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.
Her seemingly-innocent question certainly had its effects. She hid a smile behind her hand when the two sides started shouting threats at each other. To the older onlookers, it looked more amusing and entertaining than actually scary, due to the small size of the two competing teams. Oh, she had no doubt they could get into a nasty scuffle if they wanted to, but somehow, she did not think it would happen here, not when she was about to propose an idea to work off some of that idle energy. It was much like what she did with a certain Black Bulls knight, spurring him into a sword fight to work off the excess mental weight he had accumulated from his experiences at Kikka. It was the same over here, just with a different audience.
She smiled a little sheepishly at the look on the mercenary’s face. He must think she was crazy, but she felt for the children, and this was probably the only way she could help them. Giving them yul would start a riot or an actual fight, something she would not want to happen. She was no cloth mage, otherwise she would be repairing their torn clothes now. All she could do was to get them into the holiday spirit...and work off some of that endless well of energy.
Off they went, and out of the corner of her eye, Suna saw Hans being pushed over by ‘his’ gang. Very well. It seemed like there would be a mini competition between the two of them as well. In the midst of all this, she had completely forgotten about her ornament, though she was sure Hans would take good care of it, wherever it was now. She allowed herself to be dragged over to the outskirts of town, where there was plenty of open space...and plenty of snow.
At the other gang leader’s show of confidence and raspberry blowing, the female leader of ‘her’ gang stuck her tongue out in response. Were their behaviors immature and childish? Yes, but it was also endearing at the same time. She never did have this type of carefree childhood, but she was able to get a taste of what that might have been now.
"Build a snow wall! We need a good defense!" The girl was crying out to her group, and the children scurried to obey. Suna found herself helping them build and bank up a snow wall. That would be their refuge from incoming snowballs. The taller and longer they made it, the more coverage they would get. Of course, both sides did not hesitate to start throwing some snowballs at each other, but most of them fell short. That could use some work.
‘Her’ kids were fast and worked quickly and efficiently. The wall was continuously growing, but it seemed like the other side was hurling snowballs more frequently now. One of them even hit one of her own, and the boy was so caught off guard, he merely stood there shell-shocked.
"Duck!" Suna cried, just as more attacks came flying towards the still target. The boy finally ‘woke’ up from his daze and grinned, like he had an idea. Instead of ducking, he ran right out of the snow wall, and was...just running around in front of their defense. What was he doing?
Realization dawned on her, and Suna applauded aloud. She had to give it to him for his quick thinking. A moving target was a great distraction, and her kids were quick enough to dodge most of those snowballs. It would definitely waste most of the other team’s ammos, or at least tire them out. But it seemed like their aims were getting better. How? She glanced over to the other side and saw the mercenary giving them pointers on their posture. That was not fair...but since he was helping them on their form, she could help her gang in other ways, too.
Splat! A snowball had whizzed towards her and caught the elf squarely on her shoulder. "Wha—" Whipping her head towards the direction of where it came from, she was shocked to see the mercenary grinning from the other side. He has been found guilty. "Hans Walker!" She shouted across the open space. "Just wait! I’ll get you back!" But instead of firing back with a snowball of her own, the blue-haired femme only ducked behind the snow wall. She did not need to attack him back right away. Not yet.
‘Her’ kids had started chucking snowballs at the other group, and their aims were not too bad. However, there was one little problem: they were aiming at the wrong people. "Aim for the gang leader," she said quietly to the little boy next to her. "If the leader is down, it’ll be much easier to win." Motioning with her head towards the rest of the gang, the little boy nodded at Suna’s unsaid implication and passed along the message. With a good defense and a good strategy, they would surely win.
Then, another idea. A mischievous smile curled around Suna’s lips. She let her aura magic seep into the snow wall they build, attempting to make it a little stronger. Then, she let some of her sound magic infiltrate into the open space, masking the sound of her team’s snowballs. The other side would not be able to hear any of the incoming snowballs until they actually got hit. Just a little shift in the air, but hopefully that would give her side a bit more of an advantage.
All was fair in love and war, after all.
NOTES & STUFF
Hans' team may be more superior, but hers work smarter (¬‿¬)
[attr="class","zavenreescroll"] His outfit was actually a lot different from what he normally wears; a suit and tie instead of his usual duster and black attire. He even looked a bit more on the cheery side as he donned a smaller mantle that covered his right shoulder with the Golden Dawn emblem embossed on it. When Hinota showed up to meet him he was wearing a smile on his face and was about to say something before Elanor took control and he just glanced away, of course he was not going to embarrass the woman or even himself by looking like a lovesick puppy. However once it was all said and done and the spatial mage laid out the ground rules, she let loose three portals to the direct places they were looking to go. Zaven watched as Hinota walked in after taking a glance to him, there was no time to speak and before he could say a word she stepped through, a light blush on his cheeks would show before finally he too stepped into the blinding light of that portal. The next thing he knew was that he ended up in Babel the next moment alongside Hinota and various other members of the Golden Dawn that went about their evening with happiness and some even looked like this was a getaway vacation. [break][break]
Hearing the voices of all those around him he had to take a few deep breaths to center himself before finally looking at Hinota. ”Thank you accompanying me here, I did not feel like going to the other two events to be honest...I know it is not much but I did bring something small as a token.” He said as he would reach into his suit and pulled a small flower, an umbra rose, which was a flower that his flower had crossbred for his mother long ago. He offered it to her with a soft smile, not really knowing what to say but he found a few words as he would begin to walk towards the tree if she accepted the rose. ”It is nice to not be always fighting, and truthfully I wish it could always be this way...this kind of chaos is joyus. I know we have not relatively got on the best due to the various small outings we have had...but I hope that this can be a new start for that.” He would say as they arrived to the tree, opening the present he had with him and revealing an old trinket box, inside there were three remaining items; a small pendant made into a decorative ornament encased in crystal, a wire piece that looks like a child made it, and finally a ball that held a burnt page of a grimoire long gone, or so he thought. ”It is time I finally get rid of these pieces of my past...The tree will be a good place to do so.” He said as he smiled at the three items before looking at Hinota. ”What did you bring by the way?” He was curious about her choice and whether it was sentiment or just a random piece she had made. Before he could talk anymore there was a gentleman that walked up and began to use sign language to talk to Hinota and after a moment he even flickered his eyes at Zaven. The Shadow of Dawn merely smiled at the young man and waited for them to be done with their little chat. For the time being it was as though he had stolen the time with the doll mage from Golden Dawn away from the captain.
