Whoever has designed this vibrant mess of a city certainly didn't leave any rock unturned, as a principle I'd guess. Not a single speck of space wasted for free view, with the exception of one centric alleyway. Cherry blossom trees, found only in Joya, planted in these grounds for all to see, all year-round; giving the city a unique attraction spot that easily draws in tourists at supposedly, all times and hours. With that single spot mentioned, there was no apparent empty space in Hosenka to explore; all occupied in one way or another by a local or traditional business house -- which on itself, was great for its reputation and economy. But for Jan Ren? Not quite.

As such, the Blue Pegasus wizard had found himself going out of his way to make a detour at an untimely hour; arriving at the dimly lit alley by nearly 2 AM local time, viewing the magnificent cherry blossom trees. It wasn't his first experience seeing the, but easily one of the few times he did. And in this late an hour, with (thankfully) not a soul outside, he'd claim it to even glisten under the given lighting.

Though fact was he never came just for the scenery. Unfortunately, his reasoning dabbled in business, yet again; not a hint of free time to just enjoy the surrounding besides what he'd granted earlier. After all, complacency is the enemy of excellence. If he ever wanted to get popular with the ladies, becoming 'great' by himself first would be a solid first step.

And boy did he have something to improve upon.

"Doryu no...!!!" Channeling his magic power through his entire body, the Sinese had yet gotten accustomed to the presence of a lacrima in his body; let alone the attributes that came with it. With this late an hour, he could yell as hard as he wanted and disturb not a soul. He could appear however he wanted and could still go unnoticed. He could... Fail, miserably. As many times as required, without soiling his reputation one bit. This was perfect. Body sweaty from constant work, top removed and neatly folded by one of the trees; exposing his back and with it, the purple Blue Pegasus symbol. For the purpose of practicing and maybe understanding it...

...Earth Dragon Slayer Magic.

Not the magic he'd first dabbed his hand with, but surprisingly one he had dormant powers in wait. As he'd struggled to properly dish out his spells in the proper shape he'd envisioned, he couldn't help but think to himself. What a terribly constructed plotline. If he'd been raised by a dragon like the myths say, then sure, fine. But to just have it waiting to be discovered? Unrealistically annoying.

It was late at night, a cool breeze blowing through the air brought the blue haired mercenary some comfort as he made his way through the empty streets of Hosenka. He was not feeling his best that night, so he decided to go out for a walk to take his mind of from things. It had been a long time since he’d blown out some steam, and that seemed to be exactly what he needed at that moment. While returning from a party some days ago to his hotel at Cabaret Crescent, he’d noticed that the Sakura Alley’s park strip was completely empty. He was in no condition that night for anything, given the amount of booze flowing through his system. However, Kenzo made a mental note that it would be the perfect spot for some quiet and private “after-hours training”.

True enough, Kenzo had a lot going on in his mind. After joining Blue Pegasus he had decided it was best for him to reconsider many things about himself. There were still so many things holding him to his past, preventing him from moving to the future. Yet, he knew not where to start; it was exactly that reason that led him to the dimly lit street. It was barely visible, but the cherry blossoms that had been planted there were beautiful. They reminded him of a special spot he used to spend long hours back when he lived at Joya. Coincidentally, it was also the place where he enjoyed training the most. Thinking blowing off some steam at this familiar place, he finally arrived expecting to spend some time alone. However, it seemed like he was not the first one with that idea.

