had any outfits that made them stand out from what she could see. But with so many nobles in the audience, Victoria felt that the current dress that she had on wasn't extravagant enough. She wanted there to be no contest as to who would win so that would require her to get an entirely new outfit to wear but where would she even get something like that. This was a commoner village, there was no chance that they had anything that would fit her criteria.
Hearing the announcement regarding sign-ups, Victoria internally sighed before moving to sign her name up. As she was finishing up, a familiar voice spoke up behind her revealing that Magnus had arrived at this event. "Oh Magnus. It is a pleasure to see you again. Yes, I plan on competing in this competition. she stated, curtsying in greeting. Perhaps Magnus had a dress or knew of a local shop that sold some higher-quality outfits that she would be able to buy. The thought barely finished going through her mind before Magnus was volunteering his services to help her find a dress for the competition. "Thank you for offering your assistance, Magnus and I'll be taking you up on that. This is my first time at this festival and I didn't expect that there would be a beauty contest for people to join otherwise I would have bought a change of outfit with me." she said with a smile on her face.
She was glad that Magnus had been the one to volunteer his services rather than her having to ask him herself. It was really in her personality to admit that she needed help but she was never one to turn down free assistance when given. "I assume that you already have an idea or shop in mind." she asked, a curious look in her eyes. She hoped that Magnus was aware of a hidden gem shop around here though she was confident that he wouldn't let her down.
Word Count: 592 Total Word Count: 5577 Entering from: Locked In
Post by Magnus C. Aurelius✾ on Dec 7, 2021 18:49:18 GMT -5
Upon hearing the noblewoman accept his services Magnus was excited, and it showed. He practically brimmed with it, however, now was the time for him to move forward. He had a set plan already formulating within his mind and there was no time to waste. "Indeed, I do. If you'd be so kind to follow me, milady," he said with an heir of nobility, his gloved hand placed out in front of him. He began to walk toward the stairs, making sure to make his walking strides compact enough for him to not overtake the noblewoman in pace, but instead to walk in front of her and clear a path at times. Upon exciting outside he walked over to his horse, undoing its reigns from the post. "If you don't feel like walking you a free to ride Cloud here." The horse whinnied slightly, lowering its head with each gentle pat of Magnus's hand. The horse steadied itself and if the noblewoman wished Magnus hoisted her up to sit on the horse's soft fluffy saddle, of which they would most likely find more comfortable than the average saddle had they ever ridden a horse before.
Trotting alongside him as he walked with his long strides reigns in hand, Magnus would lead them further down the now stone laced streets to a variety of shops and stores. The stone pathways led into a shopping district, where one could find wooden and stone-built one-story buildings often with decorative signs of their choosing, it seemed to be in a festive mood with the occasional jack-o-lantern being seen or those like himself in costume. Most stopped to spare a glance or two at the horse and the man that toward next to it, as well as the horse's rider. As he moved through the large streets decorated with the occasional potted plant, and a few bit of trees growing too and from, he recognized the stark differences in the forsaken region as compared to the noble region. Where most of these trees that were placed in these streets were simply built around, unkempt and unruly, on a normal day they served to act as decor to these macabre themes of the festival without even truly trying. As the did all the buildings some of which in better condition than others. Much like the one he and the noblewoman would be heading to. The single most expensive dress store within Hage, most of whose money and talents were spent sending their wears to the noble region, and paying for their children's learning expenses there as well. They were from common birth but the wife was well respected as one of the best local hide tanners, and the husband was one of the best clothing crafters in the area.
They were a friendly couple and kept to themselves, they had plans to move to the common region eventually, but for now, this was where business was. The amount of mana beast in the forsaken region was large, and thanks to that getting unique beast hides, furs, and wools, to work with were all the better. Not to mention the sheer amount of farmland and cheap procurement of goods due to them not having to pay any shipping tax or absorbent business fees. Their business had a large revenue, though most wouldn't know of such, and Magnus only knew simply because his family was in charge of transportation most of their higher class and fashionable wears. Upon walking down the cobblestone streets they'd come across a beige stone and wooden buildings. A wooden sign hung from above a pole attached to the tilled roofing of the two-story building, or here what would be a one-story building. The sign had ornate curls branching off it carved into the wood with small red roses etched into the frame of it. Red letters could be seen on the sign in a cursive italic script that read "Adelines" across it. Magnus secured Cloud once more to a wooden tree near the shop. The wooden sign had another small one dangling from it attached by a single loop chain on either end of it that caused it to rustle in the wind. The second board read the word "clothing" in bold black letters. The door had one window to the side of it covered in curtains concealing what was inside the store.
