It was a fair day in Orchidia. It was cold, but not windy, which made the winter air seem less daunting. It would have been a pleasant day to do a request or two, but it was simply too nice to pass up. As such, the elf could be found walking through the streets of her town blissfully reading a science fiction novel. It had snowed lightly the night before, so with every step she took, a quiet crunch could be heard beneath her feet, mirroring the softly dusted landscape of the beautiful town. Despite all the noise people made though, Kerii found herself deaf to it all while she became entranced by the book in her hands. Conflict was brewing. Characters were already showing designs of development. The whole writing style was just brilliant. It was no wonder the author seemed to be popular within the science fiction genre.

Unfortunately, Kerii tended to become a bit too oblivious to her surroundings. She promptly ended up accidentally walking into someone, causing her to drop her book in surprise. "I'm sorry!" Kerii hurriedly said, bending down to pick up her book. Her lip quivered briefly seeing as she lost her page, but then decided it was probably best to actually apologize while directly talking to the person she had bumped into. "I should really watch where I'm going. I..." Her voice trailed off as she got a look at the red-haired woman. She had ears and a tail, but did not look like most nekos she had met before. Rather, this young woman had a more fox-like appearance, like a kitsune. The young woman probably got stares like this a lot, which made Kerii realize just how rude she was being. "And I'm sorry for staring too."

Event 16/30

Luckily for Kerii, the kitsune seemed to be fine with her act of clumsiness. Whether it was genuine or out of common courtesy, it made the elf feel a little better. In fact, she continued on with another friendly gesture by asking which book she was reading. "Oh, it's a sci-fi novel," she responded. She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear that had fallen out of her braid. It wasn't everyone's favorite genre and was actually somewhat controversial in the fact that it disputed some religious beliefs. Being quite the science nerd though, Kerii honestly found the subjects science fiction novels fascinating, even if it did conflict with her teachings of the Linea.

As for the matter of Kerii ignorantly staring at the kitsune, she seemed okay with that as well. Evidently, she had grown numb to it, which was largely attributed to the fact that she was the only kitsune in Fiore... or at least, that's what she thought. "The only one?" the elf asked, tapping her finger against her lip. The redhead did have some merits to her claim. Despite all her travels in Fiore, Kerii could not think of a single other kitsune she came across. "I've come across quite a few nekos, so I wonder why not kitsunes. Are they usually found in another country?" As this subject was clearly foreign to the Lamia, she was hoping that this woman would enlighten her.

Bloop :3

As Kerii suspected, it seemed that the kitsune had not yet tried a science fiction novel, but was eager to try. In fact, she even asked the elf to suggest one. "Hmm... there's a lot of good ones." Science fiction was a very broad concept as well and often encompassed other qualities found in many genres. She eventually decided on one of the very first sci-fi novels she read. "But, The Crow's Nest is a good one to start off with." It did not deal with as drastic concepts as some others and sort of eased the reader into the controversial genre without making the ideas presented seemingly imposing.

In regards to the young woman being the only kitsune in Fiore, she reaffirmed that she was indeed the only kitsune that she knew of, but supposed that there could be others out there. She also conceded that it was possible that they resided within countries outside of Fiore, but she had yet to discover her true birth parents. In fact, the kitsune herself did not even know she was of another race until recently. "Really?" the elf asked, raising an eyebrow, more out of confusion than of suspicion. "I've never heard of a race presenting itself late like that... but there's a first time for everything I guess." She paused for a moment. "You said you were adopted then? Born and raised in Fiore?"

Event 17/30

Kerii's eyes lit up when the kitsune said that she believed the book was in her family's library somewhere; the name sounded familiar. Just to be sure though, she asked for the author's name, but excused herself soon after, as she felt she was asking too many questions. It was for a good reason though. She wanted to improve her writing skills. "Oh, don't worry," she said in reassurance. "I don't mind. His name is Augustus Apelles, a Bellan author. He actually tries to incorporate some of his native language into the names of things in his novels, which I think is neat." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and blushed lightly, realizing that she was probably sounding like a nerd being fascinated by Apelles's literature. As the kitsune was a writer though, perhaps she shared that same love, but for other authors. "What kind of things do you write?" she wondered, assuming it was stories as well, but there were other options too, such as poetry.

