Politics were exhausting.

Atani normally didn't care for them much, but it seemed every mage from Fiore wanted a hand in the power struggle in Bosco. So, she might as well join in on the fun. Besides, it was important that their neighboring country had a capable sibling on the throne. As for who to support, Hildegard made that decision easy for the Wood Elf. The racial inequality in Bosco that could result from others taking the throne instead fueled the mage's veins with white hot anger, though there was little she could do about that if someone like Brunhilde took the throne instead. She would return to Fiore, and Bosco would be on its own.

What Atani could do in the meantime, however, was help Hildegard gain the support she needs to resonate with her citizens. And she had done just that, though her time in Bosco wouldn't be something pleasant to remember if she only spent it on political business. She was in a new country for Sayha's sake. It would do her some good to relax and enjoy the vastly different culture.

The girl came across something that looked like a nice and quiet spot to have a drink or two. She entered, not quite knowing what she even wanted to order. She wasn't sure how many Fiorian visitors they got over in Bosco, but her fingers were crossed there wouldn't be much of a language barrier. Much to her surprise, however, Atani found that there may not have been much of a need for struggling with broken Boscosi that day. A familiar kitsune was there.

"... Wonder what Atani or Raymus are doing right about now."

"Having tea, same as you."

She hoped she didn't startle Lee too bad. The Wood Elf had ordered Hagebuttentee, whatever that was. She didn't understand what it meant on the menu, but she was a fan of all sorts of teas. She wagered she'd most likely enjoy it.

"And Ray from the guild? He's actually in Bosco too." She paused for a moment and looked to the cat alongside Lee. Or at least, she thought it was a cat. It appeared feline, but it was far from your ordinary pet. "I didn't know you had a... cat?"

The uncertainty was clear in her voice. The Wood Elf had never seen such an animal.

bloop ♡

Atani took a seat alongside Lee as the two friends greeted one another. The elf took a sip of her cup of hagebuttentee. Upon the liquid touching her lips, she recognized the flavor to be of rosehips. Unless there were other sparse flavors in the brew, she wagered that this hagebuttentee was the Boscosi equivalent of Fiore's rosehip tea. That was one new word added to her vocabulary, though she did not even know where to begin with its pronunciation, and she wasn't about to embarrass herself trying.

The elf grinned as she saw Lee's reaction to hearing of Ray also being in Bosco. It seemed those two guild mates were good friends as well. But it seemed she wasn't the only one mildly entertained by the kitsune's excitement. Much to Atani's surprise, Lee's feline companion spoke in perfect Fiorian, teasing her about liking Raymus. She would have laughed with the joke, but she was taken so aback by the creature speaking like a human, it completely slipped her mind. Evidently, this was because the cat-- Lector-- was not really a cat; he was an exceed.

"I've never seen an exceed before," she replied, still astounded by unprecedented speech capabilities of the strange creature. "Good to meet you then?"

Atani wasn't sure if that was the appropriate thing to do. Normally, she did not speak this way with animals. Though the elf possessed a rare ability to converse with animals, it did not come across as plain Fiorian like how this exceed spoke. This dynamic, it was entirely different.

"So, what brings you to Bosco?"

bloop ♡

Atani gave an appreciative smile to the kitsune as she explained that it was okay to be unsure around exceeds, especially for the first time. They were a rare species that very few encountered in their lifetime. She should count herself lucky to have met one. As much as elves loved nature, she couldn't imagine that many of them have even seen an exceed due to their reclusiveness. They might have known the forest and its residents inside and out, but foreign species? Not so much. Maybe through a textbook, but certainly not through experience.

As for why Lee was in Bosco, Lector mentioned it had to do something with Lee's mother; however, that was only part of the truth. As with many mages who traveled to Bosco in these times, there was the lure of the current royalty conflict. It seemed the two non-humans were in agreement with Cassia and Hildegard being among the better choices of the Sachsenwald siblings. For Lee, it stemmed from both familial and personal matters. For Cassia, the Nakamura ideals as a whole aligned with hers. For Hildegard, however... Well, not much needed to be said there.