As Kenzo came closer to the place, he heard the screams of someone. He did not recognize the voice of the person, but his words definitely intrigued him. Jumping up at the high wall surrounding the other side of the alley, he tried to scout for a better view. Standing on top of it gave him a vantage point, so he was finally able to see who the owner of the voice was. Devoting himself to training, a young man had beat Kenzo to his plan. From the looks of it, he was definitely training his magic. Although Kenzo was a stranger to how one actually trained one’s magical powers, he could distinguish hard work when he saw it. Deciding he didn’t want to interrupt the stranger and possibly find trouble for himself in case he was a bounty hunter, the warrior decided to turn away. However, it was at that moment when something caught his attention. Once the guy turned around, a smile creeped upon Kenzo’s face. Given his lack of shirt, the familiar Blue Pegasus symbol rested proudly on the strangers back. The Bellan warrior had decided he wanted to get to know his guildmates better this time, so he got excited to meet someone here when he least expected it. Hesitating for a second, Kenzo decided to finally go and introduce himself. Walking towards him slowly, he placed both hands on his pockets. Once he was within reach, he rose his hand as he spoke in the friendliest tone he had. ”Yo! Sorry for the interruption… I couldn’t help but notice that symbol in your back…” The warrior took a pause to pull down his shirt’s neck a bit and turn away from the guy. The shirt lowered just enough to reveal his own Blue Pegasus tattoo, placed right between his shoulder blades. ”Didn’t expect to meet a fellow guild member here. The name’s Kenzo. Nice to meet you”

An extra step, just to cause another fail. Overreaching, the young man had stumbled upon his own feet and fell flat on his face. Embarrassment was soon to creep its way unto his face, displayed well to the ground below. "Gggh....!!! What the hell!!!" The fact nobody was around at these hours played well into his favors as Jan Ren could let out his emotions on full display. Being alone meant he didn't need to keep up appearances that he would usually favor in-front of a crowd; especially now that his name has been getting a bit more recognition. He could be as immature as he'd liked, complain as much as he wanted without concern for other people's opinions. Which, seemed to be a pressing issue for the raven-haired as of late.

And so, frustration let out in a loud scream, venting out his stress at his own inability to adapt. This magic, it wasn't native to him. Or was it? Whichever the case, the Sinese only knew that he'd one day lost all proficiency with his Water Magic, and woke up to realize he now has to start over with a different element. Now, having practiced magic for a long while, he'd assumed it wouldn't be too much of a trouble; especially considering his earlier endeavors with his previous magic didn't require too much effort. This time, it was different.

"...Alright..." After he heaved out a long sigh, all hair brushed off his back to show his guild's purple-colored insignia inscribed over it, Jan Ren picked himself off the ground, standing up again and closing his eyes. "(One more time. That's all. Just once.)" As his face muscles clenched, knuckles tightened, he got in a wide stance as the golden-brown magic circle appeared below his feet; lighting up his form as it spun slowly beneath him. Preparing for yet another tryout, when he thought he had stabilized proper output -- the Sinese found himself cut off by the sudden voice of some unfamiliar voice.

Man. He's been so cooped up in his head that he completely missed the entering scent of this stranger.

"--H-Huh?" Shut to attention, eyes widened as he flinched in place; the Sinese' magic output returned to zero as he felt the slight fatigue of maintaining his steady release, head only slightly groggy as he took in the stranger's words. At first he was confused; a man approaching with a supposedly expectant(?) grin on his face, sounding rather riled up. Now, Jan Ren knew his reputation had grown and until the final nail was struck in the coffin (that is, his brain took a moment to comprehend the words granted), he was sure this was just another fan.

Surprised to see yet another member of Blue Pegasus in town, and one he wasn't familiar with either; Jan Ren immediately dropped all guard, apologetically rubbing at the back of his head. "O-Oh!! Hey! Nice, nice to meet you!!" He started, still getting into proper pace; offering a light laugh of awkwardness as he too, began taking steps towards this Kenzo person. "Apologies for my sluggishness, haha... It's most likely been a while since I took a proper break." The Sinese excused and proceeded to gesture to the other with a respectful, deep bow; both in proper etiquette for first meeting and greeting, as well as in honest apology.

"I am Jan Ren of Blue Pegasus. It is a pleasure to meet you, Kenzo. ..." ...Kenzo. Kenzo... Where'd he hear that name before? It was most certainly recently, he was sure... But where? Who--

Eyes widened further. "Ahhh!!" He suddenly yelled out, taking an instinctive step back as his finger shot out, pointing directly to the other's face. "You're Kenzo! Kenzo Valens!! The one Rania was sent on missions with!!" It was a longshot, but Kenzo was admittedly an uncommon name to hear. Having caught wind from the woman in-question herself, the Sinese couldn't help but voice out his realization. And if he was right...

