☽ The ★ Colors ★ Of ★ ＭＡＧＩＣ☾(For MR AZ)

[EmmaliaChan]

Ａｎｇｅｌｉｃａ Ｔａｔｅ
In the cold dampness of the autumn season, Angelica Tate felt right at home. Where she didn't feel at home, however, was this tiny village, where her magic was frowned upon due to her being the only one there with any form of magical abilities. Someday she hoped to get apprenticed to another mage, but with her father's funds going mainly to her sick mother and to feed their hungry bellies, there was little left for her to even consider getting away. While Angelica would certainly miss her parents, she knew it would be a relief for them to not only get out from underneath the constant scrutiny of the townspeople, but also to have one fewer mouth to feed. This also meant more money could go to her mother's treatments, which was a plus in and of itself.

The heavy sky was foggy and overcast and melancholy as she stared out her little window. It was mid-afternoon, but the darkness from the clouds made it feel like nearly dinnertime. As her parents didn't need her, she decided to go for a stroll before droplets of water began to plummet from above, announcing her departure and getting the 'okay' from her father before stepping outside onto the dirt road and making her way towards the town's center. A large tree sat in the square, roots stretching out in every direction and the branches attached to the massive trunk towering over the short girl's head. Setting herself down on one of its roots, she sighed and propped herself against the tree's trunk, closing her eyes and taking in the fresh air as she enjoyed the pleasant energy the massive old oak gave off.

Her affinity being the element of Earth, there was nothing she enjoyed more than the outdoors, particularly the grass and the trees and all the other lovely, natural things the world had to offer. She, however, hated bodies of water - likely related to the fact that water erodes earth. This wasn't to say she didn't keep herself clean, but a frequent swimmer she was not. Her heart remained in the forests and the meadows, happily away from rushing currents and violent tides.

At sixteen years of age, it had really been high time she'd been apprenticed to something. However, being the taboo that she was, none of the townsfolk were willing to take her under their wing and teach her a trade, regardless of the lack of younger residents who were of the proper age to be apprenticed. Truthfully, she would be happy with any job at this point, or to be learning anything, or just to be able to do anything with her hands. Her parents strictly forbid her from using magic, as it scared people and her control over it could be very limited when she wasn't surrounded by earth-related things.

The quiet girl watched her surroundings sadly, her heart sinking in her chest as she earned a few cold glances from her peers and neighbors; the atmosphere darkened whenever she was in the room, and it often upset her that people feared her just because of her abilities. Angelica wasn't the type to harm anyone. Sometimes she even had a hard time killing bugs - not because she was afraid, but because it upset her to needlessly waste a life, even if said life belonged to a damaging pest.

Someday things become better, though... She knew they would, they had to. Nothing could be terrible forever, and there wasn't a single thing in the world that would never change. Even the townspeoples' lives were constantly fluctuating day to day; one day someone would be a mainstay, the next they'd leave for the promise of a brighter future. Lots of people passed through, too, but no one ever stayed. It was more of a waypoint, she thought - a sort of stepping stone in everyone's life path. Even now she could see newcomers gathering at a nearby tavern-inn. Besides those watching her fretfully, others were merry, clinking beer glasses and chatting with friends and strangers alike, including anyone in their conversations who could contribute something to their discussion, however inane it might be.

Some part of her envied them as her blue eyes scanned the groups of customers. Drunken fools they were, but it was obvious everyone was enjoying themselves, and she never got to be part of groups like that. Even in school, she was frequently bullied by the other students, and while this didn't bother her, it gave her an apathetic disposition that made her predisposed to disliking people before she had a chance to know them.


Ｔｒｅｎｔｏｎ Ｂｉｌｃｒａｗｎ
Seven days and seven nights. It sounded like some sort of apocalyptic warning.

But rather, this was how long Trenton had been traveling in order to meet the sender of a particularly interesting letter. A woman had sent him a plea, a request to apprentice her daughter in the arts of magic, and while this wasn't typically something the dark-haired man would do - he wasn't particularly fond of apprentices, as they often thought they knew better than the master who was teaching them - a spark deep inside his mind made him feel the need to accept the request.

