Sɐɯdlǝs (DNP ^_^)

[M4RCK3TTe]

Eirwen rocked back and forth on her heel as she stood in line, occasionally fiddling with the straps of her backpack. She was excited, anxious and caffeinated. Her time at Arkney
was about to begin and she couldn't wait! She had already spent a little more than half a day in Capri, trying to recover from jetlag as best she could. Dinner was the best pasta
she had ever eaten and breakfast was some amazing pastry that she only managed to pronounce after a few tries (it was sfogliatella). Just a couple of minutes ago, she had
been dropped off at the academy entrance by one of her uncle's many army connections, whose family had also graciously hosted her for the night and gifted her an "Italia, Capri"
shirt. It seemed that this new chapter of her life was off to a good start.

She handed in her liability waiver and collected a yellow envelope before moving to a quieter area to open her newly acquired item.

Eirwen Bailey. Ranged DPS. Corrupted Research.

She gave the dog tag a small nod of approval, all the details were correct. She had chosen Corrupted Research in hopes of feeling a little closer to her parents who were
working with a medical research team in Switzerland. Initially she couldn't help but wonder whether she was being a burden to them but in time she was able to understand
that she had not been abandoned. They were just really passionate about their work and contributing to the "greater good". Satisfied, Eirwen turned her attention to the second
piece of metal behind the first.
"D/3." she breathed out a sigh, relieved that she had even gotten a rank. The Dog Tags seemed important and so after her inspections she immediately hung it around her neck.

Looking at the other item which was in the yellow envelope, Eirwen presumed that it too was important and moved to put it on. Accidentally, she found the power button as she
fastened the metal bracelet to her wrist, prompting the very realistic hologram to suddenly appear before her.
"Whoa!" she leant back in surprise, hitting the back of her head against the wall behind her as the Deputy Headmistress launched into her speech. As the red-haired lady continued to
speak, Eirwen’s nerves settled quickly and she started listening intently to her every word, occasionally nodding her head as if the woman was actually there.

Oh, wow! Roommates. I hope we'll get along. As pictures of four students popped up in front of her, she grimaced at the sight her own photo. It wasn’t
the best as she had a nervous smile was plastered to her face. After the Deputy Headmistress’s introductions ended, she decided to head to her new dorm room to drop
off the two large duffel bags she had bought with her.

The room was empty and Eirwen hoped her new roomies wouldn’t mind her calling dibs on one of the beds first as she coveted one of the top bunks for herself by chucking her
bags onto it. They landed with a dull thud, as if something solid and hard was inside. She didn't remember packing anything that could've made such a noise. Climbing up, she
unzipped one of her duffel bags to find boxes, boxes upon boxes of "Deluxe Chocolate Coated Australian Macadamia Nuts". Her clothes had been reduced by a third and the
extra pair of shoes she packed were nowhere to be seen. The only explanation for their disappearance was a note from her uncle.

Dear E,
The last macadamia nut farm in NSW got swarmed with Cs yesterday. Captain F and J started fighting over the remaining chocolate macadamias.
Soon, they're gonna go nuts. Ha. Sorry about the clothes. Enjoy the chokkies.
Love, Uncle B

Wide eyed, Eirwen just stared at the boxes of confectionery for a few seconds before robotically opening one of them and starting on one of the chocolates. She had no idea
what she was going to do with them all but at least she now had an ice-breaker.


LOCATION ⋮ room 104
WITH ⋮ no one
OOC ⋮ :3 Macadamia nuts for days.
BLAH = #BA55D3 THOUGHTS = #B19CD9

[M4RCK3TTe]

She was having no luck with her royal spotting and was feeling like giving up. Her gaze drifted down to her drink, idly watching its bubbles rise to the surface and disappear.
Perhaps she should've spent more time investigating what the royals were like instead of memorising the ins and outs of the whole Florentia family line?

At the sound of footsteps coming ever closer, Celestia lifted her head to once again to see a blonde lady in an elegant pale pink lacy dress walking in her direction. Was she
really coming over? She hadn't really done anything to attract attention had she? After all, she had just been standing in a corner, minding her own business. Her eyes darted left
and right. Perhaps this lady wanted to grab a drink from the waiter standing somewhat nearby? Or maybe she mistook her for someone else? Celestia raised her glass to her
mouth once more and emptied it just before her new acquaintance started to speak.

At the word "Princess" she tensed up but tried to put on as pleasant of a smile as she could in the circumstances. Oh no. She hadn't expected to meet royalty so soon and
wondered just how she had attracted managed Honora’s attention. So far, her first impression of the Princess was good. Celestia respected nobles who were lassie-faire
about honorifics and formalities and the Princess seemed kind enough, after all, she had chosen this loner out of all the other people in the room to talk to. As the Princess finished
speaking, she gave a quick curtsey. But just as she opened her mouth to introduce herself, the voice of another cut her off.

Feeling rather indignant, she turned to see who had just inserted themselves into their conversation. Two red-haired men who were almost identical save for perhaps a few
minor differences in the way they wore their clothes. They were dashing but so were many others and the attitude of one who spoke did not impress her one bit. Couldn’t he
see that there was a conversation going on here? Who did he think he was? But as she listened to the man, she came to a quick realisation of who the two could be. Oh good
lord… By the way he was so casually addressing the Princess, his red hair and the fact that he had an identical looking man next to him who was most likely his brother unless
the world had such uncanny coincidences, she deduced that they were the Princes from the Kingdom of Night. Fantastic. The way the man spoke to the Princess, worsened
her impression of him. Who did he think he was telling Honora who to talk to? So when he turned his attention to her, she responded in like.

"Who wants to know?" she answered curtly, looking him in the eye with as best a steely glare as she could manage. She was putting up a strong front but, inside,
she had immediately regretted it. God, keeping her trap shut was harder than she thought. What happened to erring on the side of caution? Tact, decorum and delicacy?
Well, that all just flew out the window as her plans of staying inconspicuous did. Fuelled by a sense of irritation, she had just blabbed the first thing that came into her head.
"I believe it is common courtesy to give your name before asking someone for theirs." Celestia continued. She had gone too far to save whatever unassuming, demure or
traditionally ladylike impression she had hoped to cultivate for at least the first few rounds of the competition and thought that she might as well jump right into the grave she just
dug herself.
"But as I was about to say, Honora,” she said with a friendlier tone as she turned to the Princess.
“My name is Cherisse. But, please, call me Cheri." Her line was perfectly delivered, although with a much less formal tone than when she had
practised it. Her fingers tightened around the stem of her glass. Actually having to use it made her feel guiltier than she had anticipated and Celestia knew that this would not be
the last time she would have to lie. She would have to do this over again when introducing herself to others or talking about her "background". To ease some of her guilty
conscience, Celestia swore to be genuine whenever the situation allowed her to be.
"And, who might you two be?"

