Extinguished

pass

[-1,000G] For living in the Mire Apartments.

[+1,500G] For your first (main) job.

Celis didn’t like the idea of her scaly friend being stuck in her enclosure 24/7, even if it was made with her natural habitat in mind. Every once in a while, she would take Cinis, her small black snake, out into nature for some fresh air. She was a gift and had been with Celis through a lot, so she deserved the very best.

It had been a while since the two visited the park together because of the cold weather. Unlike Celis, Cinis didn’t care much for the cold. It was starting to warm up, so she thought it would be okay to bring her snake out once again.

At De Sainte, Coquille Park, she sat under a tree and placed Cinis down next to her. The small snake began to slither through the grass happily. Meanwhile, Celis opened up a book and began reading.

After a few minutes of reading, Celis looked over to where she had placed her snake down. She wasn’t immediately alarmed when she didn’t spot her because obviously snakes can move, but when she began to search further to no avail, she grew concerned.

As she frantically ran her hands through the grass, someone was getting closer, presumably just walking by. A new panic set in as she worried that this person could step on Cinis.

Celis held her coat closer to her body for warmth. Even as spring inched closer, the night air brought a chill down her spine. It was better than being in her stuffy apartment and that had nothing to do with her seeing a cockroach in the corner of her room.

Even at the park alone at night, she didn’t feel scared. Perhaps it was because she was used to having magic for self-defense all of her life. Until now, that is. Due to relying on magic for so long, Celis was rather weak, but these thoughts didn’t cross her mind as she stared up at the sky. They lit up the night sky like holiday lights.  It was as if each star was trying to outshine the others. 

Celis was sitting on a bench with her eyes fixed on the stars when in a rare moment of luck, a shooting star crossed her vision. 

hiatus pass

[-3,000G] For living in the Mire Apartments.

[+4,500G] For your first (main) job.

Calling on Zeus

Ford nodded. “Well then, it’s off to the ferry for me,” he said. “Take care of yourself. And no more running around in storms. Whatever you were trying to accomplish, you won’t get it done like that.”

Having said what he thought constituted a proper farewell, Ford grabbed his umbrella and made his way to the door. With a grimace, he stepped out into the horrid storm. He would have to hurry. With this little delay, there was a small chance he could miss the ferry.

[-1,000G] For living in the Mire Apartments.

[+1,500G] For your first (main) job.

Justice!

Open

“Get back here!”

Dating back exactly one day from today, Persia had started her low-level reconnaissance mission. Her goal: to locate the squid that lived among the humans and find out their grand plan. And while this might not have been her primary objective when she decided to try and learn about people again, she found that these people really enjoyed seafood. Not the right kind either! More often than not, she’d see a fishy friend on a plate or on a stick - nauseating - while the squid roamed free. There was justice to be served.

Justice!

In one quick swoop, the mermaid grabbed a runaway squid by its tentacles and held it up. A victorious smile painted across her face and her free hand rested upon her hip.

“Thought you’d be able to flop away? I don’t think so, squid-minion!”

So caught up in her act, she failed to realize that she was still in the open streets of the town. The squid had fallen out of the bag she put it in and was making for a speedy escape. Too bad for the villainous creature that it was caught and soon to be dinner.

“Uh. You’re in the way.” Celis stopped in front of the pink-haired woman making a commotion in public. The streets were more crowded than usual, probably due to last minute gift shopping and this woman had decided it would be a good idea to stop in the middle of the path.

[ Hunt Holiday Party 2020 ]

Celis initially threw away the invitation that arrived with her usual lacking amount of mail, but she later pulled it out of the trash and read through it. There was really no reason for her to go, but she didn’t have any reason not to go either. The driving force that lead her to look through her closet for something formal to wear was boredom and perhaps a bit of loneliness as well. 

[-1,000G] For living in the Mire Apartments.

[+1,500G] For your first (main) job.

Calling on Zeus

“Ford,” he replied, giving a succinct answer. “In any case, Miss Celis, if you live nearby, I would suggest buying an umbrella, and making your way straight home. If not, as I said- I believe it would be safest for you to wait out the storm here, even if you’re likely to be uncomfortable in those clothes.”

“I would stay here myself, however… If I’m late in getting back home, I won’t be able to cover the evening shift at the clinic. Doctor’s cant afford to be late, with so many people counting on them.”

Ford glanced out of the window. He truly was not looking forward to heading back into that storm. But, he had little choice. Hopefully, if he was quick, he’d at least have time for a warm shower…

This interaction was bound to end sooner or later, so why was it that she was wishing that it would be later? At the start, all she wanted was for him to leave her alone, but now...No, what was she thinking? This man was nothing but a pest who got in her way, so shouldn't she be glad to get rid of him?

Was it the thought that she would go back to being alone? Back to no one caring whether she got struck by lightning or not? She spared a glance to his violet eyes hidden away behind circular glasses. Celis supposed he wasn’t bad to look at. Ugh, why was she feeling so flustered?