He was sly, sort of a flirtatious womanizer at times, and was in no position to take care of or mentor a child. He won his money through less-than-honest gambling, and treated people like pawns in a larger game. But as his name became more and more known, and his skill as an illusory mage became clearer, he needed someone to watch his back. Was it somewhat cruel to take on an apprentice solely to use as a bodyguard? Yes. Did he care?

...Not really.

But that was that! And this was now. And for the moment, he had a pair of women to meet - specifically the mother and her daughter, of course, not two floozies he wanted to take to bed with him. No, that plan was to be saved for later, of course.

This reputation and line of thought itself was what made it amusing to him that anyone, especially a mother, would try to pawn off their child on him, especially if said offspring was of the female gender. Though Trenton was no pervert and definitely wasn't the type to even think of taking advantage of a child or teenager, for the moment he had no idea of her age, or if she would even be trainable for that matter. He did hope she was some hot, older girl, though.

With a yawn and a stretch, he dismounted his horse and tied it to a nearby pole. It was too early to be out and about, regardless of it being in the afternoon... He wished he could've slept in, but he was taking things seriously enough that he arrived at a suitable time. If someone who knew him a bit better asked if he was just trying to get a free meal, the answer would be yes, but naturally the suave wizard would vehemently deny such accusations with his usual snarky grin.

It wasn't until he set foot on the doorstep of the house he'd been summoned to that he realized just how little information he'd received. No elemental affinity, no magic type, no age, no name, no background story, no reason why it was him being asked to apprentice the witch. Sure, the mysteriousness of the letter was what had originally drawn him to accept, but walking in blind could also serve to get him killed - especially if this was some sort of sick joke that led him straight into a trap set by someone less than smitten with him.

However, Trenton was cocky and arrogant enough that he expected he could take anything thrown his way, whether it be knives or arrows or magic or a pair of lovely breasts - although that last option would be terribly distracting if he had to fight anyone.. The house seemed safe enough, anyway, so he raised up his hand and rapped on the door, five clear and loud knocks to announce his presence outside.

[NoiselessKnife]

Lyall Ailward was trying to find a haven from the storm that was menacing to come, he had been walking for days now, he wanted to rest, well, at least he had gotten the herbs he needed… but that was not why he had started this journey at all, and it was becoming increasingly annoying not to be able to find what he was looking for!

The man shook his head and took back his white hood, letting the gentle rain wet his face… he hated water but somehow when it came from above it wasn’t that bad, ok that was just as strange as it sounded, but he guessed he was like that, a strange aging man… oh, how he hated that adjective, he kept on riding while looking around, now this was a mighty small town, he had seen smaller ones but this had, what? 14 families in total? Most of the people here looked like wanderers grabbing this town for some food and a quick night.

His horse gave a light shake of his head, making the man pat his neck lightly. “Calm down, Arion, we’ll be resting soon” He said, focusing on his horse again, the dark animal was staring at something. That made Lyall frown and look ahead, they were in the town’s center now, the most visible thing there was a majestic tree which branches offered a shelter from the rain, the strange thing was that instead of a bunch of horny teens being under them there was a lone girl. This alone woke the man’s curiosity and he motioned his horse forward, towards the massive tree.

As he grew closer to the girl he noticed how everything seemed to change, as if he was entering a land that was not to be stepped without permission, as if the earth under the horse’s hooves was claiming the girl to be its master.

The man couldn’t help but smile widely, finally!

He went down his horse and calmly approached the young girl, feeling, more than seeing, the dark looks that the rest of the town’s folks were giving at them, a purist town now? How many of these darned towns were there?! He ignored those looks and just focused on the girl.

“Hey young one” He said, nodding as a sign of respect. “The earth calls to you, are you able to call to it?” He asked, hoping she understood, it was a question to see if she could control the earth, if it was like that then he would be a very happy man.

Ever since his first and only apprentice had gone away, now as a Master he had been wanting to take another kid under his wing, but had not been confident as to look for said kid and the opportunity had not presented itself to him, some months ago he had realized that he wanted someone to carry on with his legacy, with his discoveries and teachings, so, instead of waiting for the opportunity to call at his door he decided to make yet another trip, and search for a descendant who to guide through the gray and shady paths of magic and alchemy.