shizuyoru chuckled softly at that and gave a sheepish smile as Serena so promptly complimented her work. "Oh, why thank you dear! I'm certainly glad that you like it so.. I admit I worried a little but I'm pleased that you think so highly of it." She noted gently, sighing just a little as she ran her fingers over the glassy wood before she turned and looked at Sio for a moment, a hum escaping her for a moment.
"That's quite true, artisanship certainly is a work that I can appreciate. It must take a lot of dedication to figure such things out." she murmured, before turning and smiling at the other woman. "But of course, at times it's the thought that counts, being hung up over the process can be a bit superfluous. You brought an ornament, and a pretty one at that. Besides, there's always time for you to learn how to make things yourself in time for next year." She pointed out optimistically. Of course, it was at this point that Sio promptly arrived. The witch tilted her head as she turned, habing almost forgotten about the woman amidst the conversation.
She turned in time to see the woman hurrying over, a gentle and warm smile blooming across her lips as she nodded and waved to the woman as they finally arrived. "Well hello there Sio~ I thought that was you I spotted. And busy as well! That's a lovely ornament you've made!" She pointed out fondly, making her way forward and promptly reeling the girl into a hug, a happy little bounce in her step as she then paused, noticing how her childhood friend seemed to be eyeing Verena. She smirked just a little at that, and Sio would INSTANTLY recognize that tiiiiny variation in her smile. Of course, Shizu was much less....composed as a child~ But Sio would recognize that Shizu was probably just as trickster-esque and cunning as she had been as a child. That slightest of shifts to her smile, Soi would Immediately catch as that signature shift, that said that despite that warm expression. shizu was planning something.
"Ah dear, this is my good friend Sio~ Lovely girl she is~ And as for this veray....aesthetically pleasing woman.." she smirked in Sio's direction. "Why my goodness, I don't believe I caught your name dear. I'm Shizuyoru bye the bye~ As My good friend here has no doubt made clear." She chimed, glancing to Verena as she promptly sought out to get the two women familiar with one another.
Post by Hinota Yuiee✾ on Dec 3, 2020 17:59:33 GMT -5
The doll-like mage was walking towards the tree she was amazed to see one so big and even noted just how healthy it looked but she guessed that there were plant and world tree mages looking after the ancient tree. A smile had been on her face and as she had only been concentrating on the tree she had almost bumped into another as she walked, taking a few steps back she carefully checked herself to make sure she wasn't dishevelled in any way "I'm sorry I di-" she cut herself up as she looked up as she began to apologise to the person she almost bumped into only to see her elder brother Ozma standing in front of her "O... Ozma, what are you doing here?" she asked quickly returning the bow and lower than what he had given her as was expected. She already knew why the other was there and it was stupid of her to ask but still, she couldn't stop herself from speaking the words regardless. When he signed that she was looking well she couldn't help but look away, she knew she wasn't doing well after Raque and Kikka but still it was something that she herself was having trouble coming to terms with on many levels. She eventually looked back to him signing 'Thank you Ozma. Yes, it seems as if we had a similar mindset for tonight.' it was as simple as that for her before she looked back to Zaven.
"Ozma meet my captain, Zaven Blake." she said quickly realising she was being rude "Captain, this is my older brother Ozma he's a member of the Crimson Lions like my father." she said quickly introducing the pair and already wishing she was an earth mage so she could slink away into the ground where it could swallow her whole and she wouldn't have to worry about the mess this could potentially get into. It would seem as if both men asked if she had brought an ornament with her and she looked at the lantern in her hands "To keep away the darkness and guide those who got lost within it." she said quietly in what could only be described as a whisper, she was trying not to shake or cry but she was unable to prevent the small trembles as Kikka came flooding back. Her train of thought was broken as Zaven spoke to her "Of course captain, it would be rude to decline such an invitation." she said smiling the shaking stopping immediately as she concentrated on the goings-on around her. "You didn't need to bring a token captain." she said watching him silently as he brought out a unique looking rose, she moved closer to gain a better look and was amazed to see it was a hybrid "This must have taken years to cultivate." she said her voice showing true warmth and admiration at the blossom presented to her.