Calling on Zeus

Ford nodded, and went to the storekeeper. Thankfully, they were kind enough to provide a warm drink for free, since it was doctor’s orders. He was asked if he would like one, but he turned the man down. He had stayed fairly dry under the umbrella, so he didn’t need it.

“Still feeling cold?” he inquired, once he’d returned to the woman. “Here, this should warm you up. It’s apple cider. The storekeeper was kind enough to provide it free of charge.” He held the drink out for her to take.  “I would recommend staying here if possible, until the storm blows over. Do you live close by, Miss…”  Come to think of it, he’d never gotten the woman’s name.

Celis nodded and accepted the drink she was handed, holding it with both hands, to both be careful and keep her hands warm. 

“....Thank you.” Not that she was one to care about being polite, but it only felt right to thank the man. She wasn’t so rude as to ignore the kindness he had shown her.

The thought of staying in the store and waiting for the storm to end didn’t bring her any joy. She would much rather face the storm once again and escape to her dingy yet dry apartment.

Calling on Zeus

“Standing out in the wind and pouring rain will do that to you,” he replied. “You should consider it fortunate that you only feel a little chilly. In the worst case scenario, you might have suffered negative consequences to your health, acting so recklessly in this weather.” Now that she was safely inside and starting to see reason, Ford felt it was only appropriate to chastise the girl a bit. He held out the last towel. “Here- put this one on the ground to wipe up the water coming off of you- it’s only polite to the storekeeper, since he was kind enough to lend us these towels in the first place. I’m going to see if they have anything warm for you to drink. Do you have any allergies?”

Ford knew he might be leaning heavily on the hospitality of the storekeepers, with that particular request. But, he was a doctor, and while shivering for a bit might have taught the woman an important lesson about taking care of herself, Ford couldn’t quite bring himself to mind his own business and let her suffer for her mistakes. 

And of course, he just had to ruin it. Did being a doctor require you to be a pain in the ass because that seems counterproductive. Sure, what she did was the definition of reckless, but she didn’t need to hear it from some nosy stranger.

Celis nodded and took the towel before dropping it to the floor and placing her boot on it to wipe the floor. Once she had wiped up the water, she stood on the towel with both feet. Then she went back to drying herself off.

Calling on Zeus

“Yes, let us get inside quickly.”

As soon as they were inside- some sort of store, apparently- Ford made his way to the front, asking to borrow a towel. Once the storeowner handed a few over, he brought them over to the woman, who appeared completely waterlogged. He moved to drape a towel over her shoulders, and offer her the rest to dry off as she pleased. “How are you feeling?”

Celis didn’t argue with the man and hurried inside. The store was relatively empty which wasn’t surprising with Leuda’s small population. The man walked over to someone at the front and she stayed behind, water dripping onto the floor beneath her.

As the man got closer, she expected him to just hand her the towels, but instead he wrapped one around her shoulders. That was unnecessary. Perhaps, because she had been alone for so long, she had become touch starved and the slightest touch left her feeling...something.

“I’m fine. Just cold.” Celis took a towel from him and began to wipe her face. Why was this man so persistently considerate? He said it was because he’s a doctor, but even so...He must be a very caring person. 

[-1,000G] For living in the Mire Apartments.

[+500G] For failing.

[-1,000G] For living in the Mire Apartments.

[+1,500G] For your first (main) job.

Celis knew that she wasn’t getting her powers back. If it was possible, she would already have her powers back. She knew this, but deep down she hadn’t given up hope. Maybe there was something in Leuda’s library that wasn’t in Arcadia’s. This, logically, didn’t make sense seeing as Arcadia was the island with all of the rune energy and from what she heard, most Leudans didn’t have magic. Still, there was no harm in looking.

Entering the library, a bell alerted the whole building to her presence. This made her uncomfortable, but luckily, no one seemed to care. They must have all been engulfed in their books. Celis passed the librarian without so much as a look. She had no idea where to begin, but she wasn’t about to ask some human for help.

She needed help. After looking for what felt like hours, which was most likely no more than thirty minutes, she hadn’t found anything. Sighing, she looked over to the other person in the aisle with her. If they worked there, Celis had no idea. With much reluctance, she walked over to them and cleared her throat.

Calling on Zeus

Ford raised an eyebrow, visibly confused. “…I wasn’t telling a story,” he said, trying to figure out what she was getting at. Yes, he’d mentioned a bit of his struggles in the past, but it was only to let her knew that he understood why someone might be hesitant to use healing magic.

“All I was saying was that, so long as it is not a life or death situation, I can understand being uncomfortable with healing magic, and I wouldn’t force it on you. It is an usual stance for these parts, since, especially on Arcadia, magic seems to be an accepted way of life, so I thought I would explain why I can relate to those feelings. That is all.”

Celis rolled her eyes. This guy couldn’t take a hint. She didn’t want hear about anything to do with magic. There was no way he could know that, of course, but surely he could figure out she didn’t want to hear anymore of what he was saying.