It was a happy day for Haru and his partner. For all their hard work over the last few weeks, they had been promoted to Apprentice from Page. So, whether Akira liked it or not, he was going to drag her out for celebration. As the duo walked the streets of Magnolia, Haru noticed that one particular street was a lot cheerier compared to the others. “Looks like the place to be tonight,” he said before dashing off towards the half-decorated street. Just as he turned into the street, he saw a noble man decorating and chatting along side the commoners. Curious to see who this man was and what the party was for, Haru approached him. However, before he could even utter a word, Medias spotted him and invited the Rune Knights to join in.

“Hey there! Welcome~ How about you two help us decorate? You can stay for the party… and you know what? I’ll even pay you for helping with the decorations,” he said, smiling. Haru had his typical grin on his face as he nodded. “You had me at ‘stay for the party’,” he replied, and the whole gang laughed.

The young healer did not waste a moment. He dashed towards a table full of balloons and called out to Akira. “You blow the balloons, I hang them up,” he said, handing her the air pump. And with that, the scarlet-haired teen zoomed around the street using his Feather-Light spell to reach high places, and hang balloons and coloured paper ribbons.

255/2000

She trailed behind her partner, walking slowly, hands shoved into her pocket, chewing on a cigarette butt. She tried to stick to the edges of the street, close to the dark alleys, so she could bolt if she found any reason to. The streets were oddly deserted, and when they turned the next corner, it became apparent why... There was a fair bit of commotion as people hollered instructions at each other, to set up the street.

'Or to avoid at all cost...' she muttered in response to Tsuru's excited observation. The healer of course, seemed oblivious to her plight as usual as he dashed into the busy street. He earned the two freshly-minted apprentices yet another request. Despite her aversion to his tactics, to the kind of quests he picked and the way he got them sucked into it, Akira had to hand it to Tsuru for being the driving force that got them to rank up in the Rune Knight administration.

As usual, she leaned against a wall casually and overheard the man as h offered Tsuru the job description. 'Great... Now I'm decorating for a party, that I don't want to be in and somehow this is a celebration...' she muttered, mostly to herself because she didn't want to deal with Tsuru's disappointed glances, nor did she want to listen to his encouraging and optimistic lectures. With exaggerated annoyance, she snatched the air pump, grabbed a handful of balloons, retreated into a dark corner behind some folded desks and began pumping. After blowing up a few, she used her Define: Chain Kunai, strung the balloons through the loops of the chain and threw the Kunai at Tsuru, narrowly missing his head... 'There.'

285/2000

Haru was having the time of his life even before the party had begun. Him gliding around the street had become a spectacle for everyone, and he became popular, especially with the kids. The scarlet-haired Rune Knight was a natural with children. He knew how to persuade the kids from plucking out all the balloons used for decoration and not finish eating the confectionaries before the party began, without making them cry. Some of the parents were so impressed that they began offering babysitting jobs to him, which he had to politely refuse.

Haru was merrily hanging ribbons on one of the first-floor balconies when a kunai with balloons tied to it whizzed past merely an inch away from his head. The suddenness of it froze the young man for a second, after which he whirled around and gave Akira an incredulous look. “Are you serious?! There are kids around here,” he yelled at the top of his voice. “Anyway, I think that’s enough balloons and ribbons. We should start arranging the food on the tables,” he said, jumping off from the balcony.

As if the amount of food that was already on the table was not enough, the two were asked to bring in more from the nearby shops. Haru wasn’t going to complain though; he was happy that the nobility was not stingy and was spending his wealth for the commoners. The first dish they would be taking that evening was mashed potatoes. The restaurant workers were placing huge bowls of mashed potatoes on the counter and asked the two to carefully carry them to the tables. Haru took one bowl on each hand and was soon regretting it; they were heavy, and the ceramic was slippery. “Uh-oh!”