LOCATION ⋮ Gardens
WITH ⋮ Honora, Albie, Flynn
OOC ⋮ Sorry for the wait! I was wondering if I should wait for those who hadn't posted their intro post before putting in one.
BLAH = #FCC200 THOUGHTS = #88D8C0

[M4RCK3TTe]

The insufferable princes of the night kingdom, you mean. She somehow felt slightly deflated that her deduction was correct. Celestia had a small hope that this world had its uncanny
coincidences and that they were just some arrogant Lords. But destiny just had to toy with her. Confirming the identities of the two men did nothing to improve her opinion of
them. So what if they were Princes? They were people all the same.

She stiffened as the second red haired man commented on her earlier attitude. But as sharp as his words were, they had done her a favour as they pulled her back into reality.
She was here to get into the top ten, not to put wayward princes in their place. Was this the end of the road? Internally, she apologised to the real Cherisse as she raked her
brains for a way to save her spot in the competition. Luckily, there was no need for such measures as neither seemed to be all that insulted by her. She was still in the game and
that was all that mattered. With some sense of rationality and calm restored to her, she wondered if she should try to soften the Princes' impression of her a little later. But for the
moment, she knew that such a change in attitude would be too sudden and she was still feeling too indignant to try to play nice.

The second Prince's question about who she wanted to marry was one she had prepared for. However, her practised answer of “whoever will have me” hardly seemed appropriate
given her previous assertiveness. Celestia searched for an alternative, only pausing her thoughts to raise an eyebrow at the mention of a “sneak peek”. So they are those kind of
guys, huh? Honestly, she was stumped. There was no way that she would ever say that she came to win the hand of either one of these tomato heads and she wondered
whether the Prince of Neutral was any better. To her good fortunes, she wouldn't have to give an answer. Honora took the words right out of her mouth and she couldn’t be
more thankful as she looked up at her approvingly. You tell them, Honora! At least it seemed like she had made one ally in this competition and one friend whose pluckiness she greatly
liked. As she listened to the Princess chastise her cousins, her ire dissipated somewhat.

Despite Honoura's efforts to assure her of her cousins' nature, she wasn't the least convinced but returned a cheerful smile all the same. Not a second sooner, as if just to
prove the Princess wrong, her cousin approached her. Standing sandwiched between Honora and the gardens she was cornered and could not take a step away. Celestia
tensed as he placed himself between her and Honoura. What did he think he was doing? Why was he so close? She stood firm, warily eying him as he picked up a lock of her hair.
To her annoyance, he was quite a bit taller. Even with her heels, her eye level was only just above his shoulder. Celestia tried not to lift her head too much as though she were
obviously looking up at him, feeling that she would look like some expectant puppy if she did. She remained unmoved as he spoke. But beneath her calm visage, she was as
flustered as anyone would be if some stranger had suddenly invaded their personal space. However, she felt that if she showed it and she would’ve lost somehow.
The only thing, hm? Only if you consider yourself to be just an animal. I thought I came here to meet Princes, not wolves. She had a quite a few things she wanted to say, but for
the time being thought that it'd be best to keep her thoughts to herself.

Celestia nearly reacted at his breezy admission. So they weren’t looking wives? It seemed that this was just a game to the both Princes. The new bit of information made
her feel less guilty about her purpose for being there and Celestia had some confidence that she could play along just as well. Love. Romance. Of course such things had
crossed her mind before. Alas, she never really had the time for them as she travelled too often and never came across anyone she thought she could give herself fully to. Her
eldest brother was happily married but her elder sister had experienced many painful breakups and was still single to this day. The latter had lamented more about her ill
fortunes than the former had boasted about the joys of married life, and so, Celestia decided very early on that she would just leave it up to fate. Perhaps she'd never get
married and embark on a journey across the lands searching for rare antiques.

If he hadn't let go a second sooner and if Honora hadn't been standing in the vicinity, she would've smacked him into tomorrow. With her hair returned to her, Celestia stroked it
back down, smoothing it over as if it had been twisted out of place or as if she were dusting some lint off it. In a few words, this man had managed to irk her again. But having
calmed herself once, she was not riled so much this time. Gritting her teeth behind a restrained smile, she held back the ever nagging urge to retort, roll her eyes, or breathe
out a languid huff. No, I just don’t know what to do with the two of you, and you in particular. As a gentleman carrying a tray of empty flutes walked by, she placed her own onto it.

"Of course, Your Highness.” She offered a quick and shallow curtsey in mock politeness.
“As to what kind of girl I am, well, you'll just have to wait and see won't you?" Celestia smirked mischievously. Taking a lock of her hair, she twisted it around her finger,
looking down at it as if she was contemplating.
"After all, what's the fun in rushing?" Releasing her hair from her fingers, she turned to the hedges behind her and plucked three flowers from it. The first she
offered to Honora.
“I apologise for my previous … outburst. I am sure your cousins are, as you said, harmless. I do hope we can become good friends, Honora.” As if steeling her nerves
before a fight, she took a silent breath before returning her attention to the twins.
"This competition's just started so I'll be here for at least a few days, if not weeks.” she started, making her way to the twins.
“I believe you both have given me enough of a sneak peek as to what you can offer.” she smiled pleasantly at the second who had spoken to her as she tucked the stem
of the second flower into his breast pocket. Without missing a beat, she took a quick step to the side, suddenly closing the gap between herself and the first Prince who had spoken
to her, standing as close has he had been to her before.
“So, I look forward to learning, your Highness." Her emerald eyes flickered up to meet his teal. Defiantly, she held her gaze for a few seconds before tucking the stem of
last one into his breast pocket. Celestia flashed them both an equally cheeky grin before stepping back to stand beside Honora. Was this an invitation? No, this was a challenge.
Two- no, three can play at this game. Hell will have to freeze over before either of you can ever get your hands under this dress.
“Now, shall we go get a bite to eat, Honora?”

LOCATION ⋮ Gardens
WITH ⋮ Honora, Albie, Flynn
OOC ⋮ Sorry for the wait! There was so much interaction to react to! I feel kinda bad for hogging 3 of the royals XD I hope this was ok! I think I read over it once before submitting. Ahhhh, I don’t even know if Celestia’s in or out of character anymore! But I’d feel bad if all she had to offer was one or two quips so have a bunch of Cel being cheeky/flirty/Cel? Oh! And in case we’ve lost track, the first to speak to Cel was Albie and the second one was Flynn. She doesn’t know their names so I think I’ve referred to them as such.
BLAH = #FCC200 THOUGHTS = #88D8C0

[M4RCK3TTe]

Glad to get away from the twin Princes, Celestia definitely felt more at ease now that she was just with Honora. Despite her displays of confidence, she had been on edge. The
twin Princes were so unpredictable and they just riled her up so much, especially that particular one. In the end, her competitiveness and pettiness had won the battle over her
sense of rationality. As her head cooled, she wondered if she would’ve had an easier time or at least a chance to make a better impression if she had met each one of them
separately. But what was done was done and now she most likely in the bad books of two out of the five, almost half. Just what had she done?! She hoped that if they or any of the
other royals were to try to kick her out before she had made it into the top ten that Honora could somehow veto it.