"It is," she solemnly agreed. The elf took another sip of her rosehip tea. Some silence passed between the two before Lee finally broke the silence with the ever so sensitive topic that was bound to result from the mention of Hildegard and her views. While Atani had spent the entirety of her life being a Wood Elf, or in general a non-human, the same could not be said for Lee. As the kitsune had said before, she was not even aware of her demi traits until later due to some form of magical suppression. So, she was correct. She did have a unique understanding on the views and struggles of both sides of the world. Specifically, the human and non-human sides. While each race still underwent their own form of discrimination, the majority of it was still rooted in the causation being human supremacy.

"Could you even do something?" Atani asked. Realistically speaking, there was not much a simple mage of Blue Pegasus could do about the situation. "Not to be blunt or anything... But as much as I want change to happen, what could a mage do? I don't think either of us have much say about what goes on in our own guild, let alone many things in Fiore."

bloop ♡

Atani knit her brows as she heard what Lee said about Raymus. The man was a werewolf. As the stereotype went, they weren't exactly the classiest of people. From what she gathered of Lee's words, he fit that to a degree. From Atani's own fight with him, she too could see what Lee meant. The guy was itching to fight left and right. His movements were anything but elegant. For a Wood Elf such as herself, the stereotype was the complete opposite. Elves were expected to have an air of elegance in everything they did. Most weren't even expected to be robust fighters. They were often thin and agile, not muscular and brash. Yet, even so, Atani did not find herself fitting in with all the ideals Blue Pegasus held.

"I agree," she found herself saying. The elf set down her cup of tea and folded her hands together in concentration. She held them up by propping her forearms against the side of the table. "I initially joined Blue Pegasus because I was lost in Fiore. I knew I wanted to join a mage's guild, but everything was so new... And I heard great things about the guild, how the guildmaster was strong, how it had a good reputation. The members there were so willing to get me acquainted with Fiore, but once I finally got some time to see more of the guild myself, the things you're talking about became apparent."

The mage clenched her jaw just thinking of the springtime event held in Hargeon where so many members of the guild had to change into rabbit themed clothes. Atani, of course, was included among those numbers and wore an uncomfortably revealing bunny suit. She had to put on a mask out of sheer embarrassment. That sort of unique brand of 'elegance' was the thing she was referring to. The elf had no qualms about dressing up, but there was a time and place for everything. If she had worn such an outfit in public in her homeland, she would have been laughed off the streets. Elves would be talking about it for weeks on end. What was more, if she hadn't worn the mandatory bunny attire, she couldn't have helped with the events, and then she would have felt guilty for not doing so. Those sorts of things were expected of the superfluous guild. If nobody helped put on the annual event, it would have let Hargeon's citizens (and most importantly its children) down.

"... let's make our own guild!"

Atani's hands unclasped. Her emerald eyes widened in surprise. "Our own guild?" The shock still hadn't yet left her mind. "I mean, I haven't really been happy in Blue Pegasus, but do you know what that means? It'd be a huge responsibility."

As those words left the elf's lips, she realized that statement was probably something Lee well understood, but it nonetheless remained to be an important point. It sounded to her like the kitsune already had a lot on her plate dealing with family matters, and now she wanted to be the leader of a guild. Not even Atani, who had no family issues to deal with, could imagine herself trying to start up a guild... But then again she was still in the process of becoming familiar with Fiore itself. In all likelihood, Lee had a better understanding of how these sorts of things, including guilds, operated. Even so, it sounded incredibly ambitious.

bloop ♡

Atani solemnly nodded as she listened to Lee's own experience with the guild. Like her, she saw the good in the guild. It was strong and filled with great people. It was filled with friends like Manzo and Raymus, but those things could only bring a guild so far. The people in it could not make up for the clash of ideals. Particularly, Lee mentioned Blue Pegasus' distaste for violence. Evidently, sometimes she was pushed too far, and destruction resulted from it. With the mention of Raymus, Atani could only expect that the werewolf was in a similar situation.

"I can't say I relate to that," she admitted. "Elves are a peaceful race, but I can understand where you're coming from. Nobody should have to be shamed for who they are."

The girl's own beliefs were similar to that of the majority of Wood Elves when it came to violence. She preferred to negotiate when possible, but if required, she was not afraid to hold back in combat. That said, she understood others were not raised under the same principles she was. She understood that others even preferred combat over negotiation, be it that fighting was faster, they had no negotiation skills to begin with, or some other reason. Though of course she appreciated it when people made efforts to keep peace, she did not find fault in doing otherwise unless it was excessive.