Evidently, the redhead did not think that most kitsunes presented with ears and tails later in life. Her form as a kitsune was theorized to actually be suppressed by a mage in order to block her from racism. She seemed a little resentful though, as the only thing she could do was go off books to learn more about her own race. Being an elf, Kerii had her fair share of racial prejudice, but nothing too extreme. "I can't believe there's magic that can do that." Granted, magic was magic. Neither Kerii, nor many other people in the universe, truly knew the extent to what magic is capable of. She for one was learning new things about it all the time. Still, something so powerful as to block someone from showing such defining racial traits embedded in DNA was nothing short of amazing... and terrifying. "I don't think I'd like someone doing that to me though. Definitely not without my consent. Sure, I could have done without living around certain humans, but everything was manageable."

Event 19/30

Once Kerii gave the kitsune a suggestion for a good science fiction novel, she in turn, gave her a romance recommendation. The plot revolved around a human girl and a werewolf. The way she described it, it seemed to be yet another starstruck lover cliché, but it was in the redhead's opinion a good read. Though Kerii personally was not too fond of the romance genre, she would still take the other woman's suggestion into consideration. "I'll have to try that out then," she replied. Perhaps it was time for the Wood Elf to give that genre another try.

On the topic of suppressing one's genealogical racial traits via magic, it had evidently been done ever since the kitsune was an infant. Regardless of the actual reason of her true form being kept a secret though, the red-haired woman still believed that it was for her own protection. Such an act did not come without repercussions though. She ended up being bedridden for two entire years. Kerii would just about lose her sanity if she was incapable of moving around, but the redhead managed with reading and writing. She was able to convey her emotions mostly through poetry and letters, and even wrote a story. "Writing can be very therapeutic," the elf conceded, "but you know, I don't think I caught your name. I'm Kerii." It seemed like their conversation would continue, and if that was the case, the Lamia at least wanted to know who she was getting to know.

Event 25/30

Kerii didn't mean to embarrass the kitsune. She flushed a light shade of red when the elf said she had yet to know the girl's name, and nervously gave a reply. The kitsune was named LeeAnn Nakamura, and apologized for not saying so earlier. "It's fine! Besides, I kind of forgot to do the same until now," Kerii reassured, hoping that would make LeeAnn at least feel a little bit better. Kerii was not much of an extrovert in any sense of the word. She wasn't exactly shy. Too much socialization just exhausted her, and as a result, ended up spending most of her time in solitude. As a result, the young elf would sometimes forget to pick up on social cues and formalities.

LeeAnn seemed be looking at Kerii's pointed ears, not that she had any problem with that. After all, she did rather ignorantly stare at the kitsune's ears and tails. She was curious as to what elves were like in regards to things such as their culture. LeeAnn expressed her concern for coming off as rude, but Kerii did not think she was at all. In fact, she was rather delighted to answer her questions. "Well, there's a few different kind of elves out there, each with their own different culture. For example, I'm a Wood Elf. Most in Fiore are raised in Athalran, but I'm actually from Crocus," she explained. Her situation was a little different from other Wood Elves, but she still held onto their religion and traditions. "We have a very deep connection with everything nature, especially with the spirits... though that can get out of hand at times." Kerii nervously scratched the back of her neck as she said that last part. The Lamia was living proof of such carelessness with the spirits, though that was a story for another time.

Bloop :3

Kerii was happy to see the kitsune so interested in her culture. Despite the elf not having great experiences with a certain spirit called Ëala, it didn't ruin them as a whole. They were quite a diverse group of entities, ranging from harmless sprites to powerful beings of potential mass destruction. The kind that came to LeeAnn's mind though were spirits that floated around, potentially being helpful as well. She was curious as to whether such things were associated with kitsunes as well, and seemed to want to know if Kerii possessed any sort of magic. The elf gave a light chuckle at LeeAnn's eagerness to learn. It was always nice to meet another inquisitive soul, but now she realized how she probably seemed to a lot of others who she too tended to bombard with questions just out of pure curiosity.