---

The warrior would not be very disappointed, for when the big wooden door opened he was left staring at Carni Hravat’s big breasts, that if half covered by her usual white loose shirt they were quite prominent and attention calling, the woman, however, was not in the most sexy mood right now, for she was staring at the newcomer with a frown on her features and a broom on her left hand. “Why did you take so long, Bilcrawn?” She demanded to know, her brown gaze staring down at him. “And what are you waiting for? Get in!” She said, pulling the Master in without any show of anything but impatience.

The busty woman pulled him to the living room, where a kid, her daughter Neha, was sitting, the kid, who was a fourteen years old teen, looked at him, a bit taken by aback due her mother’s reaction, she had brown hair, just like her mother and red eyes that seemed to show how confused she was just now.

“Neha, this is Mister Trento Bilcrawn, the one I told you about, he will train you now” The woman said calmly to the kid.

The kid stood up hesitantly and lowered her red scarf from her lower face before half bowing to the man in respect, she wore a oversized jacket that was obviously not hers, yet it reminded the newcomer of someone else, his old friend; Glaw Tolbert.

[EmmaliaChan]

Ａｎｇｅｌｉｃａ Ｔａｔｅ
It began to rain before she got a chance to make her way back home. The thick, heavy branches of the tree protected her from the falling droplets, however, keeping her pleasantly dry and out of the rain's reach. Remaining stragglers who hadn't already retreated indoors due to her presence quickly made their way inside to escape the weather, which was steadily growing heavier as she watched from her seat on the tree's roots.

The pattering of the rain against the cobblestone road detracted from the usual busy sounds of the town; it might have been small, but the town center was where everyone seemed to congregate during the day, whether to buy from traders from foreign cities and lands, or to merely meet up with friends. It was rare she could sit and enjoy the tree's gentle aura without disruption of bustling townsfolk.

For the first time in as long as she could manage to remember, a stranger approached her without a fearful or disgusted expression. Dismounting his horse, she saw a more curious demeanor than that of a fearful one, which intrigued the quiet teen. As the man drew closer, he spoke to her, and she tensed at his words. Her senses were not strong enough or trained enough to have noticed without consciously attempting to, but now that she'd focused on him, she could sense that he, too, was capable of wielding magical power.

"I..." She began, her knuckles white from gripping the tree's roots in fear and apprehension. Kindness had not been freely offered to her, nor did she expect it to be. Naturally, the first assumption that came to mind was that someone had requested he come and dispose of her, and thus the townsfolk would no longer have to sleep with one eye open in case she decided to climb in their windows at night and murder them in their sleep. Their misguided opinion of what she was could be hurtful to Angelica quite often. "Why are you asking?"


Ｔｒｅｎｔｏｎ Ｂｉｌｃｒａｗｎ
"U-uh, sorry, I tried my breast -- Best! -- to get here quickly." He stuttered, his crimson eyes most definitely not making contact with the woman's own. How was he meant to focus when her shirt was so tantalizingly ruffled, exposing just enough for him to see the glorious lusciousness of the woman's figure. It was all he could do to keep from reaching out and giving them a squeeze.

Something about the pretty mother struck him as familiar, but after having come across so many lovely ladies in his travels, it was difficult to keep track of one in particular, and he couldn't quite place his finger on where and when he knew her from - that was, if he did at all.

After being forcefully led into the woman's home, Trenton found himself dragged into the living room, where he saw a petite young girl sitting patiently on the sofa. Announced as Neha, the respectful teen gave him a partial bow, lowering the thick red scarf covering a large portion of her face. Her dainty stature reminded him more of a fragile porcelain doll than a human; she was hardly threatening, but the illusory mage could sense that buried deep inside her was a vicious force of energy, one that no doubt would be difficult for a young child to control without proper guidance.

His eyes then scanned her massively oversized coat, and he squinted his eyes to focus on it. It took him a moment before details and information clicked in his mind, and he realized exactly where he'd seen the jacket before. While Trenton's eyes widened in surprise, he kept this information to himself - it wasn't all that important for the time being, anyway. "Nice to meet you, kid." He tilted his chin up for a moment in greeting before turning back to her mother.

"So, uh, why me? I didn't exactly hire a town crier to announce that I was offering babysitting for young, troubled mages." He asked sarcastically, one eyebrow raised in a quizzical and somewhat disbelieving expression. "Truthfully, it's not really something I do. Like, ever."

