Raquel ran her pale fingers over the water, lazily watching ripples bloom out and disappear on the surface. It was such a pleasant day; a complete rarity in the young woman’s life. The last two weeks for her were absolutely exhausting. After all, not only did she discover that she was a vampire –a creature she thought to only exist in books- but she also had to accompany Venus as they took care of some bandits looking to rob several shops in magnolia. Not even her last attempt -a few days ago- at a relaxing outing with Venus was successful. She realized she was missing out on so many things, that she had so much to discover. Stuck between learning to control her thirst and dealing with troublemakers, Raquel had not at all explored the beautiful city of Magnolia or the famed forest surrounding it.

‘But that will all change starting today’ is the thought that woke her up this morning. Gazing into the green lining of rising trees reaching for the skies through a half open window of her room, Raquel made a decision. She had a special connection with it, too. The young vampire was first discovered by Kaiser within this very forest. She had been like that one princess from the popular fairy tales, fast asleep in the middle of nowhere with vines and leaves growing around her. Even now after two weeks, the confusion and emotional ups and downs that she felt on that day had left a deep and unforgettable impact in her mind. To think she woke up as a vampire, to think she was attacked by one, to think that she had lost almost all of her memories. She was left as but an empty vessel with no recollection whatsoever of who or what she was before.

“Why think of this now?” The water mage sighed, dipping her fingers down the water and moving them around as if she was gently rocking a baby to sleep. She discovered the wonderfully scenic place that morning after hours of walking through the maze of East forest. A large river glistening happily under the golden rays of sunshine and a gigantic tree weeping over the water with its long, sturdy branches. It was beautiful and immediately called for the water mage inside her.

Raquel quickly found a perfect spot on one of the bottom branches and laid down on top of it, eager to play with the cool water below. A side of her that was so romantic wanted to jump into the refreshing depths of the pool and float over it as if she was finally at rest with death, but the sound of reason kept warning her not to get her clothes wet especially since they were new and Venus had picked them out exclusively for the new Daeva.

Another day had come in this strange and foreign. Once more he had found himself awaken to the familiar sight of a companion that Eustass had grown dangerous close to. Swinging his legs over the bed, Eustass pressed his feet onto the cold flooring, and pushed off the bed. After a shower, Eustass got dress and exited the suite, pranced down the hallway and stairway, where he would finally find himself on the busy street of Magnolia. Today, Eustass wore a simple white t-shirt, black jeans with a leather belt, and combat boots. Over his shoulder, the magnetism mage a black overcoat with fur trimming, it resembled a cloak and or a cape on him. The city was loud and filled with various noise that would inspire a headache on anyone who was not used to the bustle of city life, but fortunately Eustass was not one of those people.

For him, the city was a safe haven, a place where he was not powerless. He could close his eyes and feel the magnetic fields emitting from the various bits of metal around him. From the lamp post, to the nails that bound wooden planks together, and the metallic mechanisms within a door- with concentration and focus, Eustass could feel it all. It made him feel safe. In his pocket the magnetism mage carried with him three metal marbles or spheres that would be used as ammunition in the case that he’d find trouble, he wouldn’t carry them unless he was going in a location that wouldn’t naturally have metal, for instance the forest. Which he wanted to explore a bit today, the forest and the surrounding areas of magnolia. Honestly, Eustass did not feel as secure in a forest than he did in a city. Besides the common reasons why, the main reason was because he felt powerless. Granted, he could feel the metal embedded in the earth, but he couldn’t reach out to it. He could control it.

Eustass would exit the city, leave the safety of civilization, and head out into the wilds. Traversing the wilderness, he would come onto a large river that basked in beautiful sun light, and above the river was a great tree. He would lean down onto the ground, a lilac aura silhouetting his body, as he attempted to reach out into the earth, but nothing happened. “Tch” he cursed as the aura disappeared and he placed his hands in his pockets.

Raquel felt as lazy as a stuffed cat lying on her back up in the hanging branch. She stifled a yawn. If it wasn’t for the stream of sunlight that occasionally peeked through the tree leaves and fell on her face, she probably would have dozed off a long time ago. Even the water, as it flowed between her outstretched fingers, seemed to want to lull her into the land of dreams. What a temptation, she sighed, full with a sense of timelessness as everything besides the jovial wind, rustling leaves and the slow flowing water stood still and silent, enveloping her in a blanket of peace and security that she hadn’t felt for quite a long time.

Raquel oh so truly wanted to just go against her better judgement, give away to her desires, and just fall asleep. It would be such a regrettable thing to not do so given the perfect weather and scenery. However, just as she was about to slip into the comforting darkness, something stirred below her and she heard the sound of heavy footsteps upon fallen leaves and tiny twigs. Frowning, she effortlessly spun around to look through the foliage at a red haired man overlooking the river in a calm manner.

‘Kind of handsome,’ was the first thought that fluttered through her mind, though she was very quick to push it away.

Then as he began to try and manifest something, Raquel quickly felt the surge of his mana. Her ruby eyes fixed on his profile as a purple glow grew and diminished altogether in the span of just mere seconds. Puckering her lips in thought, she raised an eyebrow and started making assumptions of her own as to why someone would stop in front of a river with such an expression. And then, somewhat amused, she lifted her fingers away from the water and waved it slowly in the air. The river water stilled for a moment as mana filled the air and soon, small bubbles of all sorts of colors rose from the water and started drifting across the whole area.

“Now that’s how you greet someone,” She called down from her place up on the branch, a hand propped beneath her head and the other soon coming to rest near her hip. “Who are you? I don’t think I have seen you around here before…”

But she got no answer in return. It seemed that whomever she was trying to talk to was not very interested in her. So leaning back towards the branch, Raquel would simply close her eyes and doze off, giving into her previous desire for a good nap.

-Exit-