...Then man, this Kenzo person was lucky.

As soon as Kenzo got closer, he started to worry if he’d come at an inappropriate time. He could see a large magical circle forming beneath his fellow guildmate, all the while magical power cursed through his body and into the air. Luckily for him, it seemed that his introduction had finally caught his attention. At least enough for him to stop the spell from being casted. It would have been totally uncool for Kenzo to be blasted away by a spell by accident after all. On the contrary, it seemed that the stranger was quite friendly. The mercenary was not someone that normally initiated conversations with people he didn’t know. In fact, he normally avoided talking to other people unless it was absolutely necessary, to the point of coming off as a rude person. However, he’d made a promise to himself to try better in order to become acquainted with his new guildmates. After all, Blue Pegasus was known for it’s stylish and cool-headed members that loved hosting others and being the heart of the part, right? Once he was greeted in kind, the mercenary was finally able to sigh in relief. The whole starting a conversation situation made him feel awkward.

”Hehe. It’s alright! It’s my fault for coming out of the blue at this time of the night” The blue haired male chuckled as he flickered his palm back and forth as if trying to scare away a fly, with the intention of dismissing the guy’s apology. Once he saw him bow, Kenzo rose an intrigued brow. It was a rare custom in Fiore, but one the mercenary was well accustomed to. He’d spent most of his life fighting wars for warlords in Joya, so it didn’t puzzle him about its meaning. However, this meant that his guildmate was at least somehow related to the eastern countries where it was more common. Counting his friend Noel, this made 3 members of Blue Pegasus out of the 4 he’d met that had something to do with Joya in some capacity. As he bowed in return, he couldn’t help but feel curious by the fact.

However, all thoughts about Joya were immediately dispelled as soon as Jan Ren reacted at last to his name. Seeing his eyes widening and him noticeably getting exalted over something, Kenzo couldn’t help but feel restless. ”Shit… He knows about my bounty” The thought. he warrior’s plans of a peaceful introduction went down the drain as his brain scrambled about excuses to convince Jan that he was in no capacity a dangerous man. Sure… his bounty was – erm… the biggest in the country? But that totally didn’t mean it was a bad thing right? So invested was Kenzo thinking about a new plan to calm down his guildmate that he almost missed his actual realization. Staring at Jan with a blank look, the Bellan mercenary took a moment before reacting with disbelief.

”Huh?” Suddenly, his own eyes widened as he realized he’d misunderstood the situation. As soon as he did, Kenzo couldn’t help but smirk at Jan, scratching the back of his head with his right hand. ”Y-yeah! Alisa sent the two of us for a tour around Fiore for some reason” Kenzo tilted his head a little, wondering how he’d known about it. ”Do you know Rania by any chance?”

You'd think that an established wizard in an esteemed guild would know who to watch out for. That is, that they would know who is dangerous, who is deemed dangerous and who to avoid. Well if you'd applied any of those to Jan Ren, you'd be off the mark. Let alone the fact that the Sinese held no interest in such matters in the first place, he was so oblivious that rarely did he ever even know when a person had the slightest bit of bad reputation to them. In most cases, should a state like this arrive, he'd have heard it from a girl he found himself hooked on; and even then, half-heartedly listened for, immature reasons most likely. That, or impure ones. Case in point being, to put it bluntly --

Jan Ren was perfectly oblivious to the status of wanted men in Fiore.