Finally, she was going to have some food. Her brother always told her that it was bad to drink on an empty stomach, which she had just done although it had only been a small
amount. As they made their way towards the table, a gaggle of people crowded around to give their greetings to the Princess. She wondered how many of them had come with the
intention of finding love but remembering the seriousness Honora seemed to be taking the competition with, hoped that she could find someone nice all the same. Celestia
plastered on a smile as best she could. It was hard not to notice the glares and side-eyes that she was getting and even harder not to glare back. It was just her luck that she was
able to get chummy with her whilst the rest of them were able to only give her a fleeting greeting. They were her rivals and though the niggling temptation to gloat about her new
friendship to her fellow competitors was there, food took priority. Taking the plate from the Princess, she uttered a soft thank you before beginning to assemble a selection of small
savoury bites on the left side of her plate.

Upon hearing Honora’s question, Celestia stopped arranging the beginning of a personal mini buffet on her plate. The first answer that came into to her mind was travelling. It was
part of her job but she enjoyed it. Alas, it wasn't something she could say. Cherisse was a hermit who spent 90% of her time indoors, not a versed wanderer of the lands. Luckily,
apart from sharing a similar appearance, she also had a few hobbies that she shared with Lady Amici.
"I enjoy stargazing." It was not a complete lie. By no means was she an expert in astrology but she often had time to gaze up at the constellations as she travelled and very
much appreciated the aesthetics of a beautiful night's sky.
"When you have lots of spare time to spend by yourself, don't you just find yourself staring up at the sky and pondering the meaning of life?" She swallowed. You idiot.
The sudden disparity between the tension she had been feeling just a few moments before and the sense of ease that she was feeling now was so great that she had let
her guard down too much. The revelation of her occasional existential crises was probably a little too heavy and unbefitting of the image of a lonely maiden gazing out from
her balcony up at the deep dark blue, romanticising the harsh realities of the life outdoors.
"… Or, uh, when the one is ever going to show his face? Have you heard the story about the celestial lovers separated by the river of stars? I read it in a
book somewhere." she hoped that her follow up had saved could gloss over her mistake as she placed another small sandwich onto her plate.
"Reading is also one of my favourite pastimes! Romance is my favourite. Have you read the one by Bennett? It's my favourite." Celestia felt her cheeks heat up. Somehow, saying
that her favourite genre to read was romance made her feel a little bit more embarrassed than she had thought it would - so much so that she had said favourite thrice in the span
of less than ten seconds. However, her words were also not a complete lie. Upon her sister's very strong insistence, she had read several romance novels and the one by
Bennett was her favourite out of all of them. Still, she couldn't quite call romance her favourite genre. If given the choice, she'd choose adventure, non-fiction or whatever topic
was written in the old musty books found in the most secluded parts of libraries.
"How about you?" she asked before taking a bite of one of the petite sandwiches she had collected.

LOCATION ⋮ Gardens
WITH ⋮ Honora
OOC ⋮ Sorry for the lateness!
BLAH = #FCC200 THOUGHTS = #88D8C0

[M4RCK3TTe]

Just for a second, Sasha paused as she watched the man take off in the direction which
she had directed him to. I ain't your dear. She thought but he was gone before she
could finish her mouthful of macaroni. His attitude was so strange to her. Who refers to
themselves as a humble man these days? Other than perhaps the kind of person she
hated most, overly religious types who seem to think the world of themselves but pretend
not to. To her, his words seemed flowery and elegant, as if he were some prince or noble
from a fairy tale. What was his deal? Did he always speak like that or was he just putting
on airs? And what for? It was just macaroni. Sasha smoothed out the creases that had
formed on her forehead and shrugged to herself. She doubted whether it was the "finest
of macaroni money could buy" and after pondering for a few moments where the world’s
best macaroni could in fact be found, she gathered that she wouldn’t be able to get her
hands on some anyway and returned to her food.
 
Her head whipped back up at the sound of the chair opposite her being pulled out. In the
time that it took her to finish what was left of her macaroni, the man had returned to the
table. She let out an audible huff as the man sat down. Oh, why… He had asked one
question and she answered it. This did not mean they were friends. This did not mean
that she expected him to return and show her that he was a clever boy, able to follow her
instructions and purchase something wonderfully cheesy for his own enjoyment. She
thought that he would've chosen to sit somewhere else with her gruff attitude and all but
here he was again. Was he a masochist? Sasha shuddered at the thought. I'm not
going to entertain those fantasies today, tomato top. Picking up her plastic fork, she
placed it inside the empty oven dish and neatly arranged her tray, readying herself to
leave when a realisation hit her. She was here first. Why should she be the one to leave
just because he had chosen to sit opposite her? Besides, she was feeling kind of full,
almost food coma inducing full, and so physical exertion of any sort was out of the
question. Letting go of the tray, Sasha relaxed back into the seat and folded her arms
across her chest.
 
A cup filled with what appeared to be gelato was placed in front of her. Violet eyes
narrowed as they glared at the intrusion. What was this? Why did he have to encroach
her side of the table? Did he not know that there was more table space in front of him? It
took a few seconds before she realised his intentions. Oh, it was a gift. She remembered
that her mother always told her not to accept gifts from strangers. But, for the past few
years, her mother had been nothing more than a phone call every once in a while. So
whatever advise her absent mother had given to her in the past had very little weight on
her current actions. Still, Sasha had her reservations. They had just met and she was
aware that her attitude wasn’t exactly the most pleasant. Had he put something in it? Her
gaze shifted from the small cardboard cup of gelato to the man, to the gelato and back to
the man again. It looked so tempting. Tomato top had another serving of gelato for
himself and had only started on his macaroni. By the expression on his face, he seemed
to be enjoying it and it didn't look like he was going to be leaving any time soon. Despite
her niggling apprehension she moved the cup closer to herself.

"…Thanks." Without further ado, Sasha spooned out a curl of gelato. Cold! Fruity. Sweet.
Delicious. She couldn't quite identify exactly what fruits were in it with all sorts of flavours
mixed up but there was definitely mango and strawberry in it. To be honest, the flavour
wasn't her absolute favourite but she didn't dislike it and would have it again if another
kindly stranger were to give some to her for free. Admittedly, it was a good palate cleaner
after such a hearty meal. She stole a glance at his chocolate one which the man had
started to eat. It looked good too but the rich flavour of chocolate was too heavy for her at
the moment. If she had a choice, she would've gone for a fresh lemon gelato. But in any
case, she wasn't going to kick a gift horse in the mouth, or however that saying went.
 