Moving both her hands out she took the blossom in both and smiled "Thank you for the gift captain but I didn't bring you anything in return." she sounded guilty at that but then she didn't think such a public show of affection would happen but she realised she could be reading to deep into that meaning. "I will bring you something I have been making when we return back to the headquarters this evening." she said softly her eyes never leaving the blossom, she would have loved to place it within her hair but with the ornaments, she was wearing it was more than a little impossible. So moved to put the delicate blossom into her sleeve gently to where it wouldn't be able to be damaged. "I... I don't know captain, the first outing was stressful for me and still is if I am, to be honest." she still remembered how she had blacked out only to see the area destroyed and Zaven near death to be told that she had been the one that caused it. She still believed she should be locked up away from the light of day and allowed to shrivel in the darkness for that one. Her eyes moved down to her lantern again, it wasn't especially ornate it was a baby pink lantern with red silk cord in a traditional knot she felt like her own innocence had been taken in a way and to put the lantern on the tree was sort of a way of showing it but she had meant what she said she hoped it could chase away the darkness and guide those who were lost even though it could do neither thing for her and she knew it. Still, she could wear her mask for as long as it remained intact but she knew the toll it was having on her the only thing she didn't know was the long term effects or how they would affect the path she was walking that was a worry for another day, for now, she just wanted to enjoy the energy around her and forget the turmoil of the past.
Word Count: 852 Total Word Count: 2,139
Last Edit: Dec 3, 2020 18:00:41 GMT -5 by Hinota Yuiee✾
Post by Verena Reinsberg on Dec 3, 2020 19:43:02 GMT -5
[nospaces]
[attr="class","verenaver2image"] [break]
POW
DUR
SEN
STA
CON
007
34
10
032
030
[break]
MANA SKIN senior
HEALTH senior
MANA REGEN 25 IC // 20 OOC
MANA POOL 110/110
[break]
[attr="class","verenaver2scroll"]
Even if Verena's preferred hobby was people watching--even more so than usual, she wasn't so rude as to continue such when speaking to another. Even if she was admittedly curious as to what Sio was doing-- arts and crafts of any sort without any magic involved was something truly ... well, in her twenty years of living, she hadn't ever seen anything like it. However, she had company now, and it was only appropriate that she give Shizuyoru the respect asked of her.[break][break]
At least, that was her intent. However, when the blonde approached the group, she realized that the two did know another. So then, Shizu must have only stuck around her because she wasn't sure if it was the same person, or just because she didn't want to leave mid-conversation. Those were fairly safe assumptions to make about her in this case, she felt.[break][break]
"Shizu", as the blonde named Sio addressed her as, introduced the two to one another. Of course, Verena hadn't yet introduced herself yet. And more importantly, she introduced her in such a... strange manner.[break][break]
Aesthetically pleasing? Though she'd been called beautiful and other such related terms, aesthetically pleasing was such a strange word to use. Was it because the bl-... because Sio was an artist? She wasn't getting any ideas of drawing her, was she? She hoped not.[break][break]
Her cheeks were a little flushed, though not absurdly so like they would be in the past. "...You give me too much credit. I'm nothing like some others in Clover. There are far prettier women here," Verena sheepishly said.[break][break]
Still, she supposed an introduction was important. Given that neither of them gave family names of their own, she herself felt no guilt for not sharing her own, and thus:[break][break]
"...At any rate, I'm Verena. A pleasure to meet you Shizu. Sio. Are you two enjoying the festivities so far?"
Post by Siobhan Zippel on Dec 3, 2020 20:42:58 GMT -5
"It feels like it's been ages!" The shorter witch's voice rang with a happy tune as she returned the hug, carefully maneuvering the oversized ornament she'd made for the tree to avoid any damages to it. She thought she had been assessing the other girl quickly, but Shizu's eye was just as quick and cunning as she remembered. The introduction of the stranger was a little over the top though, wasn't it? Siobhan gave the black haired witch a good natured chuckle and swat on the arm.
"Don't mind Shizu. She was as full of as much mischief as she was brains when we were growing up." Siobhan's tone was just as happy addressing the brunette as she was the familiar woman. "A pleasure to meet you as well Verena. I'm Siobhan, but friends can get away with calling me Sha or Von." Her blue eyes flicked over to Shizuyoru's face for a moment; how many people knew they were both foreign born witches, she had to wonder? Tall tales about their homeland circulated in some areas of Clover, something she'd learned the hard way, yet still Siobhan refused to ditch her hat. Unless Shizu felt up to elaborating though, Siobhan wasn't apt to offer too much information on their shared childhood experiences.
"It feels like I've only just begun traveling Clover properly, so who am I to say how beautiful the people of it's lands are yet? Though Shizu does have a point. You're quite classically proportioned." The blonde giggled slightly, "Though a bit of modesty suits all of us sometimes. I hope we haven't embarrassed you." She hoped she could mollify the girl if only to ask her to model for her at some point later. There were so few matters purely of chance in Siobhan's opinion, and running into the two girls must've been the whims of the fates.
The crowd had begun to gain as locals and visitors spilled together. Siobhan's eyes flicked away from the pair and up the tree as a thought struck her like lightning.
"I've just had the most splendid idea! Why don't we borrow some of the hanging brooms and find a spot towards the top?" She looked between the other girls for affirmations "They seem to have a fair supply of brooms to be lent for the night. Look!"