545/2000

Akira believed if she took a risk in displaying her dismay, there was a chance they'd be able to get out of here faster. Besides, the girl could use the thrill and adrenaline rush, which peaked as she let her weapon fly. As the Kunai whizzed past her partner, she waited with her breath held, sighing inaudibly and with satisfaction, when it stayed true to its course and missed him, only by a couple of centimeters... It was the fastest way to bait Tsuru into reacting, popping his glorified bubble of merriment.

As expected, he turned and scolded her, incredulity poured into each syllable, which only made her burst out into a fit of giggles. Just this small rise out of him, made this her kind of party. 'Oh relax, you know I've been training, my aim isn't that bad. Besides... It was the perfect opportunity to test if I could throw despite the risk of hitting friendly targets and still succeed!' she responded once she'd caught her breath after laughing out loud, when he took the balloons off, she pulled her Kunai back, winding the chain around her arm. Idly she'd been blowing a balloon when Tsuru decided to help with the food. 'Right...' she said, her joy waning. A few kids rushed up to her. 'Can we have that balloon miss?' they asked.

'What? This one...?' she asked as she tied the end off... The kids nodded earnestly. She smirked, took her Kunai and popped it right in front of them, with a loud bang. 'Nope... Sorry.' she added, clearly not apologetic at all. 'Stay out of the way, there are people working here.' she muttered, grinning wider as she watched Tsuru struggle with the glassware that was piled with the potato.

579/2000

Lucky for Akira, Haru did not notice her being mean to the kids or the loud wailing that ensued after. He was already near the restaurant’s entrance and far from the scene. It wasn’t until he was back with two bowls in both his hands that he saw Akira lurking around without doing anything in particular to help out. “Hey! I could use some help here,” he said, scrunching up his face as he struggled to keep a good grip on the bowls. When it became apparent that his hands were failing and there was no way Akira would reach him before he dropped one of them, he raised one of his legs and placed the bowl atop his knee momentarily to regain the grip.

Haru assumed it was extremely funny to watch a guy dance in the middle of the street, attempting to balance two bowls on his hand, because he heard a loud chorus of laughter around him. Of course, that wasn’t going to offend him; he simply laughed along with them as he struggled to make his way to closest table. After much struggle, he finally did. Phew! He didn’t care if it took him a hundred rounds to do it all; he was not going to carry two things at the same time again. He walked back to the restaurant and this time picked up only bowl. As he was about to exit, he noticed several rows of water jugs lined up. “How about I take one of the bowl and one water jug?” he asked the restaurant worker. “Good idea,” he replied.

812/2000

Ah damn she thought as Tsuru saved the platter by hopping onto foot, she really wanted to see him drop it. It was cruel really, that she sought and would gain pleasure from an outcome that highlighted Tsuru's shortcoming and would've probably made him feel like crap. It was just that crowds always made her uncomfortable. This sort of festivities tingled her more malevolent side, perhaps it was because particularly in these environments, she stuck out like a sore thumb. The wailing and whining of the kids didn't make it any easier, she rubbed her temples as they forced her to change location.

Groaning softly, she picked herself up from the crouching position she'd assumed and began slinking onto the main road, she was going to find Tsuru and find some excuse to bow out of this particular service. Just then, she noticed one of the kids she'd scared with the balloon, streak across to one of the tables as he wiped his tears a make shift cape flying behind him... He reached some adult on the table, tugging mercilessly at the T-shirt of the guy. Akira strained to try and hear what the kid said, but the clattering sounds as people hauled out more food onto the table, drowned his complain. But she did notice the kid pointing straight at her, through his rant.

The adult perched his hands onto his hips and scowled at Akira, causing her to stop in her tracks fold her hands and stare back at the man, with an eye-brow raised, she stood her ground, but silently, as the man began striding towards her, but her eyes shot towards her partner, as nervousness crept into her.