As for the matter of starting up a guild, Lee understood the process both from being a Rune Knight at one point and being the daughter of one. She did not know the kitsune used to belong to the Magic Council before today. That faction had racial issues of their own since last she checked. Perhaps it was the reason why LeeAnn left, but in the end, it was good she was able to learn about the nuances and legalities behind creating a guild. While the fire mage would have to deal with all the paperwork, there was still plenty more that had to be taken care of. It was not hard to see where her concerns with the workload came from. She couldn't help but smile at her impassioned friend.

"I want a place where everyone can belong too." Atani took another sip of her tea. "I have no qualms about leaving Blue Pegasus. When you talk to Ray, you can tell him you have my support, but this guild is going to need more than just three people. I'm afraid I still don't know many people in Fiore," she frowned, "though it sounds like you've had your eye on this issue for a while. And given how widespread these problems are, I doubt it'd be hard to find others."

bloop ♡

"Raymus and I don't fit in."

The words hit home. They felt like a pin through her heart. It was a feeling she could relate to all too well.

Wood Elves were not like humans. Though they physically looked much like them, save for the ears, it was hard for Atani to feel that she truly fit in Fiore: a country dominated by mankind. She could only assume the same for others who were set apart from humans. With guilds such as Blue Pegasus, that feeling of difference was exacerbated. People like Lee and Raymus were pressured into being someone they weren't. To not be comfortable in your own skin, that wasn't something anyone should experience.

With the rest of what LeeAnn said, Atani felt as if she had already given her two cents on the matter. She nodded her head in understanding, a show that she agreed with the kitsune's points and that she too felt Blue Pegasus was not a good fit for the three of them. It was likely not a good fit for others either. But neither was Fairy Tail and neither was Empyrean Divine. Dark guilds were out of the question. There was a gaping hole for light guilds in Fiore that needed to be filled. It needed to be filled with something like what Lee had in mind.

Regarding the guild, she confirmed that there were more connections lined up, which was good. The lack of interest was something Atani was worried about, but it seemed the ex-Rune Knight had it all covered. While the elf expected her friend to go on about this guild she wanted to start, the topic changed rather abruptly. Lee wanted to know more about her culture and her people's literature.

"Really?" She was shocked. "Well, hmm..." If she was being honest, literature was sparse. Most written things were either academia or poetry. Very little works of fiction for enjoyment were produced. The novelty of such a thing was something she found herself falling in love with upon arrival in mainland Fiore.

"As far as literature goes, I suppose it's mostly poetry. Elves love writing poetry and songs. We have over 10 different words for what to call them alone in our native tongue, sometimes more depending on the dialect. What else specifically did you want to know? I believe I already told you the most important aspect to our culture before about it completely revolving around nature."

bloop ♡

Atani nodded her head as she listened to Lee's reasoning for her rather unusual inquiry. Evidently, she had taken notice of the fact that libraries in Fiore were filled with books written by human authors. Lee wanted to change that for her own guild. Not only would her guild's library provide a wealth of knowledge to the public, but it would inform about other races, particularly the ones who were often overshadowed by man.

"I see," she commented. "I suppose I could help with that. Wood Elves also like to write nonfiction and works of academia. It may be hard to find the original elven works not altered by humans, but I'm sure I can get my hands on something."

Saying that out loud, there were already a few spots that came to mind where she could find books translated to Fiorian. The ones she had at home were of course either written in Elvarin or Val'Elvarin, both of which were languages few humans knew. They would amount to no more than mere decoration at the guild, lest other elves decided to visit the library.

Lee continued to speak. Atani continued to sip her rosehip tea. She swallowed the liquid and couldn't help but chuckle at the kitsune who tried her best to be correct in her terminology.

"Wood Elf is right. I'm certainly no High Elf--" She didn't feel the need to mention Dark Elves, for their skin often took to shades of gray or pale violet-- "In fact, you'll hardly run into them. I would say they're even more reclusive than us. But while we tend to stray from humans due to both... moral and historical conflicts, High Elves hold themselves above all, even Wood Elves. Unless you take a trip to Elvhenair, I highly doubt you'll see one anytime soon." Perhaps ever.

bloop ♡