For a couple of minutes they ate in silence as the man busied himself with his macaroni
and Sasha nursed her gelato. Her gaze remained lowered at her own portion of gelato
and only shifted to look at his face when he started to speak again. It seemed hard to
believe that what he was saying was true. If so, where was his sister? She chewed on her
spoon as she mulled over how to answer his question.
"You may not." She curtly replied, staring at him, gauging his reaction before her stern
expression relaxed into a smile as she chuckled to herself. God, food made her so happy.
Especially free ones. Was she being too easy? Perhaps. But a bit of idle conversation
never hurt anyone and she didn't really have anything to lose.
"It so happens that I'm running away to a new life too. Fancy that, eh? Look, we even
have matching bags, runaway bags." Sasha raised another spoonful of gelato to her
mouth. The fact that they and a few other people she had seen in the station were
carrying identical bags piqued her curiosity.
"Hey, before coming here, I don't suppose you've also met a woman in white, have you?
One who happened to have a spare ticket to board a train to god-knows-where? Cause
she's partly the reason I'm here." Sasha was very well aware that she sounded like a
lunatic. A woman in white? Ticket to someplace unknown? Really? But she had her
reasons. Perhaps her question would creep him out so much that he’d leave her alone to
her free gelato.



[𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧]⊰ Train station ||
[𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡]⊰ Noel ||
[𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬]⊰ no one ||
[𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠]⊰ clothesclothesclothes ||
(っ*Д*)っ♥{ ooc ▷ Was sitting on this for a few days but I finally finished it off and formatted it :3 Sorry for the wait!}
BLAH = #B452CD THOUGHTS = #CDB5CD

[M4RCK3TTe]

Seeing that the Princess didn’t really seem to want anything to eat, Celestia sped up the assembling her platter of food. The sight of the selection had made her hungry but the
mob of people around was slightly off-putting and she hoped that she had gathered enough so she wouldn’t have to return later to grab more. As Honora left the buzz of the
crowd behind, she followed close behind, careful not to topple her plate of goodies or spill them onto her new friend in front of her.

"O-oh, of course!" Her sister said Bennett was a romance staple but she was wrong to assume all rich ladies had read it. She wondered what other romance titles she could recommend
and made a mental note to send a letter to her sister later for a list. But, at least there was one hobby that they could sort of share. The idea of stargazing together delighted her,
even though at the moment she had little knowledge of the stars' proper names. It was never too late to start reading up astrology and remembering the actual names of the
stars and constellations, rather than the ones she had just made up for her own amusement. Perhaps such a leisurely activity would help to take both their minds off the
pressure of the competition for at least a while.

Celestia continued to listen intently, occasionally giving a nod or a gentle "I see". Being a princess seemed like a lot of work - a lot more work than she initially thought. After
ballroom dancing, lessons on the basics of diplomacy and politics were her second least favourite, not because she couldn't comprehend it, but because it utterly bored her. So, to
hear that Honora had to read such reports and study diplomacy on a much more advanced level, day in, day out, she felt a strong sympathy for the Princess. Celestia took
notice of her slightly more solemn expression, following her gaze to see the group of musicians playing a merry tune. She wondered what Honora thought of their playing to be
making such an expression before the Princess started to speak again.

"That sounds delightful." she commented before she turned her mind to the Princess’s question. As part of her preparations for the competition, she had learned the basics of playing the
piano and one song very, very well in case she needed to compete in a musical battle. Before she could elaborate on the extent of her musical ability, she heard the sound of
someone clearing their throat. Excuse me? She turned to see a man with a bit of a mystical feel about him with his light blue hair and blue eyes. Having had
some food, she was feeling less inclined to start something and their small group was joined by another. Still, slightly miffed, she took a bite of her sandwich as he asked to join
them.

With her mouth full of food, she looked to Honora before turning back to the man and nodding apprehensively. Remembering that it was courtesy to introduce herself, she
fought to quickly finish her mouthful of food. She gave the newcomer a quick look up and down as she chewed. Blue hair. Blue eyes. It couldn't be. But it was. Celestia nearly
choked when he introduced himself. It seemed that she or Honora were magnets to other royals as they just kept drawing them in. Her eyes gravitated to the shawl he was holding.
Did he just have an avant-garde sense of fashion or had he had a head start on those kinds of activities already? Having met his cousins, she wouldn’t have been surprised if it
was her latter and that possibility soured her impression of him somewhat. However, seeing that his introduction was not quite as rude and that this was possibly a chance to
befriend another royal, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Cherisse, Cherisse Florentia. It's a pleasure to meet you too, your Highness." This time she had her introduction down pat and having managed to do it without a hint of snark despite
her apprehensions about his nature still lurking at the back of her mind, she felt just ever so slightly accomplished.

"Oh? Well, I hope I'll be fortunate enough to hear you play one day, Honora." She said, turning to the Princess with a smile.
"As, I was about to say, I can play the piano, but just a little. I'm not very good though…" she felt the tips of her ears heating up slightly. She never liked admitting that she was bad at things.
"But I do hope to improve my skills sometime." Celestia smiled before taking a bite of one of the mini-quiches she had piled up on her plate. As she chewed, her eyes briefly followed
the Prince’s line of sight to see another lady with blue eyes and blonde hair. Was she someone he had his eye on? Blonde hair, blue eyes. Though there were lots of people
with such features, they also fit the description of the Princess of Neutral. So perhaps she was just his sister? Despite the potential chance to befriend another royal, Celestia wasn’t
too keen on the thought of her joining them as she wasn't quite sure if she was ready to handle the company of sibling royals again just yet. She took a bite out of one the small
assortment of finger sandwiches she had gathered as he spoke to Honora, managing to finish her mouthful a few seconds later.
"So, if you don't mind me asking, what are your thoughts on this occasion, Honora? And, your Highness?"

LOCATION ⋮ Gardens
WITH ⋮ Honora +Alistair
OOC ⋮ Sorry for the lateness!
BLAH = #FCC200 THOUGHTS = #88D8C0

[M4RCK3TTe]

She breathed out a sigh as she placed her bag down on the table and flopped down onto the couch behind her. After a four hour lecture and a trek through the streets of the
crowded metropolis it was good to be home. Eyelids slowly shut as Kyouka let herself a moment to rest. But her respite was short lived as not a second too soon, the piercing
sound of her phone started to fill the air.
"Hello?" Her brows furrowed at the unfamiliar voice from the other side which addressed her in Japanese. Sohma-san How long had it been since she had been called that?
Why were they calling her now? Whatever reason it was, it couldn't be good. The mystery caller from the Sohma House continued to talk, glib about whether she had forgotten her
Japanese and it seemed like he trying to keep things light and the conversation drawn out. Kyouka laughed mirthlessly at the meaningless small talk, her attention diverted from
her phone call to the sound of a car pulling up in front of her apartment. Three? No, four people got out.
"Why are you calling?" A silence fell between them for a tense moment.
"You are to return to Japan immediately." Kyouka dropped the phone as if she had accidentally grabbed onto a searing tray of cookies that had come out of the oven. Tigers
were predators but despite her "natural instincts", her gut told her to run. So she did. Grabbing the bag that she had just placed down moments ago, she climbed out of the
window and made her way down the exterior stairs that snakes down the side of the brick building. Fingers slid across the smooth screen of the latest iPhone as she attempted to
call a taxi. But no sound came from the other end. Almost immediately, she received a text that read: Your service has been cancelled. Kyouka let out an exasperated grunt as
she put her phone away. So this was the power of the Sohma family. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she met by two women in clean pressed suits. Kyouka squared up. It
wasn’t like she knew how to fight but it wasn’t like she had any other choice. Rather amateurishly, she made a dash at them. The next thing she knew, she was falling to the
floor and the world faded to black. The next time she opened her eyes, she was on a plane.