Siobhan's mittened hand pointed to rooftops now sporting stalls as broom riders stopped for refreshments mid air around the town surrounding the tower. "I haven't ridden since I started my little pilgrimage across Clover." The young woman's voice was wistful, hopefully enough to convince the other two to buy into her plan. Something about the time of year simply made her want to indulge in a joy ride, and she hadn't found a decent enough broom to purchase on her own yet; the tightness of her coin purse didn't help those matters either.
"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."
The fight was on!
Well... a snowball fight to be exact.
Children on both sides were hurling snowballs at each other, most hitting their marks! The children on Hans' side were sloppy at first but with help from the merc, they started to get better.....However, it was not enough! The kids on Suna's side were building up snow walls almost as quickly as their opponents made snowballs! But Hans' children weren't letting up. "Aim at the wall!" The boy leading the opposing 'gang' yelled out, and soon they were now aiming at these constructed walls, tearing some of them down by the constant bombardment!
Hans couldn't help but smile a little at how much better these kids have gotten because of his advice, and at how much fun they were appearing to have. But then that smile turned into a little grin as he decided to finally throw a snowball of his own...his target being Suna! The children started to chuckle and giggle as they saw the snowball hit its mark. Hans would've started chuckling a little along with them if it wasn't for...
"Hans Walker!"
Hans grin faltered a bit at the sound of his full name being called out, almost like a child who was in big trouble with their parents. Even some of the children started to "Oooooo" in unsion to this. "What?" But the merc was able to regain his smile, appearing a bit more challenging this time. "Can't handle a little snow, Suna Hoshi?" The guy shrugged a bit, and the children on his side started to laugh! The merc could honestly not remember the last time he had fun like this! His childhood wasn't the greatest, but this here was certainly making up for it!
As the sound mage retreated behind one of the walls again, The children on Hans' side started up with their throwing again, with the dark mage himself joining more in on this. The smaller children certainly were a lot more crafty than the bigger ones, hiding behind their defenses and moving out of the way of incoming snowballs, Hans' "forces" were able to keep up for the most part...but something was different. Wait a minute...." While the children continued to chuck snowballs at the enemy walls, they started to notice that they were doing little to nothing to them! "Why aren't da walls comin down!?""Are we throwin hard enough?""They must be cheating!!"
While the taller kids were in an uproar, Hans already figured out what was going on. He could sense the sound mage's mana within the walls, making him smirk. "So that's how you're playing..." The dark mage crossed his arms before looking up at the cloudy sky. If only he had his sword with him, he could've summoned some of his raven golems for some aerial snow attacks, but it looks like he's going to have to think of something else. Looking back down, Hans noticed how his side was still lacking in defenses, only barely getting by through hiding behind some random snow piles.
It was time to fight fire with fire...and unlike Suna, Hans was going to be less subtle about it.
"Barrier..." Hans mumbled as his grimoire flew to his side, opening up with a dark aura surrounding it. The taller children caught sight of this and watched in awe. "W-woah look!""A grimoire....""And it has, one two....four leafs!?" But that didn't end there. Hans conjured up two transparent wall-like structures of darkness! Placing both walls in front of the children, Hans looked to them and then to their leader and nodded. "We'll use these to advance. They won't be able to defend properly if we get closer." The leading child grinned before raising a snowball clenched hand into the air. "Chaaarrgggeee!!!" With that, the kids yelled their adorable little battle cries and proceeded, throwing snowballs along the way while Hans kept the shields up.
Something else Hans took notice of while his "troops" were advancing is that it seemed like most of Suna's were now trying to aim at the male leader. So they were trying to take the "king" it seems? "Smart..." Hans mumbled as he walked. He wouldn't expect any less from that sneaky elf.
With how things were proceeding, Hans' kids would have the enemy "gang" cornered....that is, until the crucial "piece" of this game decided to stray from the plan....
The brown-haired leader got a little too cocky and decided to run past Hans' defenses. "Hey, wait!" Hans tried to stop him, but he didn't listen. With a huge grin on his face, the boy ran closer to the enemy's side with two snowballs in hand, giving the smaller kids an easy shot. Hans needed to make a choice, and he had to think fast! With seemingly no other option, the merc ran past his own barriers as well, causing them to come to a stop with the other kids stopping as well with confused looks on their little faces.
Before anything could hit the kid, Hans jumped into the way...and took whatever was going to hit the boy, whether it be a single snowball...or a barrage of them.
The merc then fell to the snowy ground with a hand on his chest. "M-mister?""Hans!?" The rest of the children ran past the barrier and all crouched over the guy. "I-I don't think I'm gonna make it...You all have done a f-fine job..." Hans claimed before faking a cough and groan. "You've all done....a gr-great job. I'm so...proud...." With that, he closed his eyes with a smile, now playing dead.
"NOOOO!!" the children yelled in unsion.
"W-We surrender!" the leading boy claimed as he turned to the shorter children. Hans then peeked one of his eyes open and glanced over to Suna if she was within range, and smiled a little more.
N O T E S
Hans' Coat (Is also wearing a pair of black gloves.)