Magnus moved closer to the door, grasping the bronze handle and turning it. As he opened the door, a small silver bell above it would chime to alert him of their arrival. Once they stepped through the door Magnus and Victoria would be treated with the sight of a multitude of poles with leather outfits draped a top of them. Walking in and looking around Magnus and Victoria would come to a counter. A beautiful blond woman set within a wooden chair behind the counter. The chair was wooden, made of oak with a white cushion that had a red rose etched onto it. The rest of the building, however, seemed to be made with maple wood and gave off the sweet scent of nature, along with a couple of flowers that could be seen hanging from the walls, almost as if they were plucked fresh in the morning. complementing the rustic smell of leather.
"Hello, Madam Adeline, it's lovely to see you again," Magnus said with a smile and a slight bow of his head. The blond woman jumped up from her chair, she had on a simple red turtle neck sweater, it looked like it was made from common cotton, along with a pair of overalls that were black with orange leather straps, that draped over her shoulders. Her long blond hair fell 3 inches past her neck and was as straight as could be. Her hair looked almost expertly styled, and from her ears, two red ruby earrings hung from her lobes. She wore a red lipstick that graced her thin lips and her light brown eyes glanced up at Magnus with glee, she was only about 5'4 inches in height so he towered above her. She had an average build with a thick waist. She had an heir of ease about her, and a sense of stature that read like commoner but one that had been trained and well versed in business as she looked at Magnus with glee in her eyes or rather a wealth. She looked at him like an old friend with a hefty wallet and didn't bother to hide it. She stepped from behind the counter through a small wooden door on the right of her that separated her from the rest of the store. Walking toward Magnus, a pair of ornately designed leather boots on her feet, she turned toward Magnus with a smile, clicking the heels of her boots together she placed her hands to her chin before observing Victoria with a quick glance up and down.
She quickly smiled and it was as if her whole demeanor changed "Welcome to Adeline's, it's a pleasure. How may we be of service?" She said finally treating them like customers with verbiage that had been rehearsed for decades as she looked from Magnus to Victoria and could clearly read the atmosphere that they were here for business. "The costume truly came out astonishing, Sir Magnus." With a snap of her fingers, a burst of mana came rushing forth into the shape of a roaring flame before contorting in on itself and flattening into the shape of paper. The flaming glow of her mana would subside to reveal what looked like a clip book and a pen atop it. She quickly took it and began to jot down measurements onto the paper, before clasping it at her side and turning. "Follow me please, that is... Unless you're here to get leather wears?" She said with a chuckle, as she walked toward a door on the far side of the store. "Thank you, I truly appreciate it, and send your regards to your daughter for a job well done," Magnus said with a smile. After all, it had been Adeline's daughter that had turned his design for the costume into reality, much like her father she used cloth magic, whereas her mother Adeline's magic was something much rarer. It was something that let them do business in both the Noble region of the Clover Kingdom and the Forsaken Region, as well as what allowed them to transport enough merchandise and funds to pay for the building tax in the noble region as mere upper commoners: Spatial Magic. "We're here for dresses, there's a contest going on we'd like to participate in."