----

As the car came to a red light, the driver gently stepped on the breaks as the vehicle slowed to a stop. It had been an hour since he started the drive from the airport. Palms
sweaty, his gloved hands that tightly gripped the leather covered steering wheel as his eyes slowly shifted to the side and up to the rear view mirror before averting them once
again. There it still was. The cold, unmoving glare from the passenger seat. She was just a young lady. Sandwiched between two female bodyguards at that. But from the moment
she entered the car, he felt a certain unease as if at any moment she could lunge forward and attack him. He had worked for the Sohma family for generations and for the longest
time he thought that there was just something a little off about them. But, dare he ask? No. It was a good paying job and it seemed that asking would somehow be a dangerous
move. Seconds seemed like minutes as the red light continued to halt the car’s journey and the longer it continued, the drier his mouth became. He thanked god for the glass
partition separating the passenger's seats from the driver's cabin as he felt the steely gaze from behind him. With her arms folded across her chest and legs crossed, Kyouka
sat silently, a brewing anger stewed inside her. Why did they need her back? Why wouldn’t they tell her? And why on such short notice? For the first time in a long while,
she was a Sohma again and she felt what it was like to be treated like one again.

Another two hours later and they finally arrived at their destination. Her rage had somewhat subsided and was replaced by feelings of fatigue. It would have had been wise
to catch a bit of shut eye on the long car ride but being Kyouka, she was too busy angsting about her situation to get any. Having been seated for so long, she nearly
tumbled out onto the floor had she not barely managed to grab onto the car’s door. Not a
second later, Kyouka was sandwiched between her bodyguards, or bailiffs, again. She let
out a languid chuckle.
"I'm too tired for that. On the contrary, I would like some sleep." The two looked at each other. Could they really believe someone who had tried to make a run for it before they
even got to her door? One of them nodded before turning back to inform her that they would be leading her to her bedroom and she would be woken up in time for dinner.

----

Groggily, Kyouka rubbed her eyes and sat up, shifting to the side of the bed. With a slow swivel, she let her legs dangle from the side and stared down at her thighs. Where was
she? Japan, some town, some house, some room, somewhere that was strangely not Sohma owned. And for what reason? She scrunched up her nose at the thought. She had
no clue. Gaze still hazy, she lifted her head and stared blankly ahead, blinking a few times. Why did she bother to get up? As if on cue, there was a knock on the door.
"Kyouka-san, please get dressed and make your way to the dining hall for dinner." called the voice from the other side. The tiger gave a lethargic huff in reply. She could
hear bustling footsteps of the staff members and other people who had too gathered at this house.

Begrudgingly, she got changed into a dress that had been hung by the wardrobe and moseyed her way down, exploring the floors below her until she managed to find the
dining hall. She trudged in and gave the people room a quick glance over, trying to identify the people who were present; the god, the monkey, the pig – none of whom she
had any strong feelings towards. From those who were already there, it seemed that both branches of the Sohma family were going to be there. The tiger sidled to the side of the
room and folded her arms together as she leant against the wall, waiting for dinner to be served. Greeting relatives who were as good as strangers was at the bottom of her
priority list.

LOCATION ⋮ Estate Dining Hall
WITH ⋮ Everyone?
OOC ⋮ Hope my first post was alright >w<
BLAH = #F4A460 THOUGHTS = #A2B5CD

[M4RCK3TTe]

TLDR: Cyrielle fails to make a potion. After a little research she believes she needs some harpy feathers to make it right.
"…36…35…34…" she mumbled. Brows furrowed in concentration, Cyrielle sat on the edge of her chair. Leaning forward, her eager eyes
darting to and fro from the glass beaker of sparking clear yellow liquid that bubbled atop of a small fire to the face of her silver pocket watch.
This potion was her newest concoction and what she hoped would be an improvement from her previous one which had given her a rather
violent bout of diarrhoea. Next to her sat a rather bored looking blue translucent dog, her familiar Hosrapetiel, his head rested atop the oaken
table and eyes closed as he listened to the mixture bubble away, reminiscing about times past. Long ago, he used to want to be her voice of reason
and would feel rather exasperated at her precarious behaviour. But such ambitions have long faded away. Nowadays, he has learned to have a
bit of faith in her abilities and considers his job well done if his petite master doesn’t get herself killed by the end of the day. Still, he couldn't help
but wonder what it would take before she learned not to go drinking weird potions. As if those pair of ears weren't enough to deter her from
making and drinking her own brews, here she was gulping down her own creations as if she hadn’t suffered enough already. At least there were
a few competent teachers at Rosewood who could hopefully help her should she make a dire mistake.

"…3…2…1!!!" Jumping out of her seat she grabbed a pair of tongs and lifted the beaker up from the ring stand and placed it the bowl of cold
water that was waiting on the side. As the glass hit the water with a sizzle, the liquid inside morphed from a citrine yellow, to a kunzite
green to an aquamarine blue.
"Well, Hossie, what d'ya think?" The spectre sluggishly opened his eyes and drew his line of sight to the beaker.
"I'm no potions expert, Cyri." He groaned as he turned to his side to be met with glistening expectant golden eyes. Hosrapetiel heaved a defeated
sigh. He was never good at refusing her. Reluctantly, he stuck his nose into the beaker and gave the potion a good sniff. He would've said it
smelled like fresh snow that had been spritzed with the juice of lemons, limes and maybe a little orange. But to those in an alternative dimension
like the smell of a newly opened freezer that had just been cleaned with lemon-fragranced detergent.

"At the very least, I don't think you'd die from it." At his assessment, Cyrielle clasped her hands in joy, her eyes glimmering with excitement.
That meant she could drink it right? Without another moment’s hesitation, she grabbed the neck of the beaker and lifted it up, ready to chug it.
"But! You'll probably get diarrhoea again from the indigo root you've added." With a silent exhale, her ears drooped down as she returned the
beaker to the table, her gusto slightly deflated. But being Cyrielle the feeling left as soon as it came and in no time she was on her feet again,
moving to her bookshelf where she took out a thick volume, muttering to herself as she flicked through its pages and stopping every once
in a while to read a passage or two.