861/2000

Haru picked up the water jug using the empty hand and began walking towards the next table he had to put the food on. Half way through the street, he began wondering where his partner was and why he was doing everything alone. Almost a month with her and he still couldn’t understand her uneasiness around crowds. Where could she be? He scanned the crowded street and finally found her near the edges, almost at the end of the street. And she wasn’t alone. Even from where he stood, he could spot that hostile stance of hers. He had seen it too many times to not recognize it. “Oh dear,” he muttered. He placed the mashed potatoes and the water jug at the nearest table and ran towards his partner.

As he neared the two, he could hear the man’s complaints. “You call yourself a Rune Knight and scare small children by popping balloons? That’s disgraceful,” he yelled. Haru couldn’t believe the words he was hearing. He figured Akira wouldn’t be too thrilled to be around kids; that much was apparent from the little time they spent at the school, trying to teach. But he never thought she would go so far as to scare them. Before he jumped to conclusions however, he wanted to be sure. “Akira… Is that true?” he asked. The child’s father turned to Haru and seemed to soften a bit. “Ah… It’s you! Your friend here can surely learn a thing or two from you about dealing with children,” he said. Haru recognized the man from before; he was one among those who offered him baby-sitting job.

1084/1000

While the girl did feel the argumentative streak in her, begging her to respond, she couldn't bother wasting her breath. She maintained her passive aggressive stance and stared at the man straight on as he accused her of being disgraceful, it was nothing she hadn't heard before. The girl was pretty much marked as strange when she first started accidentally exuding her darkness because it aroused the feeling of fear in people. Was it her fault that people were scared so easily?

She felt a little reassured as she caught a glimpse of Tsuru in the distance, she assumed after spending so much time with her, he may understand, that he may note it as part of her dark humor, and it was for good reason too, in her own twisted way, she was just trying to keep the kids out of the way. For a brief second, she hoped, as unusual as it was for her... that he'd stand up for her like he had done just some time ago... It had set a small precedent. But there it was again, his question, seemingly conditional question. So he'd only defend her if the man was lying, well... he wasn't.

Tsuru's want for confirmation broke the barrier of silence. 'Yes. So?' she challenged, staring down at him, with her arms still folded. It was annoying the way his presence diffused the tension, the way everyone thought it was ok to compare her to him. Something inside her stirred, it didn't want to allow this to just slide... There was a conversation here and it needed to happen now. Her darkness leaked out of the pores in her skin, with abandon, swirling around her, itching to take some form... It caused the man to leap backward, yelping and pointing at her. 'She... she's-' but he seemed paralyzed with fear. A crowd began to grow around them.

1176/2000

Haru wasn’t happy to hear an ‘yes’ from Akira, to his question; and especially not in that non-apologetic tone. He was planning on handling it diplomatically, however. The last thing he wanted to do was make a scene in front of the huge crowd and have Rune Knights look like the villains. But things were way out of his hands after Akira’s darkness began shrouding her, literally, causing the man in front of her to tremble. Haru quickly jumped in front of his partner and attempted to hide the darkness from the commoners. Frankly, he was creeped by the darkness himself; despite travelling with her for so many days, he still couldn’t shake off his queasiness towards that element.

“We are so sorry about the balloon incident. It’s just that… we had a long and terrible day before. Must have been that. Please forgive us,” he apologized, trying to divert the man’s attention from Akira. But it didn’t seem to work. His wide eyes were fixed on the dark aura, and to make things worse, a crowd began to form around them. “Listen… This is going to be blown out of proportion. We do not want the words ‘dark Rune Knight’ and ‘innocent child’ in the same sentence in tomorrow’s local newspaper. Get your magic under control and get out of these people’s sights for a while. I’ll handle things here,” Haru whispered to Akira, before turning towards the crowd and trying to persuade them to disperse.