Adeline's orange grimoire would float out of her satchel at her side, the pages would flutter as the book began to open, as she spoke again, "Ah, so a simple visit to our other branch store is needed. A two-way travel fee for two will be included alongside your purchases. Do you accept the conditions?" Adeline said her tone and manner of speaking once more like a well-rehearsed saleswoman. "I accept the conditions," Magnus said with a smile, and with that Adeline placed her hand out, though this door ordinary opened to nothing behind its bricks when used in conjunction with Adeline's magic it became a portal to the other store owned by her and her husband in the Noble Region of the Clover Kingdom. "How much time would you like to shop, Sir Magnus?" Adeline spoke again. Magnus simply replied, "Give me 30 minutes I already have an idea of what I'll be looking for and we'll be getting custom work from your husband." With that spoken into existence, Adeline smiled, maintaining the portal for a long time was hard, so giving a definite time frame helped her conserve her mana as much as possible. After all, even though her magic was rare, she was still a commoner and it had its limits. So knowing an exact time of when to open a portal back was always necessary. The woman removed a piece of paper and handed it to Magnus. On it read Victoria's measurements. Even though Adeline was gifted with Spatial magic her true talent laid within her ability to be a great tanner, and leather maker, not to mention her eye for detail, her measurements for people were never wrong and when combined with her husbands skill in art and dressmaking and his cloth magic they made for a diverse and strong clothing business.
Upon walking through the fire-like portal behind the now opened door, Magnus and Victoria would find themselves in a shop that was much more regal and innate than the shop they had previously been in, though the maple would floor remained as a constant. This shop had clothes on metal poles as opposed to wooden ones, and its wood and stone foundation was much more flashy, clean, and better constructed. It was clear they were in the noble region, the smell of leather no longer remained however the smell of maple and flowers still permeated the air around them. Having noticed the door glowing that was only used for transport from one business to another a stocky salesman with black hair, green eyes, a handlebar mustache, and a roll of measurement tape at his side, awaited them as they passed through with a smile on his face. "Wel-Oh, Sir Magnus lovely to see you again." The main said abandoning his rehearsed welcome that he was about to blurt out. Usually, his wife only reserved her magic and this store from the other region for high-end clients, ones they knew personally however, some were more respected than others. In the case of Magnus, the two had along with a history together and it was Magnus who gave them their initial funds to build a shop within the noble region and help direct their daughter to the correct education institutions. "It's been a while, I hope my daughter's work is to your liking." He said with a smile, and Magnus simply returned the comment with a nod of agreement before speaking. "Indeed it is, however, as much as I'd like to take time to have a chat with you William, we're on a time clock for a contest taking place."
Magnus said before stepping to the side revealing Victoria, he simply spoke the next words out of his mouth before giving the dressmaker and textile designer William a chance to speak. "I need a custom dress for lady Victoria here."
Post by Victoria Dubois on Dec 7, 2021 22:15:45 GMT -5
Watching Magnus become visibly excited at the prospect of getting to assist her with her dress shopping. He really did enjoy helping those around him and with his plans to join the Blue Roses squad, Victoria planned to make sure to snag him up when she eventually rose to become captain. Giggling as she followed behind him to his horse, Victoria couldn't help but comment on this thought while she had Magnus hoist her up side-saddled onto Cloud. "You know Magnus, you would make a really good assistant from personality alone once I become the captain of the Blue Roses." She saw no reason to hide her ambitions towards being captain; honestly, it should be the goal of anyone who joined any knight squad. She had standards that she lived by and Magnus so far was fitting those standards. Combine that with his physically intimidating presence and Victoria was tempted to see if she couldn't just outright get the man to be her own personal butler. Regardless, she mentally planned to have his body become one of her wraiths should he ever end up dying while in the Blue Rose squad. She wasn't sure of what his magic type was yet but he was of noble birth so it couldn't really be anything weak or useless in her opinion.
"This is a really beautiful horse as well. I'm assuming he's yours?" she inferred, petting Cloud's mane as the group wades their way through the crowd. The degree of control Magnus exhibited as he walked confidently through the heavy crowd, making sure to have extra room for the horse to travel, combined with the Cloud's calm demeanor, spoke of a great amount of experience in equestrianism. Someone who trained horses that long would also be likely to have their own personal horse that they used which is what she assumed Cloud to be. They were glanced at frequently as the pair moved through the shopping district though Victoria paid them no mind. She was more concerned with looking at the shops they were passing, trying to guess where they were going. They bypassed the unkempt and tackier-looking shops, heading towards more higher-end shops. They only had about an hour to get back where she would need time to apply her make-up and change into the dress. She would keep silent about this though, merely keeping a mental tally so that she could gently but politely remind him when the time came.