"We tend to have connections with spirits on a more, well... spiritual level," Kerii explained, realizing that she had no better words to describe it. "Wood Elves tend to live in harmony with them. By treating nature with respect, we treat them with respect, and they do the same in return. Well, that's at least how most of them work anyway." There were other cases that Kerii could spend hours talking about. After all, 'spirit' was a broad term which technically encompassed ghosts, and some people even referred to sprites and pixies as forest or nature spirits. The elf was referring to the kind her people were mostly associated with, but even that narrow group could get complicated. "And as for my magic, I use a nature-based one. I primarily focus on healing, but I can do a few other things with it... but fire you say? When did you start learning magic?"

Event 29/30

Although LeeAnn did not answer Kerii's question about when she began to use magic, she did give an explanation about how her magic functioned, which satisfied the elf. The kitsune's magic also coincidentally had ties with spirits. Despite discovering yet another similarity between herself and LeeAnn, Kerii would not yet tell her that a spirit was the drive of her magic as well. Besides, the mages' spirits were two entirely different entities. Will-o-wisps were things most mages heard about in fairy tales at one point or another, so a magic that revolved around them was not unbelievable. What Kerii found interesting though, was the fact that LeeAnn's flames did not need oxygen to thrive. They ignited on pure magical (or spiritual) energy alone. "Leave it to magic to defy science," Kerii said, shaking her head. The elf was a very logical person. She didn't like it when things didn't make sense. Living in a world where magic conflicted with the limited scientific knowledge people possessed at the moment, this was inevitable, but it still bugged her.

Now that she learned a bit about of LeeAnn's magic, another question popped into the elf's mind. "What's a mage such as yourself doing in Orchidia by the way?" Kerii was meeting a striking number of mages in Orchidia. Usually it was just Lamia Scale members with a few traveling mages here and there.

Event 30/30

LeeAnn seemed equally as puzzled by her magic's defiance of scientific rules and simply blamed it on what she was told by her master. "Oh, I'm not doubting that's the truth," the elf began, waving her hands to show that her initial statement didn't imply disbelief. "I just feel like there's so much we simply don't know yet. There definitely must be some laws that magic must follow, but we have yet to figure them out." That was mostly what Kerii was trying to get across. Yet again, she could have easily went off on a tangent about her theories and the other proposed theories of several scientists and mages, but she did not want to bore the kitsune.

Kerii had asked why LeeAnn was in Orchidia, and she replied by saying that she was sent by the Magic Council, thus implying that she was a Rune Knight. Evidently, she was deployed to a lot of places mostly to do missions and the like, but seemed to like Orchidia even more so than other towns such as Hargeon. The elf couldn't help but beam at this. Most people preferred relaxing places such as Hargeon or Magnolia, but LeeAnn liked Orchidia for one of the same reasons Kerii did. "Oh yeah, I completely understand." The warm sandy beaches of Hargeon were always enjoyable, but being the introverted mage she was, being around people (even if she didn't directly socialize with them) was both physically and mentally draining. Orchidia had its fair share of people, but really the only crowded areas were the market streets. There, Kerii admittedly tended to feel her energy slipping away, but Orchidia was still her home. Speaking of which, LeeAnn seemed to recall Kerii mentioning she was from the guild in that town. "Hmm, did I?" the absentminded elf asked, trying to think back to the previous conversations they had. For the life of her, she could not confirm if she did say that or not. Little things like that often slipped her mind, especially when she felt comfortable talking to someone. "Well, regardless, I am part of Lamia Scale. Have been for several years." A hint of a proud tone could be heard in her voice, but who could blame her? Lamia Scale was a reputable guild and she was elated to call it home.

A gust of cold wind blew past the mages sending brisk chills down her spine. "You know what, if we're going to continue this conversation, how about we do it someplace warmer. I know a nice quiet café nearby," Kerii offered. She hoped that LeeAnn would take her up on the decision to seek shelter from the wintry weather. Besides, the place she had in mind served a really good hazelnut latte that she was craving.