"Fenugreek and harpy feathers!!!" she shouted gleefully to the startlement of her familiar who thought he could have a cat nap and had just
curled himself into a ball. The spirit shot her a reprimanding look to which she replied with a slightly apologetic one. With a new objective
and renewed determination, Cyrielle attached her whip to her belt, ready to wrangle some harpies for their feathers.




Looking rather leisurely unconcerned as she sat on the edge of the boat with one leg dangling over the side with her foot almost touching the
water was Cyrielle. As luck would have it, she now was heading towards the Verne Isle that was known for their large Harpy population. The
marketplace was fresh out of Harpy feathers and she so happened to see a very conveniently placed quest on the quest board. So here
she was now, en route to retrieve a few Harpy feathers and claws for their Potionry professor while hoping to snag a few for herself along
the way.

As treacherous as her surroundings seemed and despite how dark and cold it was, the young Whitlock was feeling pleasantly at ease with herself
with just the anticipation of her first future harpy encounter slowly bubbling away inside. She had read about harpies before and they seemed like
such beautiful creatures. Still, they were the target of this quest and Cyrielle was feeling as self-assured as always. Long ranged combat was her
forte and it wasn't like they going out for the kill. All they had to do was pull out a few feathers, right? And the claws? Well, if they were skilful
enough to be able to be merciful, they wouldn't have to chop a whole leg off to get them.

From where she was sitting, Cyrielle took a quick gander at her quest partner, a Phira prefect. Since departing, they had not exchanged a word.
She felt the corner of her lip curling into a small smile as she could sense the tenseness radiating off her partner. When she found out that she
would be going on a couple-quest with someone from Phira, she nearly wanted to bowl over laughing, remembering the last few quests she
had with Phiras and how angsty they had gotten with her. Of course, she never tried to upset them on purpose. It was just in her nature to take
(loosely calculated) risks. And it was in their's to guard against. But she had to admit, their reactions were always quite amusing. Oh, those Phiras.
By the way that her quest buddy had never even bothered to look at her, Cyrielle guessed that she should be bracing herself for some future nagging.

At Nolee's comment, Cyrielle chuckled jovially, feeling rather happy that her quest partner had finally started to talk to her.
"I know! Wonderful ain't it?" It was an honest statement with absolutely no sarcasm intended. She was used to wandering around in the
dark and cold with nothing but a small light. Her junior necromancer days were filled with trips to graveyards, abandoned houses, and the like in
the middle of the night where she would search for wayward spirits to bind or battle. After all, in her specialisation, fear was her enemy and an
instant’s intimidation could be what reverses her role from being the controller to the controlled.

Looking at her partner's rather stern expression, Cyrielle wondered how she could lessen her worries a little. As she pondered her newest concern,
she realised that all she knew about the person she was sharing a boat with was that she was a Phira Prefect and a siren. Ever the optimist, the
Whitlock was sure that they would be fine. After all, her quest buddy was a Prefect and that should mean that she was skilled and experienced.
Besides, her own skills were not to shoddy either.

"Re-lax~. I want to make sure we quickly get this quest over and done with too." as she took a proper seat on the boat, fighting back the urge to
swing her legs and hum a cheery ditty.
"Hey, wouldn't it be kinda exciting if the harpies found us before we docked, right here, on this boat? Imagine that! An ocean battle!" Cyrielle smiled
widely as the boat neared the towering jagged rock formation that marked the entrance to Verne Isle. Despite its size, the candle lantern that they
had was bright enough to illuminate the path ahead and allow the two travellers to see the rocky gateway. Cyrielle gasped at the sight. They were
finally here! Rising to her feet, she moved to the bow of the boat, cupped her hands around her mouth and inhaled deeply.
"HEEELLOOO!!! DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY FEATHERS TO SPARE???"

LOCATION ⋮ Verne Isle
WITH ⋮ Nolee
OOC ⋮ Hello! Sorry for the late reply! Life has gotten a little busier. I started writing the TLDR bit after kywaii had posted up the grouping but before Rose had posted.
This is my first post after a bit of an RP hiatus so I hope it was ok! >w< And yes, Cyri is a bit of an idiot.
BLAH = #4682B4 THOUGHTS = #95cce1

[M4RCK3TTe]

"Whoo!" Cyrielle hopped off the boat before it had even docked properly and ran up to dry land. She was so ready to exclaim something
else in excitement at finally arriving at their destination before being cut off by the irate Prefect. She laughed sheepishly at Nolee's words.
Stealth wasn't exactly her forte as her brand of magic didn’t really allow her to do things quietly or subtly.

"Oooohh…" she breathed out as she watched Nolee's eyes change colour, wishing that she could do something as impressive with her
body. The most she could do was wiggle her fluffy ears and swivel them around a little. As Nolee scanned the shore, Cyrielle grabbed the
lantern from the boat before returning to the siren’s side.
"Aye aye, Capatin!" she whispered with a playful salute in reply to the Prefect’s instruction as she obediently followed Nolee's lead.

As they meandered through the foliage and rocky walls, it was difficult to see more than a few feet in front of them even with the light of the
lantern to aid them. Whether anything was lurking amidst the shrubbery or around the corner was a mystery as the darkness and the
shadows cast by the lantern’s light provided a potent cover. But that made it all the more thrilling (at least for Cyrielle). Wide-eyed, it looked
as if she was actually trying to assess the safety of their surroundings, but being Cyrielle, she was only taking in the scenery around her.

A small flash of dull white caught the corner of her eye amongst the shrubbery. Cyrielle stopped in her tracks. Was that an egg? Could it
be … a harpy egg!?!! She had to make sure. Turning back, she took another quick peep. It didn't even take her 10 seconds to decide what
to do. In her second's evaluation, it was abandoned, it was lonely and no matter what anyone said, it was going to be hers. She had to
take it with her. But what stopped her from dashing towards it was the other white object in her line of vision, which was the glossy coiffure
of her Phira partner. Turning sideways to look at Nolee, Cyrielle opened her mouth before shutting it again.
"Right. No more sudden outbursts. No more sudden outbursts." she repeated under her breath, trying to calm down some of her excitement
before speaking.
"Captain! I wish to make a quick detour. I’ll be back in a jiffy!" she proclaimed, leaving no time for an
answer as she promptly handed Nolee the lantern and left her side.

It was just bright enough for her to still see the egg amidst all the bushes. Swiftly, she lifted it up. It was heavier than it looked but
still manageable. Somehow, as it was in her hands she instantly grew even more attached to it. And, she already had a name
for him or her. Eggsy. Eggsy Elleryn. Was this what motherhood was like, she wondered.

Just as swiftly as she had left, she returned, proudly holding up her new friend for Nolee to see.
“LOO- Look what I found. Ain’t it gorgeous? I'm gonna keep it!” she beamed before tucking the egg under her arm. Shrugging
off her bag strap from her free arm, she swung her bag to her front and opened it, hoping to find some free space for Eggsy. Upon looking
inside, her face contorted into an expression of disappointment and disbelief. To her dismay, with all the things she had stuffed it
with, there would not be enough space for Eggsy and the harpy claws she had to collect. Wearing her bag properly once more, her
face slowly rearranged itself into a serious expression as she looked thoughtfully at the egg, trying to figure out a way to carry it with
her and letting whatever protests her travelling companion could have fly right over her head.