Name of Spell: Dark Magic: Chaos Barriers Elemental Type: Dark Rank & Spell Type: Senior - Defense Creation Range & Speed: 50 meters - 25 m/s Mana Cost: 30 (Initial) - 15 (Sustain) Stats Effected: +9 Durability Applicable Perks: Self Repairing, Quick Shot, Skilled Sniper Description: With the grimoire on the page of the spell, the user summons a transparent glass like barrier of darkness for defensive purposes against spells of the same rank. The barrier is square like in shape, reaching up to forty cubic meters. The barrier will float around the area they were conjured at until the user takes control of them, being able to use these barriers from up to fifty meters around them. (Spell gains +5 Durability)
Ozma blinked slightly as Hinota asked him what he was doing he before he gently motioned to the tree and began to sign again. “a few of my squad members were coming and I felt it would be better to be here helping then to hunt or trying to interact with others at a ball a bit tough when you cant speak” he signed with a small teasing smile at the end showing he was being a bit lighthearted as opposed to his normal stoic self. When he had mentioned she looked well however Ozma caught her looking away and instantly his smile vanished and a look of concern appeared on his face. Before he could sign another word his younger sister introduced him to her captain while also introducing him back to him as well. Ozma felt irritation flare in him at having to interact with the higher ranked knight but he stomached it as he bowed respectfully and pulled out his paint brush before he would flick it into the air as paint would then linger in the air spelling out. “ a pleasure to make your acquaintance Captain Zaven I trust you have been keeping my younger sister safe?” it was an honest question from the mute knight.
As he waited for Zavens answer he watched as Hinota revealed her ornament to put on the tree and he caught her shaking lightly as he looked at her before signing. “go put your ornament on the tree” he signed before he would wait for her to do that before he would turn to Zaven and his eyes were narrowed into a glare. He took his brush before he would start writing in the air his movements showed immense irritation. “Im going to put this bluntly not as a magic knight but as her brother you caused quite a bit of trouble for our family” he wrote as he kept going.”Because of you taking her into your squad and causing her to walk off the path that our family wanted for her she was hurt and you bare responability for that and ontop of that she now avoids our family home like its cursed, I don’t get to see my precious sister as much as I would like” he finished writing as he took a breath in and focused on keeping his anger in check but it was hard when he saw how his sister had been trembling. His face while normally covered at least partials was set into a scowl as he brought his brush up to write again.
“I can see she is shaking and is badly effected by her duties as a magic knight even you have to realize she isn’t meant for this shes a gentle soul all your doing is causing her pain and will keep causing her pain” he wrote as his glare never faltered “if this keeps up its not going to end well I hope you know that” he finished as he waited for the captain to respond. Ozma was honestly furious at this captain for the pain he had caused his family and the pain his sister was dealing with but he knew better then to lose his temper he was taught better then that. All the Paint mage knew was that if something bad happened to his sister he would never forgive the Golden Dawn captain and would no doubt hold it against him for as long as he lived. At this point Ozma wanted the higher ranking mage to know just how much issue he had caused with Hinota his family.
Shizu couldn't help but chuckle just a little as she noticed that sheepish expression from Verena. "Oh there's no doubt about that. Any sufficiently large population will have it's share of roses among the weeds. But all the same really Verena dear, you shouldn't deny yourself your looks. Self deprecation is a shame when you're as cute as you are." She noted with a sly smile, glancing at Sio as the other witch emphesized her assurance that Verena was indeed a looker.
Her attention shifted back to her childhood friend and Shizu gave a sheepish smile and a wave. "Oh dear you know I hate heights. Besides my ornament has already been hung up. IN the middle where it belongs. But certainly why don't the two of you head up there? Your ornaments certainly qualify for the top metaphorical shelf~ I'll just stay down here and get us some drinks and food. Sio, why don't you tell her about where we grew up? I'm sure she'd be fascinated? Wouldn't you know a pretty thing like Sio grew up outside of a kingdom? A diamond in the rough if I've ever seen one." She smiled, promptly building her friend up just a little. Was she perhaps playing a bit of matchmaker? Well no not really, she had no idea if either of them swung that way, but still, getting the two women to be nice and friendly and head up to put their ornaments on the tree? Well at the VERY least they could become good friends! And given what she remembered of Sio, the poor recluse could USE a good friend.