The pair soon arrived outside a well-maintained beige and wooden building with a wooden sign reading "Adeline's". It was a name that she was unfamiliar with meaning that it had to be a local shop. As Magnus tied up the horse, Victoria noted a group of 3 women, clearly of noble birth, exiting out of the shop with bags in hand and gushing out the clothing they had bought as they moved past the pair. "You're so lucky that you got that Tsuchigumo silk dress.", "I'm just lucky they had one made in my size.], "Going to use it to charm Windsor?" she heard as they moved out of earshot. The shop clearly had to have good quality items if nobles were willing to shop here. Going through the front door, Victoria would note the appearance of the female owner sitting in the wooden chair. "Good evening madam, I plan on competing in the pretty dress competition for the spirit festival and wanted to purchase a dress for it." Victoria said a bit bluntly but wanted to get to the point. Normally she would have been a bit more polite; somewhere along the lines of wanting to see her dress selections but she was on a time crunch. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission after all and given the fact that she suspected they were a commoner family, they should be used to that sort of behavior from the noblewomen around here.
The group quickly made their way through the shop with Victoria noting the woman creating a sheet of paper from her fire mana. She clearly had a decent amount of mana since she had to be doing this for every patron. "No I don't think that I'll be going for leathers today. But I think I might be back to go through them once the competition is over. If you're still open that is." Victoria had caught a glimpse of some of the outfits as they moved past and was thoroughly impressed by what she saw. She didn't have the time to get a closer look though sadly but wanted to make sure that she attempted to make up for her bluntness earlier. Magnus quickly took control of the negotiations and choosing as Victoria had agreed with earlier, leaving her eyes to wander around to peruse some more as she waited. It was interesting to hear that they had a branch office and managed to secure teleportation between the two. It spoke highly of their store and abilities and interested her even more; she would have to make sure to get a business card from them as well, gauging their interests in expanding their business.
The woman also had a great eye for measurement since the sheet that she slipped to Magnus had her correct measurements on it. Walking through the flame portal, Victoria would wait to see what the price ranges of the dresses here were and get a closer look before she made her offer to Madam Adeline. As they exited, Victoria breathed in the sweet smell of flowers and maple; a stark contrast to the leather that had filled their last location. This was clearly where the noblewoman shopped and which part those lesser noblewomen from earlier had come from. "Magnus has clearly been here for quite a while." she thought as the salesman greeted him. She stepped forward, giving a curtsy, one Magnus would note was not as low as the one that she had given to him on both their greetings, before speaking. "Victoria Dubois, a pleasure to meet you. " before waiting to hear the samples.
Post by Magnus C. Aurelius✾ on Dec 7, 2021 22:28:41 GMT -5
"Yes, Cloud is mine, thank you, I think he likes you." A simple but to the point reply. Magnus glanced around the shop, he had enjoyed the appearance of it, and the stock of merchandise had grown significantly since the last time he was in it. As he looked around he couldn't help but be excited by it. After all, he did have a hand in helping design it. Though he wouldn't let that knowledge slip, for now, it was simply one of the many businesses ventures he had helped promising talented people within his youth as he traveled the world. This family was one he had met early on in their marriage nearly a decade sooner than the time they were in now. He could see that they painted the walls whiter recently, as opposed to the binge color they once were. From the ceilings hung crystals of all different shapes and sizes, and the store itself was two stories as opposed to the building in the Forsaken Region. This building was large enough to house two large vanity windows on either side of the ornate crafted front door.
Etched into very glass itself was the same name as the store found in the forsaken region and the same script. Magnus handed William the sheet of paper that was given to him by Adeline and he watched as William's eyes read over the paper with careful intent. "She wrote here that you already have a design in mind, Sir Magnus?" William said, posing the statement almost like that of a question. Magnus simply nodded in agreement. "Ah, then if you can spare one moment, I'll go get your usual." The man said as he waited for approval from Magnus to go. Magnus nodded again in agreement and William took off at a brisk pace, as from what Magnus knew, Adeline had also written the time frame they were on, on the paper as well. They truly were efficient, and it was because of them that Magnus also tended to get his suits from them occasionally as well. Especially, when it was last minute. "Don't worry we'll wrap up quickly. Now I have some ideas so tell me what you think of them." Magnus said as he began to go over the details and intricate designs, patterns, and shapes that he wanted for the dress.