And in this specific case, it played straight into Kenzo's favor. "I see, I see..." He affirmed, body language relaxed some as he'd come to acknowledge the person's newfound status; though squinting some as his eyebrows furrowed. Truth be told, should the Sinese had known Kenzo to be an assumed criminal, he would only question his Master's decisions further, while doubting this man's morality and his words for that matter; having went through some unfavorable matchups with some wanted ladies in the past. However, contrary to the looming threat of prejudice, the young man's suggested bothered frown was not in suspicion. ...Well, not exactly in the right suspicion, anyway. "You're a lucky one, aren't you Kenzo." He exclaimed.

"Getting to travel all over Fiore with Rania, just the two of you..." He closed his eyes; head lowered some as his back slouched forward a bit, pose marked off with his arms crossed. Clearly, the Sinese entered some sort of imaginative state, as he'd proceeded to put himself in Kenzo's shoes. How would have things ended up if he was her partner for numerous missions all over the country? How would their relationship as individuals look like if he was there? Such questions, he failed to answer; simply in fault of a specific image popping to mind, causing the young man to smirk and utter a silent, deep chuckle under his breath. --Quickly dismissed when he became self-aware of what he was portraying. "Err, y-yes! That must have been quite the adventure for you."

Yup, zero suspicion. Nailed it.

Straightened once more as he stuck out his chest, the Sinese hasted to assume his proper position in-front of the guildmate. So this Kenzo Valens, a supposedly new addition to the guild, was tasked with going all over the country along with one of his dearest friends, helping people left and right. "I do know Rania, yes. Though I suppose that much is obvious by this point, huh. Heheh." Admitting to the status, Jan Ren topped off with a light jest. "She and I are rather close, as friends. I met her in Marigold a couple of months back, actually." He elaborated, assuming it would be appropriate -- despite not being asked.

"May I ask, Kenzo." There were many questions the Sinese had wanted to inquire, though he needed to select his words carefully within the given time. Despite being glad to take a short break in the form of sudden company, Jan Ren was still practicing, frustrating so. As a principle, Blue Pegasus put an emphasis on self-improvement; and it's at these hours only, in these secluded areas in this city, that such was even allowed. Without casualty, that is. "I have much I would like to know, but for starters... What brings you all the way out here in the middle of the night like this?" He asked, gesturing for the blue-haired to follow as the young man shifted his body, eyes still locked towards the others' before beginning to take steady pace towards the nearby Cherry Blossom tree.

A short conversation between two men, under the Cherry Blossom in the middle of the night. An awfully picture-esque scene, fit to be called 'art'. "There really shouldn't be too many outside at these hours, I reckon."

While Kenzo was relieved that he wouldn’t have to explain the whole deal with his bounty, he couldn’t help but feel a slight suspicion on the inside. Once Jan learned he was sent by Alisa to deal with some beast trouble in Sieghart Mountains and Dahlia City, Jan furrowed his brow. This gave Kenzo the hint that there was something within his words that his fellow Blue Pegasus member found more interesting than they should. Now, Kenzo was quite a clever man. In fact, he’d always been more the type of guy to prefer brains over brawns when it came to most things. However, the blue haired lad had one glaring witness. Whenever it came to matters of love and such, he was quite dense. For the next better part of a minute, Jan completely immersed himself in his thoughts. Unsure what he meant by being lucky for traveling through Fiore to do some quests with Rania, the mercenary furrowed his brow, puckering his lips a little while he scratched his cheek with his index.

”E-erm.. I guess it wasn’t so bad? Though there are places to see other than Sieghart and Dahlia if I say so… Also, they pay wasn’t that good either-“ The mercenary’s words were cut short by Jan’s sudden comment about how much of an adventure it must have been. Raising a brow, Kenzo wondered if he’d even heard what he said before. After all, he seemed to have been too immersed in his thoughts. Regardless, the mercenary simply shrugged it off. It was not like him to think too deeply into small talk, so he decided to simply leave his suspicions of his reaction aside. However, once he heard Jan speak about Rania, it struck him like lightning. Kenzo’s eyes widened as a mischievous smirk grew on his face. ”Oh? You’re right… Now that I remember. She told me about meeting someone from the guild in Marigold while we were riding my horse to Sieghart. She spoke quite a bit about him. Sadly I was too hungover to remember” The male teased his new guildmate, understanding maybe a little what kind of guy he was.