[NoiselessKnife]

The man smiled gently at her and got nearer, taking a seat near the roots as his horse stepped near to take shelter from the rain. “You don’t like rain, huh?” He asked dismissively as he looked up. “For me it’s strange, I do like rain, but I hate water… it’s quite bad for fire” He said, extending his hand and producing a little ball of harmless fire.

“I was wondering, you see, such power in a young girl calls for attention, do you have a mentor already? Someone to guide you through it?” He asked while trying not to mind the busy villagers hiding from the water, none daring to go near them, some even running to the tree and then running away when seeing them, he rolled his eyes as one of them even slipped onto the ground due the speed of doing that. He doubted there was a Master in this place, well, he knew that he wouldn’t stay here, not even if offered money, he detested purist towns.

---

The woman smiled pleasantly at the man and then extended her hand towards her child, gently patting her head.

“Neha, darling. Why don’t you go to your room and gather your things?” She asked sweetly, to what the seemly quiet kid nodded softly and half bowed to the Master before retiring, confusion evident on her face.

The woman kept her pleasant smile to a nearly scary degree and the her hand went gently to the man’s white cape, something that described him as a wandering Master, and began to twist on it until having a good grab on it, she pulled on it hard enough to make the Master bent, permitting her to speak near his ear.

“Because, dear Bilcrawn… Her father, Glaw Tolbert, the one that was with you in the worse times, your friend, is out and if you don’t remember it, Mister Amnesia… YOU HAVE A DEBT WITH HIM!” She growled while still smiling, her smiled then faded and she stared at him. “A debt that I can request being paid and without my husband my kid is struggling with her powers, so I want you to take her as your apprentice… And I won’t take no for an answer. So now, my dear, you’ll get to the second room on the right and tell my daughter that she has a Master in order to keep your honor. You hear?”

[EmmaliaChan]

Ａｎｇｅｌｉｃａ Ｔａｔｅ
The monotonous static sound of the rain splashing onto the ground continued as the man and his horse stepped further underneath the branches to escape the chilling water. Her body continued to tense, frightfully eying the ball of fire until it was once again put out, still expecting him to attack or use his magic against her in some way. It was frustrating, as she knew she couldn't defend herself - not only was her magic unpredictable, at best, when she was in the town and not surrounded by natural things, but she was also disallowed using her magic by her parents, whether inside or outside of their home.

She didn't answer his question about the rain, too busy fretting to even think of speaking or distracting herself from being prepared to flee. Had she spoken, she would've told him that the rain confused her to no end. She herself hated to get wet. But the rain... The rain was both destructive and nourishing at the same time. It would erode rocks and flood rivers, but it also provided life to the trees and plants, as well as to the people who drank it. Angelica didn't like it when things didn't have a definitive answer, and whether rain was a good thing or a bad thing most certainly didn't.

Still wary of the newcomer, she took a moment before answering. The sudden movement of a pedestrian running up to the tree, only to run away and slip into a puddle, set her nerves on fire. Nimbly bouncing off of the tree, making sure to land in such a way that the thick root she'd been sitting on was now between her and the mysterious mage, she pushed herself close to the tree trunk, cheek against it and her hand lightly resting against the old, knotted bark.

"...W-why are you asking all these questions?" The lavender-haired girl asked softly, her tone shy and nervous. While he had a kind face and displayed no sign of a threat, she didn't trust people at all. "Are you... Here to kill me...?" Stepping sideways so she was peering around the tree, partially hidden by the oak, her shoulders slumped in such a way that made her look even smaller and daintier than she was. "Are you asking because you're worried I have a master who will come looking for me...?" Her free hand, the one not touching the tree's wide trunk, pressed against her chest and clutched the shawl around her shoulders. "I don't have one, but... But I'm not allowed to use my magic, anyway, so I'm no threat... So please don't hurt me..."


Ｔｒｅｎｔｏｎ Ｂｉｌｃｒａｗｎ
He watched the girl head upstairs, still confused by the entire scenario. After a moment, Trenton felt a heavy yank on his cape, causing him to let out a sharp hiss through his teeth as he expected to be hung from the ceiling. Rather than being murdered, though, he got a far worse threat growled into his ear...