Upon his return, William carried with him a simple blank painting canvas and a wooden holder for it. He placed the canvas atop of it and stepped away with a bow. He would direct Victoria to a nearby seat on a teal soft cushioned round seat and would offer tea and snacks and at the snap of his finger, a generic-looking servant boy with mop brown hair and brown eyes would come rushing from down the stairs at a brisk pace to take his orders. Only to leave and not return until it was with tea and snacks in hand. "Enjoy, I'm sure Sir Magnus will be done soon, and then I'll start immediately on the dress," William said with a smile, as he turned to watch Magnus with glee on his face. "I do always love watching what he'll come up with next," William stated his hands clasped together as he watched Magnus work. As Victoria would glance over at Magnus she would be able to see him drawing paint stroke after paint stroke. He had taken out his magical paintbrush set, and upon giving it a small bit of mana paint colors of his choosing would wet the tip of the paintbrush wands. As he painted with hues of dark blue, black, and lighter shades of blue, the image of a beautiful dress would slowly but surely take hold of the canvas. Within minutes he was finished only to stop supplying his wand with mana and place it back inside his holster.
William in the meantime had adorned himself with a belt equipped with a multitude of blades, scissors, thread, and needles, alongside the measurement tape that hung from his neck. He took the measurement tape in hand and would begin to run his thumb along with it, as he occasionally glanced at the sheet of paper from his wife, now being held in the hands of the servant boy that worked for him. With a flourish, William's grimoire would begin to glow and the book would begin to flow, it was teal in color, and the book's cover almost looked like that of rippling fabric. "Cloth Magic: Custom Copy Creation," he said letting the spell roll off his tongue, from his spellbook blue fabric would burst into existence from his flowing mana, he grabbed his tools in hand from his working belt, and with a couple of snips of his scissors, a few stitches into the flowing swirling fabric that whirled around him like a tornado, and with a few tugs in the right places, the dress would slowly take shape. A bead of sweat would douse his forehead before it was quickly wiped away by the servant boy. The dress was complete and he took it in hand before handing it to Victoria. “Please do try this on. I take it you'll find everything to your liking but on the unlikely chance something is amiss I will correct it immediately and without additional charge." William said with a smile, before directing Victoria over to a changing area.
Meanwhile when Victoria was getting changed Magnus would walk over to the sales counter and would begin to give money to William. He had a short conversation with him before Victoria was finished changing and made his way back over, shopping bag in hand for her to deposit her other clothing into for the meantime. "Well, you look beautiful just as I expected, Milady," Magnus said before taking a step over to one of the many full-body mirrors that adorned the shop. He waited for her to inspect the dress, and would direct William to make any potential changes Victoria might have had. With her dress to his liking it was time to move on, and right on time as Magnus finished saying his goodbyes and paying for the dress and travel that Magnus made his way back toward the doorway alongside Victoria that they had come from. A portal would open up as he had opened the door, it roared to life just in time and upon stepping through it with Victoria they were treated by the sight of Adeline who had a large smile on her face. "You look beautiful, I'm sure you'll win that contest." She said with a smile, before directing them to the door after asking how their experience was. "Do come again, Sir Magnus, next time I'll have to commission you to design a dress for me, for my husband's and me next date night." She said as her eyes glittered with excitement before she waved them off before retreating inside her shop.
Magnus hoisted Victoria up onto Cloud's large back before undoing his reigns, and they'd stride back to the contest grounds. He tied up the horse once more, walked in with Victoria, and made sure to use his size to clear the crowd for her once more as they walked toward the stage. Behind stage it was time for the contest to begin, a person dressed in black came to approach them telling them off the rules and what Victoria had to do. All she had to do was walk out on stage, state her name, and why she entered. After, she was to walk to the back of the stage and stand near the other contestants while the judges deliberated for the winner and the runner-up. If she wasn't announced the winner she was to leave the stage. The large wooden stage was polished and slick, but one could still get a proper foothold on it. At the end of the raised stage sat a plethora of seats where spectators were to sit. Magnus of course sat further to the side and back where he wouldn't be blocking the view of any of the others who wanted to watch the competitors. A small band would begin to play soothing music of which the volume of their playing would lower whenever the announcer would speak projecting his voice from the side of the stage.