Meanwhile, Medias had noticed the crowd and was walking towards it, calling out to them. “Hey! What are you guys doing out there? My baby daughter is about to come out of the house. Come over here,” he yelled in his usual cheery tone. More than half the crowd immediately started gravitating towards Medias, while the rest seemed conflicted between the two attractions. “They are distracted. This is your chance,” he whispered to Akira and pounced at the opportunity to herd the rest of the crowd towards the main party. “Come on guys! We don’t want to ruin a noble’s party over a popped balloon, do we?” he asked merrily, as he ushered them towards the tables and decorations.

1450/2000

Even when she'd just heard the question, Akira could expect his disappointment, that boy had his own very strict code of right and wrong. From what she had seen of it, it seemed to be influenced by the people around him. She had hoped he'd be more logical, but apparently scaring a kid by popping a balloon was in the wrong... Of course, it had to be, otherwise, he wouldn't need to ask the question at all, especially not that conditionally. Children could do it to each other anytime, probably anyone but she could have gotten away with it, but now, with this darkness seeping out of her, Akira was labeled the villain of the street.

Her temper seethed as her partner picked the diplomatic route, stupidly trying to hide the darkness that billowed from her like smoke. 'It is no use, they've all already seen it and assumed what they want... Just like you' she said, adding the last part bitterly through gritted teeth. For the most part, though, she already felt exhausted, all the eyes on her, the needless fear. She let the healer's word wash over her... But a panic ensued inside her, there was a real danger if the darkness lurked like this, out of her control, but it was a risk she was going to take. She swallowed, clenched and unclenched her fists, till her skin sucked most of the darkness back in. She needed to get in in check, but she didn't have to go anywhere.

As the crowd halved upon the announced arrival of some other kid. Tsuru managed to disperse it a little more. But whoever stuck around heard what she said, especially after she cleared her throat to demand their attention. 'No. I'm a Rune Knight, Medias requested we help out, so you know what, I'm going to stay right here and do my job...' Following this she sliced through the crowd, easily because the people gave the girl a wide berth. Akira into one of the shops, to bring out some food.  

1518/2000

Haru wasn’t sure what she meant when she accused him of assuming, but it was not the time for that conversation. Most of the crowd had dispersed and Haru moved towards the birthday girl’s location along with them. He hoped Akira would stay back, but he should have known better. She stormed through the crowd he was herding and they all moved away from her like she was a demon. Although Haru could understand their fear of darkness magic itself, he always could differentiate the person from their magic. He wished the common people would do the same.

Luckily, the cheerful reception of Medias and Haru’s attempts at livening up the party seemed to work. Soon, most of them chose to celebrate and indulge themselves in the variety of good food on the tables. There were still whispers and murmurs every time Akira crossed a group, but it was not enough to dull the rest of them. Eventually, the crowd completely forgot about the little incident and was fully involved in the music, dance and food.

Haru mingled with the crowd, all the while bringing in more food and helping the musicians set up their stage. But throughout the evening, he never let Akira out of his sight. He wasn’t sure why he was keeping tabs on her. Was it because he was scared of her hurting others, or the others hurting her? Maybe both? He really wasn’t sure. But one thing was sure; he did not want the people to lose faith in the Rune Knights.

1707/2000

The shopkeeper, who had witnessed the incident soundlessly, cringed as she made her way into his shop. He looked at her almost pleadingly. 'Most of my food is already out, only one table is left to set...' he said his voice trailing off. 'I... I really can handle it on my own.' he added as Akira silently gripped a tray and slid a plate with large cake onto it. 'Please stay out of the way and let me do my job.' she reiterated, pausing as the man came and stood in front of her. He whispered earnestly, turning to point to the shop across the street. 'Go there! That guy still has about three more tables to set.' The man in the shop opposite noticed her and his rival's finger pointed at him, he bared his teeth out of some sort of frustration, then anxiously shook his head at the shopkeeper Akira was helping.