"Yeah, yeah, debt..." He muttered, grumbling a curse or three under his breath. "I don't recall owing him a babysitting debt, though." Truth be told, Trenton hadn't always been such a worthless assclown. While he'd always been the silver tongued serpent he prided himself on being, at one point there was a kind disposition behind it, masked by his inherent macho facade. It would slip, though, when someone held an intelligent conversation with him about something that didn't regard business, sex, or how handsome he was. Not so much these days, but a long time prior, this would have been very true for him.

"Look, lady. I don't know how you know me, but you're making a mistake here." He frowned and shook his head, sighing softly. There were perks to having an apprentice, such as having a living, breathing meat shield, but the girl was so fragile and sweet looking, and was the daughter - the kin - of a rather good friend. Even Trenton couldn't do that to the teen. "I don't do apprenticeships. I don't know how to handle kids. With my lifestyle, I'll probably get her killed. You really want to put your daughter in that situation?"

[NoiselessKnife]

The man looked at the girl confused when she spoke and he sighed, he stood up and then jumped off the root and landed on the dirt, he thought for a moment or two before he smiled at the shy girl. “You’ve been raised among purists, right?” He asked and walked to her, but stopped at a safe distance from her. “In my humble opinion, those who are purists do never advance, it is until years pass and a new generation is born that humanity advances, staying still and trying to kill what’s different, even without reason, is something that only foolish humans do, sadly, this town seems full of them” He commented. “Your magic is inside you, and soon it’ll want out, and without a guide that can be dangerous for the town, but even with that in mind, child, I’m not here to harm you. My name is Lyall Ailward, child, and I’m looking for an apprentice whom to give my knowledge to, I’ve been looking for 6 months but the rare magic users I’ve seen are way too much confident in themselves or already have people who trains them, today I found you, but I can’t force you, apprenticeship is never forced. I’m asking you all these questions, girl, because I’d like you to come with me, I’d like to teach you to control the earth and its callings and more.” He explained calmly, near him the dark horse kept staring at her, as if waiting for her to answer, the storm was getting worse and soon the tree would not really offer a lot of shelter.

---

“Lady?” The woman asked. “It’s me, you serpent, Carni Hravat” The woman said while frowning at him, when he mentioned not being in a babysitting debt she closed her eyes and sighed, then hit the man with her broom’s bushy end on his head just as he said the rest. She forced herself to calm down and looked at the man.

“Look Bilcrawn, I do not trust you, not after that night after all” She mentioned, blushing slightly. “But my husband did, he trusted you so much that he told me to contact you in case that he was yet to return and our daughter began to show signs of her powers… it’s been a year since he went away, and Neha is struggling more and more when the wind comes, I don’t want her to die because she can’t contain her powers” She said seriously, pain flashing for a moment in her look and then disappearing, returning to being a frown. “So you’ll take her, and guide her, and you better take care of her, because Glaw trusted you on this, and even when I’m not sure where he is, I’m sure he’ll return and find you to see how things are going with her” She said, her broom in a scary attack position.

[EmmaliaChan]

Ａｎｇｅｌｉｃａ Ｔａｔｅ
The frightened gleam in her blue eyes soon transformed to a bright spark of curiosity as he explained his stance on the purist nature that was so evident with those who lived around her, then went on to explain he was looking to take an apprentice. The very thing she'd wanted for so long had stumbled across her path... And the man seemed nice enough, even if the face his kind eyes rested in was a bit gruff looking. But for some reason, she found herself believing his words, even so far as to hang on each syllable as it left his age-worn lips.

". . ." She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words she wished to say. The strengthening storm was unsettling her, to the point where she'd begun to tremble slightly. The earth spoke to her softly; the rain would soon develop into a lightning storm, and she feared the thunder and lightning like nothing else. Water was a mere discomfort, but lightning... Lightning was pure destruction, nothing confusing about it.

"M-may we speak somewhere a bit less open please, Ailward, Sir?" She tilted her head questioningly, stepping out from the comfort and safety of the tree she was using as a shield. Daring to take the steps forward so she was standing in front of him, she lightly took his hand as an offer to lead him. More than anything, her main method of communicating her thoughts was through touch, something she often did with the towering oak tree. With a shy and reclusive voice that often failed her, occasionally her hands were the only method she had to communicate, though she was unable to do this with strangers most of the time. Not that they'd want her communicating anything to them, anyway. "My home isn't far from here... We have a small stable -- no horses, and a little dusty, but it's clean otherwise. My parents are quite hospitable, as well, and I don't think they'd mind having you over..."