"Welcome to the Fancy Dress Competition. Today one lucky lady will be crowned winner, fear not if you don't win you're allowed to try at least two more times at our later event times." An announcer would speak before coughing in his hands for the show, and moving on with his speech as he tried to let most of the losers down easily. With a clasp of his hands "Without further ado let's get started shall we: First up we have Olivia" the announcer states, a woman dressed in a red sequin dress made her way down the stage, muttered some barely audible words and she shook nervously. This was her first time and she had some stage freight, besides her dress being a little basic her general appearance was average, however, a bit of hooting and hollering could be heard from the crowd as some rowdy youngsters cheered her own which caused her to blush before the youngsters were quickly shushed.
Next was a girl named Emma, who had red hair and green eyes, she wore an emerald green dress that didn't quite fit with the season, and overtop of it an orange shawl that he felt clashed with the dress and made the girl look like an inverse pumpkin which from her lanky finger was already a headache to imagine as it was. She spoke refined and was noble, but whoever was in charge of dressing her was someone Magnus thought needed to be let go.
After Emma a girl named Ava came to the stage, her dress was gold and regal, it had a flair for the dramatic and was adorned with beige feathers here and there, which made Magnus think the dress looked cheap and considering the girl was practically molting feathers as she walked down the stage he became no longer interested. The girl was in her mid 20's and seemed to have just joined the event because she wanted to show off her work on the costumed dress.
Afterward, there were two twins, Charlotte and Sophia. Charlotte walked first, both had brunette hair and hazel brown eyes, they wore matching earrings Charlotte's having a tiger eye gem used as the earrings the main gem, and Sophia's using a classic diamond. Both wore long sleek dresses, that were adorned with shawls of glittering fabric that made them look like the night sky, however, the design was basic, and it wasn't something Magnus hadn't seen before. The craftsmanship, however, was flawless and the dresses were form-fitted to each of the girls. However, as they were twins their dresses being similar was something Magnus thought would work against them in the long run.
"Last up we have Victoria, coming down the stage in a custom-made dress." The announcer stated as Victoria would be given the chance to walk the runway next. Magnus stared with a widened eye and smile, murmuring could be heard from the crowd around him about the design of the dress and as for Victoria, well in his eyes she was perfect. Eventually, the voting from the judges would take place and the announcer would take the stage once more. He cleared his throat "Well this has been one of the best ones tonight folks. Let's start, judges what say you." The judges would talk amongst themselves, the announcer was given a slip of paper and upon opening it would announce the first runner up. "The first Runner Up is-" He flipped open the paper "Charlotte," he said with excitement as he began clapping, Charlotte didn't look very happy about coming in second, but her sister simply looked amused and cocky as if she knew she'd take first place. Then came the next sheet of paper. "The winner is-" the announcer paused for dramatic effect before stating the name "Victoria!". Large booming claps could be heard coming from the far side of the venue as he stood and clapped, glancing around the room with a sternness that made the others stand and clap as well. Although, Sophia didn’t look too happy about not winning.
Post by Victoria Dubois on Dec 7, 2021 23:36:21 GMT -5
As Magnus drew out the designs, he was quick to assure her of the speed and efficiencies of the family. "I'll trust you on this Magnus," she said with a smile on her face. If the family failed to produce a dress sufficiently, she could simply snag one that fit her and head back to the competition in time. Her victory wouldn't be assured but she knew that would at least get a second placement which wasn't as bad. She was still young and could work that into her favor easily. The family had clearly had time to accumulate wealth given the regal atmosphere this shop had. The salesman quickly came back with a blank canvas as well as a servant boy who left to bring a plate of bourbon cremes and a cup of chamomile tea. She took the seat that was directed to her before posing, making sure to highlight the features that she noted would be appearing under the spotlights she had spotted the competition using. She had also managed to catch a glimpse of his magic, that being paint magic. He was very skilled with it and the design that he was making was one that Victoria quickly verbally approved of.