A brilliant idea popped into her head and Cyrielle unclasped her whip from her belt. Using the flexible end of the whip like a rope, she
wrapped it and knotted it around the egg several times until it became a secure holder of sorts. Now instead of a whip, she had a
harpy egg flail. Brilliant. The Whitlock lightly swung the egg to and fro to make sure her knots wouldn’t come loose. Grinning to
herself, Cyrielle felt rather chuffed. With that matter taken care of, she slowly turned to look at Nolee.
“Right! Thanks for waiting! Shall we continue on?”


[ 𝐇𝐏 ]⊰ 100% (50/50) ||
[ 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ]⊰ Verne Isle ||
[ 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 ]⊰ Nolee ||
[ 𝐎𝐎𝐂 ]⊰ ... ||
BLAH = #4682B4 THOUGHTS = #95cce1

[M4RCK3TTe]

"Hey!" she protested as Noelle snatched the egg away. Cyrielle looked on with her arms crossed. She wasn’t exactly pleased to have Eggsy taken from her but assuming that the older female wouldn't try to harm it, she decided to let it be instead of immediately trying to reclaim her baby. The peaceful melody the Phira prefect hummed almost lulled her to sleep. But before she could collapse into a heap on the floor, a sharp voice snapped her back to reality. 
"I found it- Ah! Hey, wait!" she called as Eggsy was roughly returned to her. Following close behind, she could tell that Nolee was onto something. Phiras were intelligent so many had no hesitation following their lead. However, in Cyrielle’s case, she generally never hesitated to follow anyone’s lead as she was always happy to take scenic detours.
 
As they entered the cave, the cold stone walls made the sound of their footsteps reverberate and as they got deeper in, the young Whitlock started to feel colder. It didn’t take them long to find a nest of harpy eggs. Cyrielle gasped. There were so. Many. Eggsys!!! She couldn't believe their luck!
"Eggsy!!! You had a family!!! But!!! Why were you all over there by your lonesome?!?? Hngh!!!" she wailed under her breath, cradling the egg in her arms. She was so torn inside. Perhaps Eggsy had accidentally rolled out? Maybe this was Eggsy's family? But what if it wasn't? Maybe something horrible happened to Eggy's parents and they never got back to Eggsy? Maybe they had forgotten about Eggsy? Would this new family be willing to accept Eggsy? She would be more than happy to raise Eggsy. All these thoughts shot around in her mind before the Phira's voice once again brought her back to reality. She blinked and looked around.
 "Oh! True that! And-" Cyrielle quietened as her ears pricked a noise and swivelled in their direction. It was the sound of hooves. Soon, from out of the shadows emerged a frightened pony.
"A PO-! A pony!!!!" she squealed from behind the egg she was holding. The poor equine looked positively shaken and her instincts told her that she needed to give it a comforting hug. However, she had her hands full and before she could think up something other “Pony Calming Plan” that would most definitely frighten the pony more, the sound of a soothing melody filled the air as Nolee worked her magic. As Cyrielle watched the pony calm down, she slowly approached it, one arm extended so it could smell her hand and see that she was no threat. Finally standing next to it, she petted the pony's neck.
"Who is a good pony? You're a good pony! Yes you are!” she cooed before turning to Nolee.
“Captain…Can we keep it?" she asked as she put her bag onto the pony's back. It was a meaningless question. Of course she was keeping it. As she tightened her bag strap around the pony’s middle, her original purpose for coming here floated back into her mind. Oh! Right! Feathers! And claws! Practically waltzing over to the nest, the Whitlock started her search, looking at the floor and between the twigs of the nest with care, grabbing any feathers she could see with her free hand and stuffing them into her bag. There were more than enough for both the professor and herself.
 
Cyrielle snuck a glance at Nolee as she continued search, thinking back on all her previous encounters with Phiras. The Phira was temporarily distracted, or rather put on the right track but Cyrielle was still considering the matter of the egg. "Think like a Phira. What do Phiras like? Knowing things, tidy things, things done quickly and well, things that give them kudos…That's it! Merit!" She could almost clap her hands in joy but with Eggsy still in her arms, she settled for just wiggling around contentedly. Before her brilliant presentation, the Whitlock straightened herself up. 
"Uh… Ahem- Captain. I wish to deliver a proposal for keeping this unborn harpi harpius. I believe that we might get extra credit for bringing it. Think about it! Professors will be able to show the first years a live harpy from the safety of the academy grounds. And!!! When it gets older, the Rosewood will have its own personal harpy to harvest feathers and claw clippings from!" Cyrielle paused to gage Nolee's reaction before continuing.
"Also, you won't even have to worry about it! I, Cyrielle Elleryn, will be completely responsible for it and make sure that it won't get in the way of our harpy bits gathering. And if! If, for some reason, we can't bring it all the way to the academy, well, we'll just leave it here." she concluded, feeling rather exhausted having had to come up with serious, analytical, Phira-like explanations in her noggin. Whilst she was perfectly of doing such “serious, Phira-like” analysis in her mind, explaining her thought process was a trial. Oh, and the last bit. That was a lie. She was not going to leave Eggsy nor have it snatched from her hands again. Cyrielle was on full alert and either the harpies or Nolee would have to wrestle Eggsy from her cold dead body and even then they'd probably have a hard time prying it away from her.
 
“So what do you- Wait. Did you hear that?”

[ 𝐇𝐏 ]⊰ 100% (50/50) ||
[ 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ]⊰ Verne Isle - Harpy Cave ||
[ 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 ]⊰ Nolee ||
[ 𝐎𝐎𝐂 ]⊰ ... ||
BLAH = #4682B4 THOUGHTS = #95cce1

[M4RCK3TTe]

[ TLDR; Hisana arrives and surmises that there isn't much she can do to help with the dragon situation given her powers. So, she opts for waiting on standby and redrawing the paper talisman that the dragon has blown off the shrine. ]

Standing at the platform in her 3.9 inch stilettos and her business suit and matching pencil skirt still on was Hisana. The one who had been on almost everyone's cases at least once about showing up to training on time or paying attention during training all those years back was now was going to be undeniably late to a meeting. Shock. Horror. It would have been absolutely unthinkable back in the day. The words "Hisana" and "late" did not go in a sentence together without a negative in between. But, times have changed. Perhaps she would've been on time if she hadn't already let two trains go past her.