Having taken note of the horse's watchful gaze, she - still holding Ailward's hand - took a step towards the creature, slowly raising her hand to pet its muzzle. Though she only had control of dirt and rock, her affinity with the element of earth extended to the plantlife and the wildlife, as well. She loved animals more than she loved herself most of the time. "Hello, beautiful... Would you mind very much if I rode in front of your master to show him the way to my home?" Planting a gentle kiss on his nose, she continued to stroke him, allowing the horse to get used to her.


Ｔｒｅｎｔｏｎ Ｂｉｌｃｒａｗｎ
"Who...?" He asked, his frown becoming crooked and his face, despite all signs that it really couldn't be any more so, turned even more confused. If his eyes could've shown question marks, they probably would have. But that's silly... This is supposed to be a realistic RolePlay! Even if there's, y'know, magic.

So the teen was a wind elemental... Helpful to know. It was difficult to tell inside a house. With a sigh, he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with the woman. "...Fine. But I don't make any promises." Deep down, though, he knew he'd do his best to keep her safe. It was his friend's child, after all.

Heading up the stairs, he heard sounds coming from one of the rooms, and gave the slightly ajar door a knock. "Hey, kid. You've got a, uh, master now, or something." He said, clearly apprehensive himself. Trenton wondered how the girl felt about the situation, being tossed on some man she'd never met before and told she was to follow him and be trained by him. It couldn't be easy.

[NoiselessKnife]

Lyall’s dark eyes kept watch over her yet there was no sign of aggression towards her at all, if anything he was smiling at the look on her eyes, so different from the fearful look she was giving him at the beginning. “Curiosity looks better on you child” He commented as she took his hand, her look changing once more, this time to one of wariness, he frowned lightly and looked at the storm, it was not strange that someone with earth affinity feared storms, it was becoming too much and he could see her.

He chuckled as she went to his horse, it was visible that the animal was wary at first as he began to sniff her hand and go back, but as the minutes passed his liking for her began to show as the animal began to nuzzle her hand gently in acceptation of her and her proposal, he was starting to see that she was not as the other girls that usually petted him too hard.

“Let’s go then, child” He said, letting go of her hand for a moment, not more than a few seconds as he took off his white hooded cape and then calmly put it over her. “Take this, not use on you getting sick” He said, but it was mostly to give her some comfort against the storm, he took her hand back, hoping to transmit the acceptation of her plan and then guided her to the horse, helping her up and accommodating her over the horse, the dark animal shook itself to accommodate her and waited for its Master to go over his back.

The man went over it and sighed then chuckled. “Ok child, Arion here can go pretty fast but it seems that he likes you, so you I’m sure you can guide him to your place” He told her, handling her the reins. “To be truthful he usually never lets others ride him, you are special kid” He assured as the horse began trot, more or less slowly to let her guide him, yet going faster as the storm began to soak them.

…

The woman was tempted to swing her broom at him again but managed to calm down, better not to let her emotions come into play… and better not to remind that perv of that night, the one which she would not mention to anyone, not here, not now!

As her door opened the child turned to look at the Master, she seemed nervous but then half bowed at him, her scarf was up again, covering half her face which hi hid the fact that she was smiling lightly, after her powers had started to appear she had been wishing that there was someone there to guide her through this, it was so frustrating and so scary to hear the wind calling, to call to the wind and not be able to stop it.

She was preparing a bag, a traveling bag, it seemed that this kid was used to leave her home often for everything seemed in place.

“S…sir, thank you” She whispered while finishing packing. “M…mom says that my father had all his trust on you”

[EmmaliaChan]

Ａｎｇｅｌｉｃａ Ｔａｔｅ
Angelica's patient and gentle nature got through to the horse, and the pair seemed to become fast friends. A soft smile appeared on her face, and she gratefully allowed the mage to wrap his cloak around her. "Thank you very much, Sir. I'm sorry to trouble you." She felt quite guilty taking his protection against the rain, though she could easily tell why he was doing it, knowing that her nervousness was probably plainly apparent on her rounded face. It was a kind gesture, one she was reveling in - it wasn't exactly a typical occurrence for people to show her politeness or sincerity.