Bloop :3

Kerii was a little curious about someone of Lamia Scale who LeeAnn called a creep. As far as she knew, no one in the guild acted like that, but then again she did not know everyone as well as she should. The kitsune seemed to move on from that point and mention that Lamia Scale was known for its strong members, and to that Kerii nodded her head. "Master Shahrbaraz definitely pushes us to be our finest," she confirmed, thinking back to the several challenges he put members of the guild through. She wasn't going to lie: some of them were deadly. Was it a tad bit frightening that her guild mater would do such a thing? Perhaps, but nobody in their right mind would attempt to do something optional they knew they could not survive... or at least she hoped that's what most people thought.

Luckily, LeeAnn agreed to go to the café and said Kerii could lead the way. "It's over this way." The quaint coffee shop was not too far of a walk. Upon entering, the two mages were greeted by the chime of a silver bell above their heads. One of the baristas recognized Kerii from her frequent visits and happily made the elf's hazelnut latte along with LeeAnn's cup of water. Upon sitting down, the duo resumed their conversation. The Rune Knight spoke first and she wanted to know if Kerii knew of a person named Kyam. "I've heard of him." The elf blew on the cup to cool her coffee down. "But I've never met him in person. Was he um... the creep you were talking about earlier, if you don't mind me asking?" The newest member of their guild, Fibi, brought him up as the member of Lamia Scale who sent her in the guild's direction. Other than that though, she knew next to nothing about the man.

Bloop :3

Kerii listened to LeeAnn's little tangent as she tipped on her hazelnut latte. Evidently, this 'Kyam' person was charming, but let off a weird vibe. The elf knew exactly what she was talking about, especially since LeeAnn also seemed rather distrusting of others, but strangely not to Kerii. Perhaps it was because they had so much in common. Though their situations greatly differed, the Wood Elf could definitely see bits and pieces of herself within the Rune Knight. It was actually sort of refreshing in a way to finally have someone who she could relate to on some level. "Oh no, you're fine," Kerii said after LeeAnn apologized about rambling on. "I actually feel the same way about a lot of people, but not really you either, so I totally get it." Of course all distrust seemed to melt away in the elf whenever she saw someone hurt or in danger. It was more of an instinctual reaction that she simply could not help. Kerii realized that it could end up putting her in serious trouble herself one day, but her impulsive nature nearly always won regardless of the situation.

The Lamia took another sip of her coffee while LeeAnn further elaborated on her assessment of Kyam. Once she was finished, Kerii let out a sigh. "I apologize if that was your first impression of the guild. Most of us aren't like that," she replied, shaking her head. LeeAnn seemed to trust Kerii, so the kitsune likely came to that conclusion on her own, but she just wanted to reiterate that fact just to be sure. She traced her finger along the rim of her cup as she tried to come up with a question to ask LeeAnn, when one popped up in her mind. "Do you know Ren? He's a Rune Knight I met earlier here. I think he's still stationed in Orchidia, but I'm not sure." Perhaps the kitsune knew the answer, but if she didn't, that was fine. The Magic Council seemed to be quite a large organization, so it wouldn't surprise the elf in the slightest if the two hadn't crossed paths.

2/3 First Coin

Right after Kerii asked if LeeAnn knew Ren, she shook her head. "You know what, never mind. The Rune Knights is a pretty large faction. I shouldn't expect everyone to know everyone." She took another sip of her drink as she mentally confirmed how unlikely it really was that LeeAnn knew him. Kerii didn't know how true it was, but she always imagined guilds being tighter-knit than larger factions like that. Despite how long she had been in Lamia Scale, even she did not know all the members of it. She couldn't expect LeeAnn to do the same.

The elf eventually finished her latte and kindly smiled to LeeAnn. "It was really nice meeting you," she began. "I loved chatting and having this little break, but I have some guild related things to take care of that I can't put off any more." Kerii stood up from her chair and put her empty cup away. She waved goodbye to the redhead and left the cafe. She liked that kitsune and could see more than a bit of herself in her. It was refreshing to finally have someone to relate to, even if their situations were different. She hoped to run into LeeAnn another day, but for now that would have to wait. There was some business she needed to deal with.

- Exit -