With the drawing done. it was now the husband's turn to display his magic, quickly and efficiently creating the dress from the photo. For someone of common breed, this family had managed to be blessed with decent mana and properly applied it to their advantage. One of them clearly had a good head for business and just further interested Victoria in wanting to partner with them. She was sure that she could convince them to make a branch office in Raque, especially if she gave them a discount on a new shop using her family's shipping and construction company. She quickly practiced her sales pitch while inside the changing room, slipping into the dress. Everything fit wonderfully with the coloring on her skin and the design, and she had to hand it to Magnus. Stepping out, Victoria walked over to the mirror that Magnus was beside to check out her full view, turning this way and that. "You really do exquisite work, sir." she complimented him as she spun, a warm smile on her face. "And thank you Magnus for bringing me here. I'll be sure to repay you for this kindness."
Victoria gave a small protest towards Magnus paying for her dress but eventually gave up and moved on to speak with the owners about the prospect of opening up a branch location in Rague. Giving them her card, she explained that her family would be willing to offer a deal to construct a new building for them or help renovate one for a cut of the profits and left at that for them to consider. She figured that they would as it was a good business opportunity for them and they should have the money to be able to do so as well. "Thank you again for your help and I'll be sure to let you know how I did though I don't see how I'll be able to lose with such a glamourous dress." she said with a smirk, waving at the owner. She was once again hoisted onto Cloud and heading back to the town hall with plenty of time for her to arrive back and get changed, waving off to Magnus as she made her way backstage. She quickly changed her hair up into a set of curls, using a minor amount of her plant magic to hold it in place before applying her makeup and getting changed. There were 5 other girls who had entered the competition, with none of them being any real competition in Victoria's eyes. One girl's dress was already molting as was putting it on, clearly showing that he had gotten it cheaply made. Another girl had chosen a rather beautiful dress...except that it was horribly off-season for fall competition. She had clearly just planned to skate by with a basic dress that had been sitting in her closet. A pair of twins had a great concept but simply failed to properly execute it in Victoria's opinion as they should have gone for a grander design since this was a competition that judged on a dress.
The last girl may have been some competition but Victoria could hear her muttering from where she was lined up in the back. Combine that with her basic dress and she was not going to win. People loved an underdog story and she could have used that to her advantage to at least secure second place after Victoria won but at this rate, she was going to end up falling to third at the least. As each of the other girls went forward, Victoria noted the reactions of the crowd and judges, gauging where their interests were so she knew what act she wanted to put on.
When it was her turn, Victoria would confidently walk out onto the runway, making sure to catch each lighting fixture to highlight her dress. She played up the air of a refined but approachable woman, appealing to both sides of the crowd as she made her way down, giving a curtsy as she exited behind the stage. When it came time for the judging, it was no surprise that Victoria came in first. As she had thought, Olivia's nervousness had shot her chances down as had Emma but that's what happened when you didn't put in any effort. As she graciously accepted her trophy, Victoria could hear Magnus' booming claps over the crowd. "Thank you all so much! And a round of applause for my fellow contestants as well. They all worked hard and had the confidence to be up here as well."
With the competition over, Victoria made her way back behind the stage to get changed and repack her outfit, finding Magnus waiting outside. "Thank you for your help today Magnus. It's thanks to you that I managed to cinch that win. she said before hugging him. "If you don't mind, would you like to hang out for the rest of the festival. I think we have time for 1 more event and I wanted to try out the Murder Mystery. Locked In didn't turn out to be as exciting as I thought it would."
Post by Magnus C. Aurelius✾ on Dec 7, 2021 23:42:22 GMT -5
With the contest coming to a close, Magnus would make the formal rounds of saying hello and goodbye to passing nobles of whom he knew, though throughout the masses they all seemed to be mainly lesser nobles, it seemed this venue was much too haughty for many nobles to come too, or rather where this event was hosted. After all, most nobles wouldn't be caught dead in Hage. Noble thanked Victoria for the chance to show her what he was made of, having kept her information from earlier he was sure that she would become a nice friend of his. He felt a bit of parental protection over Victoria, in many ways she reminded him of his own daughter at times. Watching her walk the stage almost brought a tear to his eye and as he walked alongside her out of the venue, he had high hopes for the future of the two of them. Victoria being a Blue Rose Magic Knight was just icing on the cake, and he asked if she'd like to accompany him for another event. After leaving this event, Magnus made his way to his horse, it was off to the next for the two of them.