Either way, Jan soon brought to the table the matter at hand. Kenzo would have made himself the exact answer, had he been in his shoes. Extending his right arm to the side, a bright light covered his hand as a golden blade materialized out of thin air. Kenzo loved his pocket dimension ring. It was perhaps the best investment he’d made since he’d arrived at Fiore. ”To be honest, I was looking for a bit of peace and quiet to train. It’s been a while since the last time I was able to make some time for myself. However, seems like I was not the only one with that idea today.” The young Bellan chuckled as he brandished the long sword in the air. ”What do you say? Mind if I join you?”

For crying out loud... That was not what he wanted to know! --Actually scratch that, he didn't want to know what they did together either!! It was a weird spot to be in; the Sinese found himself suspecting and putting himself in Kenzo's shoes, and at the same time feeling a growing sense of jealousy towards the blue-haired mercenary simply upon assumption. For a brief moment, Jan Ren's face lit up some upon the mercenary managing to recall his presence. Ah, so Rania did talk about me! --he thought, flattered and lifted in that very moment. The next piece though felt like an arrow shooting through his heart as the next segment, didn't sit with the young man as well. The two were riding on his horse -- together -- while he was hungover from drinking; managing to somewhat recall their talk together despite the assumed intoxicated state.

Such intoxication meant nothing to the progressively-jealous Sinese. If he was hung over, and with his personal experience with Rania drinking wine at her previous apartment, he'd only come to the logical conclusion that she'd took part in it as well. A long trip from Marigold to Dahlia and Siegheart Mountains... Alone, just the two of them. Riding on a horse, one's arms wrapping around the other's waist as the moon shines over their figures... And a careless whisper is uttered by one as they ride into the night t-- "I-I see. That's, lovely." The average human is capable of perceiving thought in 0.2 seconds. In this instance, Jan Ren's fantasies occurred in its entirety in that timespan; speaking to the intensity of his emotion! "Great, I'm glad to hear she mentioned me!!" Struggling to keep a proper smile as his eyebrows deeply furrowed, the raven-haired's composure tore down in just that simple exchange.

Soon he was snapped back to reality, dismantling such previous unpleasantry as a sword appeared out of nowhere in Kenzo's hand. Immediately, the Sinese came to inspect it from where he stood. A proper whiff from his nose, even at this distance, spoke to the many battles this blade alone had seen. It still faintly reeked of blood, but strongly omitted a familiar scent of steel. What's more, the mercenary's own personal musk had mixed in with it to a degree; speaking vaguely to the time the two had been together. He smiled; "Oh? I'd love that." Somewhat excited, somewhat determined; facing this unknown blade alone was terrifying, but in the hands of a supposedly earnest Kenzo he had the feeling he'd be alright.

On top of that, "This would be a good chance to see what Rania's partner is capable of!" Yes, he was still hung onto that.

"Then... Let me resume my training. I hope I can live up to your expectations." His grin widened as the young man put his trust in the other, enough to take a short distance of about 10 meters away from the other, before facing him again; taking a short bow to signify the start, then entering proper stance. Knees bent down and legs at sufficient width apart, weight leaning on his thighs. Back slightly slouched, form leaning forward as his left arm was stretched outward; right arm folded as his right hand remained by his face -- both palms open. The usual, signature Sinese fighting stance he'd adopted. "Very well... Let's begin!"

---

Deciding to take the initiative, Jan Ren immediately tapped his foot on the ground as a magic circle appeared beneath him; the Dragon Slayer building up his magic to prepare his attack. He still lacked confidence, or for better term -- experience, in using this kind of magic; but with a training partner, he would surely manage to gain some experience with it. If not, outright get stressed enough to channel it properly. Though the spell never came out, he steadily focused as he felt a small bump appear right beneath his right foot, throwing his stance somewhat off balance. This won't do. He needs to focus better!

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