Shizu then turned her attention to some of the other guests and hummed, plotting to herself. She DID think she'd spotted Suna and her boy toy nearby, but now that she looked around that didn't seem to be the case... BUT she knew the girl WOULD be here. an event like this? It was JUST the sort of thing that Suna would come to. The girl with witch heritage who was so nervous about talking about it. She tapped her chin. If she could get Sio to open up about her own heritage, maybe it would give Suna a bit of courage? Already a plan began to form in her head. Yes yes.... these young ones would all be friends by the end of the evening if she played her cards right~ And Sio would be drawing Verena like one of her french girls by morning~ Oh yea. It's all comin together~
wc: 425 twc: 1666 -> 2091
Last Edit: Dec 4, 2020 14:49:29 GMT -5 by Shizuyoru
Post by Verena Reinsberg on Dec 4, 2020 15:55:30 GMT -5
[nospaces]
[attr="class","verenaver2image"] [break]
POW
DUR
SEN
STA
CON
007
34
10
032
030
[break]
MANA SKIN senior
HEALTH senior
MANA REGEN 25 IC // 20 OOC
MANA POOL 110/110
[break]
[attr="class","verenaver2scroll"]
Verena was pretty sure this was a type of bullying, but at least in the case of Sio, she was a lot more restrained and spoke purely in a more factual sense. Still, she didn't like these facts being about her appearance. What was so beautiful about someone who was cursed? If they knew that, they likely wouldn't even want to look at her, not that she could blame them. Ultimately though, Verena knew it wasn't worth sharing and thus her sheepish embarrassment wore off, even as Shizu continued to lay on the praise of her appearance, even calling her cute.[break][break]
Though still uncomfortable by such praise, instead Verena opted to just offer the two a faint smile as she tried collecting herself internally. Bold types like these she never really could get a read on. It was difficult to ascertain how much of it was because she was serious and how much was a joke if any of it was at all. This would normally cause her to spiral into an overthinking state, but she just didn't have the time or energy to devote to that, to say nothing of the fact it was hardly appropriate at a place like this, one full of festivity and joy.[break][break]
"...It's quite alright," Verena said to Sio as she kept that faint smile. "A bit of praise here and there doesn't exactly hurt anyone."[break][break]
Lies did.[break][break]
Verena had one of the brooms given to her upon entering with her, but she wasn't using it right now. It was just idly hanging around her shoulder, as Sio suggested going to fly around. In truth, it had been years since she had flown unassisted. Her own broom was still stuck back at home in the estate. She wasn't even sure if it was still there. So it wasn't as if the idea wasn't tempting...[break][break]
Still, Verena glanced an eye over to Shizu, however. She didn't say anything, but the expression, faint as it was, indicated one of surprise. She'd just been reunited with whom the brunette thought was a close friend, but had little interest in catching up? Instead, she would rather a complete stranger do so? Even without Sio's warning, she could tell Shizu was the mischievous type, acting out on whims when and where she thought it funny or entertaining.[break][break]
Still, it wasn't as if the heiress had any real reason to say no. And it had been such a long time since she got to feel the wind blow past her as she enjoyed the serene sky. In the past she never went too high, so that would be a new experience for her, of course. But it would be a fun one.[break][break]
So, towards Sio's offer, Verena silently nodded as she grabbed the broom and used her mana so that she was just barely hovering above the ground, as if waiting on the blonde to do the same.
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COMBAT SUMMARY
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[attr="class","verenaver2scroll2"] TL;DR verena agrees to fly with sio weeeeeeeeeeeeeee [break][break]
Post by Siobhan Zippel on Dec 4, 2020 16:37:05 GMT -5
Shizu waved off the flight with ease, opting to hunt down food and drink for the impromptu trio as she stayed on the ground. Siobhan glanced over to Verena and gave a shrug as if to say 'so be it'. Watching the other young woman take to the sky and pause to wait for her, the witch gave a small thankful nod. It was short work to fetch a sturdy looking broom and join Verena in the air with a small laugh; it had been months, but broom riding was a skill that Siobhan had been raised around. It was the preferred mode of transportation back home.
"We'll meet up with you in a bit!" Siobhan cried over to Shizuyoru with a laugh as the cat-eared witch started to pick her way into the crowd. She leaned over slightly towards Verena to chuckle, "At least she's hard to miss in a crowd when she wears that headband."
The blonde hoisted her ornament over her arm as she hovered near the other girl. "With where the sun's setting from..." her voice was careful as she rotated slightly in the air, "if we go up there," a blue mittened hand pointed towards one of the flanking sides, "it'll be perfect."
Shizu's words rang in her ears again as Siobhan tilted her broom up to begin her steady ascent with the other girl. The wind and snow flurries blowing through her hair felt spectacular; by the gods and daemons she missed the feel of proper broom flight more than she'd anticipated. She sighed happily with a small smile on her face before turning her head towards Verena. She kept her broom close enough to keep their conversation private, but not too close. Riding could get difficult enough without someone tangling their bristles in someone else's.
"Shizuyoru and I aren't from the Clover Kingdom, like she said." Siobhan admitted, "What do you know of the Forest of Witches, Verena? What stories have you heard about it?" Her voice had a bit of hesitation to it as she said it out loud; since leaving the forest, she'd encountered a few people who were less than excited to meet a witch from the forest proper.
It was always intriguing to gauge people's reactions when talking about her homeland; some people shrugged it off as just a part of Clover Kingdom (which any Witch worth half her salt would deny vehemently in Siobhan's opinion), while others knew a bit more of it as a giant mana zone. Then of course, there were always the tales that humans spun of the place and it's inhabitants. Siobhan had never seen human sacrifice growing up, despite what some of the fireside yarns she'd collected since leaving home. Then again, who was she to know what went on behind closed doors? Plenty of Witches researched and practiced strange magics after all.
Siobhan was still adjusting to humans overall, but she felt more comfortable around women than men; her only experience with the latter for nearly two decades had only been in stories and books after all. Human women and witches weren't that different (and, she suspected, human men fell pretty close too) when you boiled them down to their composite parts.