She happily accepted the man's help as he assisted her in mounting the horse, as she was much too small to get on him herself. Humbly grinning at his indirect praise, she gave the horse a few more gentle pets once he'd gotten comfortable with her riding him. It made her happy that he liked her!

Once they were ready, she guided the horse with knowing hands. She'd had a bit of experience riding a horse before they'd sold theirs, so at the very least she knew the basics. Becoming anxious due to the strengthening storm, as well as the rumble of thunder in the distance, she was more than relieved as they went up the path leading to the tiny one-horse stable. As promised, although a thin layer of dust had built up over everything, the stable looked almost new besides. She opened the stable door and allowed the man to lead his horse into one of the stalls, then reached over and petted the horse again. "I'm sorry there's no hay for you... I do think we have some apples in the house, though, so I'll bring you a treat if I can."

Turning and taking the man's hand once again, she hurriedly led him into the house and out of the rain. Her father came down the steps, heading into the kitchen and looking confused at the man who stood in the doorway. She didn't look much like her father; the man had dark hair and equally dark eyes. "Father, um..." Angelica had little to no idea how to explain why she'd brought home an unfamiliar mage, and now that she thought of it, it perhaps wasn't the safest position to have put her family in. Just the same, the untrusting girl still felt there was some truth to what he'd said, and believed that he wasn't there to harm them. "This is... Uh... I..." Her voice started to disappear on her, and she could feel it slipping away. "I-it's hard to explain but..."

Knowing his daughter's tendency to misplace her words, he took over for her, simply smiling and stepping forward to greet the man, offering his hand for the mage to shake. He trusted Angelica's judgement; she was scared enough of people that if she decided it was safe to bring one home, it probably was. "Well, my daughter's always had a penchant for bringing home stray animals, but I didn't expect her to bring home a stray human." He said with a friendly smile, laughing softly as he gave the quiet girl's head a pat. "I'm Jacob Tate. What brings you here? Do you need a place to spend the night?"

Looking in the direction of the door to the next room momentarily, before giving the man a chance to respond he turned back to his daughter and told her to go get towels for the both of them, then looked back at the stranger with a thoughtful expression. Just a moment later the young girl returned with the towels, one around her shoulders and two more neatly folded in her arms. She gave them both to Ailward before stepping over to stand beside her father, hand instinctively moving to clutch a bit of the fabric of his sleeve. It was something she occasionally did for comfort.

"I'd offer for you to borrow some of my clothes until you dried off, but you're much bigger than me." Which was quite true. Jacob was a runt of a man, scrawny and of average height - it was the only resemblance he bore to his daughter. The height difference alone between him and the fire user was enough to make it obvious the larger man wouldn't fit in his clothes. "Here, come into the kitchen. The oven's on, so it'll be warmer in there." Leading the two into the next room, he gestured to the table as an invitation to sit before going over to the oven and checking the food inside. When he seemed satsfied, he closed the door of the wood stove again and went to sit at the table, where Angelica had already seated herself, clearly waiting for the explanation of the man's presence that he'd asked for - and then had previously interrupted before it began.


Ｔｒｅｎｔｏｎ Ｂｉｌｃｒａｗｎ
Subconsciously taking note of how simple and ordinary it seemed to be for her to be packing up to leave, he eyed the girl as she spoke. Her demeanor was difficult to read, perhaps due to the scarf she hid behind, but at the very least she didn't seem to hate the idea of coming with him. To Trenton, it was an odd thing - had some stranger appeared on his doorstep, he doubted he would've allowed his parents to ship him off with the person.

"Yeah, well. I'm the last person I'd put my trust in, but to each his own, I guess." He muttered, frowning lopsidedly. At least the girl seemed mature for her age, but seriously, why him? If he didn't owe such a large debt to the man, there's no way he would've accepted the burden of such baggage... It wasn't as if he didn't care what happened to her! No, she had to go and be the offspring of Glaw. "Just how much do you know about controlling your powers, anyway?"