The dark-dweller sighed softly and skirted around the man to go place the large cake on one of the folding tables outside. The baker continued following her, like a shadow, constantly trying to dissuade her from setting up his desserts. A few times, the complaining boy's father, stared the shopkeeper down, intimidatingly and in a disappointed manner, the shopkeeper just wore his best 'there is nothing I can do' expression. Once she was done, out of spite, she did go across the street next to aid another restaurant runner, just because he made it so obvious that he didn't want her there. From the roars outside, the party had begun and these were among the last tables that needed to be set.

1794/2000

Haru couldn’t believe the way people were treating Akira, from the shopkeepers to the common public. Surely, she doesn’t deserve this for scaring a child. He couldn’t understand why she was taking it at all. She was always complaining about the crowd and being around people; but presented with the opportunity to leave, she decided to stay instead. Haru couldn’t understand his partner. He wondered if she was staying only to annoy the people who were treating her unfairly. He wouldn’t blame her if she did, but he wished she would be the better person that night.

The party went on and Medias was mostly unaware of the previous happenings. He could sense some tension among the crowd, especially towards Akira, but he did not press for more information. “I take it your partner is not much of a people’s person,” he said, approaching Haru. “Yeah… She is terribly misunderstood,” he replied, telling that more to himself than to Medias. “In any case, I thank you both for helping us set up this party. Here… For your troubles. There’s enough for both of you in there,” he said, handing Haru a rather large velvet pouch, full of Jewels. “Thank you so much,” Haru said, bowing slightly. “Please! Stay for the party,” Medias urged Haru, trying to take him towards the tables.

Haru paused for a moment and turned to look at Akira. “I’m sorry! I would love to stay… But…” he said, again turning towards Akira’s direction. Seeing where Haru was looking, Medias gave a knowing smile and nodded. “I completely understand. A party without your friend, is not a party at all,” he said, patting him on the back. Haru smiled back and excused himself. He ran towards Akira, calling out to her. “Hey! Wait… Let me at least grab a piece of cake before we leave,” he yelled, hoping his partner would really allow him to do that.

2027/2000
-Exit-

This cafe owner was far blunter with his approach. 'Of course that wretched fool sent you here, we've been competing ever since we inherited the shops from our family, this rivalry has been there for generations, and now that all his desserts are off limits, he wants my food to go down that way too...' This man had given up and cupped his face in his hands, and sat grumpily behind his counter. Akira continued doing her work, still silent, with a slipping hold on her magic. It somehow still startled her that people would go as far as boycotting her food. As the people got merrier outside, Akira hoped they were distracted enough so she could avoid another spectacle, though she did intend on having a conversation with Tsuru about this.  

A man approached her from behind, it was that father again. 'You know he's right, right? I'm going to make sure none of the villagers touch any food you've laid out... You could have contaminated with your darkness.' he said boldly, attempting to corner her in an alley, which was a bad move. Akira just closed her eyes and tried to tune him out. She slipped past him and softly said 'Your party, your food, your rules, so whatever.' she said, beginning to walk away. That is when she noticed that Shikamaru boy from the class she'd taught, with his friend... They must have overheard the conersation.

They strutted towards her, and she grit her teeth, wondering if he was really going to succeed in making her lose it, but they walked past her and picked a pastry from the plate she had just set down, his friend picked up a few. 'You'll always find some takers...' he said as he stuck his tongue out at that father and ran back to the party. She couldn't believe that boy was the one who managed to incite a smirk out of her at a time like this. 'He's just a stupid kid.' that father said, 'Now that the party has begun, for your own good, you should probably get going.' the man had a deep frown etched in his face, his eyes distracted, searching for the two boys no doubt.

Akira's eyes scanned the area for Tsuru, so she could collect her dues and get out of here. She spotted Medias handing over a large bag of money to Tsuru and knew he'd split it with her when he got the chance, so she slipped into the dark alleys... She really wasn't the sort to overstay her welcome, she ignored Tsuru's voice, and the urges of his stupid sweet tooth and just continued walking.

2239/2000
==End==