Post by Verena Reinsberg on Dec 4, 2020 22:47:22 GMT -5
[nospaces]
[attr="class","verenaver2image"] [break]
POW
DUR
SEN
STA
CON
007
34
10
032
030
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MANA SKIN senior
HEALTH senior
MANA REGEN 25 IC // 20 OOC
MANA POOL 110/110
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[attr="class","verenaver2scroll"]
In the case of Verena, it had been years, and it showed. There was a reason that she only started off by slightly hovering above ground rather than just immediately ascending into the heavens themself. It was a bit embarrassing, and it was clear she was quite shaky on the broom. Ugh, how embarrassing. She really hoped that Sio wouldn't think less of her for something like this; riding a broom was no different than riding a bike -- not that she knew what a bike was -- but it still took some getting used to after not doing it for a long enough period of time.[break][break]
Admittedly the beauty wasn't really sure why Sio was speaking on her behalf. She did not want to interrupt their reunion. Frankly, there was a part of her that felt that even this much was uncalled for, but if the raven-haired woman wasn't going to, then Verena would feel even worse about it. Plus, as someone who had traveled Clover from all corners, she did feel a degree of duty to show this new arrival to their world some of the sights.[break][break]
If there was any doubt that Sio was from the Forest, it would have been removed upon first seeing her. The pointed hat was nothing more than a calling card, a beacon that shed light upon the blonde's heritage and where she came from. The pointed hat of the Witch's Forest was something any person from all corners of the world should reasonably know about, but at the same time Sio still felt it worth noting that they were a foreigner for all intents and purposes.[break][break]
"...Little, in truth," she admitted, but her mind trailed off to Suna. "...But I was told that it isn't uncommon for children to be raised by nannies or by the community at large, rather than having roles like 'mother' and 'father'. This is because there are no men allowed, right?"[break][break]
What a bizarre way of living. To ensure the longevity of the witch's, they still had to seek a partner but had to split up at the end. A truly cruel fate in her eyes. But that wasn't worth dwelling on or focusing on in any way.[break][break]
"There's a few rumors I've heard when traveling, of course, but I tend not to deal with rumors anyway. I know them, of course. I just don't see a basis to believe them. But that's the extent of my knowledge. Do you have any stories of the Forest you'd mind sharing with me?"[break][break]
A very factual manner of speaking, in Verena's same sweet tone, yet more mechanical in nature than previously. The two were flying about, going at a slower pace so as to actually speak to one another. The crimson-eyed beauty made a conscious effort to ensure her body language didn't come off as indifferent or callous. She couldn't help her tone, not with the weight of everything on her mind as it was. But she was still very interested in what Sio was talking about as they ascended upward to the towering tree.
[attr="class","zavenreescroll"] Zaven was introduced to Hinota’s brother, the Crimson Lion mage, named Ozma. This was the kid that had shot him that glare just moments earlier, then using his own magic to exchange a short greeting with him before Hinota accepted the rose with a few words to go with as he waved off the notion of having to receive a gift in return. He was going to answer both in turn. ”Firstly, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Ozma Yuiee, I hope you the night finds you well, and I hope you are doing good in the Crimson Lions, and as for your sister I am doing my best to keep your sister safe as I want the Clover Kingdom to prosper and do not wish to see anyone hurt. Secondly, Hinota please do not worry about a present back, that is just a token of my gratitude, nothing more. I am just happy to have you out of the base...not on a mission or dungeon this time.” He said as Ozma would soon ask his sister about the ornament again which prompted Hinota to leave the two of them alone for a few moments. Zaven still had that smile on his face as the paint mage used his magic to send a message to him, which Zaven read with earnest and nodded, watching as the obviously angered paint mage continued on with his rant. Zaven even understood where the young man was coming from in this, but he did not see it like the kid did...the two grew up in vastly different words. Finally he finished up with noting her shaking and even giving him a rather threatening type of warning that did not shock Zaven even a little, after all...family was family and the protection of something close knit is something to be cherished. [break][break]
”Ozma...I will let you know. Your warning is received, and personally I am unafraid of what may befall me as a result of my actions. You are a smart man, I will not talk to you any other way. Your sister is...dear to me...even for the small time I have known her.” He started, he knew that the two did not have much time with this little exchange, but he also kept his senses up to feel when Hinota might come back. ”I do not wish to see your sister ever hurt by what I have done, but from the very first outing she has had...there have been trials. What she needs from your family is acceptance, regardless of what you think of me...even though words don’t mean much here, you do not know that she actually…” He thought back on what he heard the “other” half of Hinota ask of him, and he sighed before regaining his placid demeanor. ”Ozma, I wish to talk with you at length about your sister, but the time is not yet right for me to do so. I know you won’t accept that, but that is all I can offer you, so until then...may I get you and your sister a mug of hot chocolate and we talk about the good that we have had during this year...even if there are not many.” He said as he just did not quite have the words to give to Ozma to make him feel better or to make him accept his decision. He of course, could tell the Golden Dawn captain to fuck off and take his sister away, but the Shadow of Dawn was no pushover.
Post by Hinota Yuiee✾ on Dec 5, 2020 21:40:50 GMT -5
Hinota read her brother's words as he signed to her, she guessed it made sense that he would come here to enjoy the festivities given his handicap, well there was also the fact that this was a lot less stressful than either of the other events at least in her mind. It was as simple as creating an ornament or bringing one to hang on the tree then enjoying the festivities and activities that were all around the tree but in honesty, she now truly regretted coming more than she originally had. When she introduced her brother and captain to each other she could feel the tension at least from her brother's side of things, she loved her brother dearly but she knew he had never forgiven the man for what happened on the day she came home with her mantle or anything that would come after it. To the best of her knowledge, he didn't know that she had been within a fire temple within the desert nor that she had been within Raque when it had been attacked or even with the groups that had sieged the town of Kikka thus freeing it from the darkened tyranny that it had been under during Sven's occupation, she actually feared what her older brother would say or do if he did know any of this. She had went radio silent with her family since that fateful day afraid that it may happen again, that she would be locked away or something worse.