[NoiselessKnife]

The man had to laugh at her comment of her being trouble. “Child, a storm is trouble, a fight is trouble, this is nothing of that, and it was my decision, so do not call it trouble” He told her smiling. “I’m more used to the rain that you, of that I’m sure” He explained, he had to smile gently at how small she was and how easy she was to help when mounting the horse.

This child was shy, of that he was sure, but she looked so much better when she smiled, it seemed to brighten the atmosphere and to ease the earth, he guessed that such happening told much of how related to her element she was, when you are used to only one element and it called to you, well, said element was usually glad that you were happy or ok, at the same time that it resented when you were sad or scared.

He was distracted of his train f thoughts when she petted the horse a bit more, making the animal shake his head a bit, Arion seemed happy today, well, it was not always that you found a girl like this one, to be truthful, and the graying Master could see that, it was partially the reason of why he was in such a good mood too.

As they speed to the stable the Master was surprised to see how she could ride the horse so well, usually Arion would be doing the riding when under inexperienced hands, just allowing the rider to lead him at the very last moment, here Arion was behaving as he would behave with the gray haired Master, letting the girl ride with him instead of just carrying her, mixing his movements with her own as to be able to do such thing, it was in that moment that the aging Master hoped that this girl accepted his offer, now more than ever, for that spoke volumes of the girl’s personality and potential.

Time passed, the storm roared, the thunder sung, and just like that they were near the stable and he was dismounting the dark horse to help the girl do the same, and then waiting for her to open the gate, he guided his old friend inside and let her pet him, the animal seemed content and relaxed with her, even at the lack of food, which was a little less of a miracle in fact. The graying haired man shook his head and tried to wipe off the amount of water soon followed by the horse shaking itself to do the same, which served to further emphasize the closeness and the similarity of both horse and man, which also served to remark the time they had been together.

After that the man followed the girl before turning to his horse. “Try not to wrack havoc, ok, old friend?” He requested before turning to follow the girl, to which the horse answered with a movement of his right hove.

As they got into the house they were greeted by a rather short man and when the child began to stammer the mage held her hand a bit tighter, trying to transmit some comfort to her but the girl’s father reacted faster taking his daughter’s incomplete sentences and advancing to the man, the graying haired mage had to smile at the shorter man’s comment, he often looked quite scary and his height and power served as to keep others from looking for trouble but he wasn’t, as his gruff appearance might indicate, a very aggressive man, he often could take comments that others would take as an offense as jokes, that most of the times they were such. He let go of the girl’s hand so she could go to her father and then looked at the man once he finished speaking and once they were in the kitchen. “Nice to meet you, sir, my name is Lyall Ailward” He said calmly as he relaxed a bit with the kitchen’s heat and then took a seat. “Thank you for your hospitality” He commented and smiled to the girl. “In fact, I’m not here because I need shelter, but I appreciate that you offer me one, I’m here because, well, I’m in a journey, searching for something, but to make all that short and to be blunt; I think I might have found what I was searching for, you’ll see, I’m a Master of Magic and I’m doing what some Masters do; I’m looking for an apprentice who to teach, as I was passing by I saw this intriguing and remarkable young lady, I can see that in this place there’s no place for Magic, but I also can see that she has much latent talent in her and that it would eventually try to go out. So I’m here in your, sir, to see if you’d approve of me becoming her Master, to guide her and teach her to control this power she has, and eventually to become a Master like me” He said as he looked at the short man, the mage seemed relaxed and even if hidden by his moustache there was a gentle smile on his face.

---


The child turned to look at him when he mentioned him not trusting himself, she looked down at that and put her jacket back on, the one that seemed to belong to her father, or once belong to her father, probably the jacket he wore when he was young. “Well… father didn’t trust anyone just like that” She muttered as she fastened her bag. “But…when he did…well… that meant that that person was worthy of trust” She mentioned, as if talking to herself. Once she was ready she fastened her belt better and looked at him when he asked the next and then looked down.

“I…” She whispered, a sound muffled by her scarf, she then raised her hand and called to the wind as it sometimes called to her, a gush of wind came in and began to spin on her hand, she had to use both hands to keep it there, managing to do a small ball, one that quickly disappeared. “S…sorry, sir, I just learned I could do this not long ago… I haven’t had time to practice” She told him while going to close the window to her room, which had opened itself when the wind came.