Gripping the handles of her paper gift bag that contained her present for Baba-sama, Hisana rocked on her heels. She took a glance at her watch and sighed - 5 minutes until the next train. The plan was that she'd go back to the sticks, spend about 2 - 3 hours there before catching the last train back. She had even thought up her excuse for leaving early - the government would collapse without her there. Jokes aside, she had just returned from a work conference in Osaka and there was a report she needed to turn in by the end of Monday, amongst numerous other work-related things she had to catch up on from her absence. So, she was busy and the boss was going to be very angry if she didn't turn up on Monday. Slavedriver.

As she continued to wait, last minute second thoughts about going back to Shinku started creeping back into her mind. They all stemmed from a phone call from her mother, the illustrious fortune teller Mirai Yoshimiya (also the one whose "fault" it was that she was connected to this town). Around 68.75% of her predictions were correct which was a lot considering that her predictions were a lot more detailed than those given by the most other celebrity fortune tellers. "Safe travels." she had said. Safe travels? It would seem like an ordinary thing to wish someone but to Hisana it was slightly unsettling considering her usual send-off was a cheery "have fun". But then again what fun could she possibly have when she was most likely going to see him again. The lawyer breathed out a defeated sigh, feeling her brows knitting together. Oh, what was the point of mulling over it? It had been 4 years already and they weren't even anything anyway. Why hadn't she moved on when he obviously had?How stupid.

What had kept her committing to returning to Shinku was her respect for Baba. Despite all that had happened and how betrayed by the old woman she had felt, Hisana was grateful for her guidance over the past 9 years. So, she had bought some expensive tea leaves and high-end artisanal wagashi from Osaka. Pulling her away from her thoughts was the gust of wind that blew her hair all over the place as the train pulled up beside the platform. With her free hand, she tried to comb back her mussed hair into place, scowling slightly at her reflection on the train's window.
"Are you going this time, Miss?" the pudgy station master asked, poking his head out from out the window of his tiny office. What's it to you? She started to open her mouth to say, but she closed her lips and swallowed down the words.
"Yes." she answered with nod and one of those fake smiles she usually reserved for difficult clients.

-----

Did Shinku always look like this? Hisana looked from side to side as she stepped out from the rustic train station with uncertainty. Which way to the Tamayori Shrine again? It had only been four years. How could she have forgotten? Was it because the streets looked different at night? Had they put up some new buildings in the time she had gone? Or was her memory really so bad? Hisana groaned as she put her hand into her bag and rummaged for her phone. At least she could use its GPS, or so she thought. No matter how many times she tapped it or pressed the slender button on its side, its screen remained black.
"Seriously?!? I just charged it- Ugh." she muttered as she placed the useless device back into her bag. She had spent hard-earned money buying train tickets and presents for Baba-sama. So, she wasn't going to give up now. Muscle memory was a powerful thing, or so she had read somewhere. Determinedly, she decided to just start walking and let her feet guide her. She had walked these roads for 9 years, so how hard could it be? Well, much more than she expected. After half an hour of wandering around finally found herself Tamayori Shrine's base. Setting down the bag of gifts by a lamppost, Hisana took a moment to breathe in the cool night air, to catch her breath, and steel herself for the long trek up ahead of her. She could never forget what a pain to climb those stairs were.

Just then, she heard an unmistakable voice and turned to it source.
"Takami?" A wave of relief washed over her. Thank god! She was in the right place and she wouldn't be the last one showing up. Warmly, she returned the hug.
"I just got here too!" Hisana looked behind Takami to see a small crowd of familiar faces emerging from the police car. The lawyer gave a casual wave at the group behind her. Oh. Tatsuo. For a second, their eyes met and she quickly averted her gaze, returning her attention to Takami. Did she turn away too fast? She wondered how her expression was at that second and hoped it was normal. Before she could think anything else, she was whisked away up the steps as she and Takami engaged in some pleasant small-talk as they ascended.

Reaching the top of the stairs, she stood once again in front of the Shine that she had visited almost every day for 9 years. A homely sense of nostalgia filled her knowing that everyone had once again gathered. It had been 4 years. Everyone had changed in appearance and Hisana wondered if they had changed inside too but for now she felt like she was back with family. But whatever fluffy feelings she was feeling dissipated immediately as the new arrivals were met with a stern Baba-sama. She seemed to be the only one who hadn't changed at all. Hisana was pretty sure that all of them were due for a dose of scolding and Tamaki, being loudest at the time was just the first on her list. The brunette chuckled as she watched her friend defiantly talk back at the old woman.

But the jovialities were short lived as an unforgettable presence fouled the air. It was a feeling she could never forget. A dark shadow cast upon the group and Hisana looked up to see the inky black dragon. Was this just some high tech special effect projector they had set up for Baba's birthday? Gee, they've really outdone themselves this time. What great technology they have out here in the boonies! For a while she continued to look up in disbelief and denial. As much as she wished that it was just some random wandering yokai, she could sense the undeniable aura of the ancient katana. Why? How? She snuck a look at Baba. Did she know this was going to happen? And why did things have to stir up again just when she thought she had regained some peace of mind?

A piece of a stray paper talisman that had been blown off the shrine smacked her in the forehead, bringing her back to the present. Now was not the time for thoughts. Hisana watched in awe as Akemi sprang into action. Her powers had improved so much. If that were the case for everyone then they should be able to take down the dragon without damaging the Shrine, probably. As for herself, she didn't really know the state of her powers. Since leaving Shinku she hadn't tried anything extravagant but her powers did come in handy when she wanted to eavesdrop on her boss's conversations.
"Baba-sama, you should head inside. It should be safer there. Oh, and happy birthday." she smiled, handing the old woman her bag of gifts and ushering her inside the building. Though she was sure everyone could handle themselves, she didn't want the old lady to worry if things started to get rough.

Returning outside, Hisana stood awkwardly to the side, thoroughly unamused by Akio's banter, but offered no retort. At least he could contribute to the situation. What could she do? Pray? She was a priestess after all. She recalled memories of her old ritual of always praying that their training sessions would go well. Praying for the sake of praying. And praying before their final mission. A whole lot of good that did. Perhaps she could be of some assistance somehow if the dragon didn't have wings. At least in the past she could offer some positivity but somehow she currently could not muster up such gusto. For a moment Hisana wondered how much it would take out of her to make the shrine invisible until they had dealt with the dragon. She had never made such a large object invisible before and decided that she should leave protecting the shrine to Mayu instead. For now, what else could she do but to try to stay out of everyone's way? Briefly, she re-entered the shrine and from one of its old wooden cabinets she grabbed a stack of blank talisman papers and a brush pen before rejoining the group. It was going to be tedious but someone had to remake the talisman destroyed by the dragon.
"I'll be waiting here if you need me." Taking a seat on the steps leading inside the shrine, it seemed that the most she could do for now was to be on standby and try to start on what was most likely going to be the beginning of a large restoration.

[ 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ] ⊰ Tamayori Shrine ||
[ 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 ] ⊰ Everyone ||
[ 𝐎𝐎𝐂 ] ⊰ ... ||
BLAH = #F4A460 THOUGHTS = #A2B5CD