"Captain my brother is a mute so he uses his magic to communicate with those who don't know sign language." she explained not wanting it to seem as if her brother was being rude to him for how he was communicating with him. It was then she caught her brother signing to her again she opened her mouth to say something but closed it quickly looking down and nodding "Excuse me captain." she said passively, it would be clear whatever was signed to her was not a request and with a bow to the pair, she left them be and headed towards the massive tree that was nearby allowing them their privacy to talk. She looked at all the ornaments some handmade while others were clearly bought on the tree, there were even people flying above looking for the perfect spot to hang their own item. The doll-like mage was still not keen on flying and so it meant that the higher spots were out of her reach which saddened her, she closed her eyes for a moment as she thought over things before shaking her head and without even so much as moving to place the lantern onto the tree she started moving away from it, in fact, she moved away from both Zaven and Ozma towards a bench out of the way of everything placing the lantern beside her. She didn't really understand what was coming over her, she was normally bubbly and enjoyed socialising with others but right now she just wanted to be alone but that too terrified her.
"When did things change?" she whispered to herself, had she been under a tree or on the floor she would have just brought her knees to her chest before placing her head on them. She didn't like how she was feeling and the voice deep down was taunting her for her weakness, she could hear the whispers and feel the scratches at her mind. It was right she wasn't strong enough to endure all this but she sure as hell wasn't about to let that darkness in her out to plague the world in who knows what way. "I'm not the strongest, not by far but then I don't need to be. I just need to be strong enough to keep you at bay." she whispered to herself forcing down the feeling that she wanted to throw up or cry perhaps both right now she wasn't too sure how she was feeling if she was, to be honest with anyone. She watched the others in the area silently feeling like an outsider or an observer of sorts, she almost felt like she was acting like one of those gods damn daemons from Kikka as she no longer understood the world she was part of or that's how she felt at current. She wondered if she should just run away and join the church she would be a woman of the cloth and so not expected to marry and she wouldn't have the trauma of being a magic knight, of course, there was also the fact that due to her families restrictions she would need the permission of Zaven to leave the magic knights and he had already made it quite clear that was something that he just wasn't going to allow.
Then again she had already stepped off the path she had once so what would it matter if she did it for a second time? Then again the punishment for doing it the first time was severe so didn't want to even think of what would happen for a second offence but she hadn't seen either of her parents since that day, in fact, this had been the first time she had seen her elder brother since then and she was quite afraid of what he would report back to them. She had to wonder what the two men were talking about and truly hoped that her older brother didn't break the house rules of what happens behind closed doors remained there but then again he was the heir of their family as not only the oldest but as a male making him the golden child. She imagined she was just a disappointment to them at this point even if they did know what she went through they'd likely have told her that if she had just have listened to them she wouldn't be going through the trauma she was now, that wasn't one hundred percent true as she could still have been in one of those cities just she would have been another casualties or body that the magic knights would have needed to protect but then given her way of thinking was it any different now? Perhaps she was in her mind too much but given everything she had been through it was hard not to, she closed her eyes and just sighed quietly to herself as she listened to the world around her pass by.
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Dec 5, 2020 22:53:09 GMT -5
[NOSPACES]
"I'm no g e n i u s, I'm just a fool who keeps going forward."
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word count 540
total word count 540
[attr="class","glentext"]
Charles wasn't particularly the type of person to openly come to these kinds of events unless he had a good reason to do so or something the particularly grabbed his attention. The mages from the town of Babel managed the tallest tree in the Kingdom, even though he didn't show a lot of excitement towards such things, it was interesting enough for him to take a look. Due to the fact that it was tradition to bring an ornament to decorate the tree, the silver mage made an ornament of his own using his magic. Then again, maybe he should cheer up a bit more, Kikka was now free from the reign of the Daemons. It was a good time for celebrating and for him to relax, even though it was something he did quite often anyway. [break][break] He wondered if the people who went to Kikka came back safely, aside from the Chisana and Rosalia who he saw on an almost daily basis he was curious about the rest. It's been quite some time since he last saw them. If he was lucky, maybe he'll be able to see some of them today, then again it's not like had high hopes. The silver mage wasn't particularly a fan of the cold weather, in fact, the cold weather made him want to stay in a bed even more than any other previous situation. [break][break] Charles made his way flying towards the town of Babel. As he got closer and closer, he was able to see the tree, which made it easier to identify he was in the right place. A silver owl could be seen flying the zone, noticing that they were other people using brooms to move around the town, especially to put their ornament in the tree because of how tall it was. Before doing that the silver mage decided to take a look around before deciding to that. The owl landed in a place where there weren't many people before Charles got off of it and took a look around the place. As the Black Bull began walking around the place looking for a place to sit down. [break][break] Eventually finding a place to take a seat, he wanted to take a look at the place while he was somewhere comfortable. As usual, he was always looking to do things with minimal effort. Because of that, the silver mage briefly closed his eyes, he wasn't sure if this was going to work or not, but he had to give it a try anyway. Closing his eyes, Charles began using Ki in order to track somewhere to eat. He began concentrating and feeling the natural energy around the area, the place was packed with people, but one of the Ki signatures he felt was different from the rest and resulted familiar to him, it was Verena. "Huh... So she's here, nice. Maybe I'll go say hello later..." The cold weather really didn't make him want to move around much at the moment, so he remained where taking a brief rest. It has been a while since she last saw her, but he felt relieved to know that she made it out alive from the hellhole that was Kikka. [break]