Fantasy Moments in Time

[Zer0]

Hisaya and Serena
- How this friendship started -​

"I am too." said Hisaya, sounding surprised that he is. "The feeling is strange . . . as if I had forgotten what happiness was."

Serena could see a faded face through the red crystal: it was Wrath, but he didn't look wrathful at all. It was curious, but for a moment, the philosopher's stone didn't feel like a dark evil object, rather, it was like a memento of a friend.

- First Meeting -​

James immediately grabbed Lydia's hand and Markl, exclaiming her name, caught her before she hit the floor. Flabbergasted, the two guys asked each other, "What happened?" at the same time. "I don't know." they answered together.

"Urgh, James, I think your stinky breath knocked her out." said Markl, covering his nose, as he shook Lydia to try and wake her.

"You're kidding?" said James, no longer sleepy. He hurriedly turned opened the windows to let in the fresh morning air, then pulled out a thin book from the shelves to fan the fainted apprentice's face.

When Renee came, James tried to explain, but Markl told him to keep quiet because his breath was stinky. At their sister's bidding, the two immediately carried Lydia up the second floor, huffing and puffing at the effort the twins staring out their bedroom door to see what had happened. They quickly helped the two, Sen opening Renee's door for them.

"Did we hear it right? James' breath made her faint?" sniggered Seth as they laid Lydia down on the bed gently. The culprit in question gave them the steely eye, and the twins quickly left the room, singing in the hallway, "Whose breath like death makes the ladies conk out, ew, James Pendragon's that insufferable grouch."

"That doesn't even rhyme!" retorted James, who looked stoically embarrassed.

When he and Markl heard a zip, they immediately looked awkwardly away when they realized what their sister was doing and let her usher them out. There was a knock later on as James voice called out from behind the closed door saying he brought Lydia's small bag up and just left it at the side.

When Renee yelled, Markl knocked then came in asking Lydia how she's doing.

Katsuya Roleplay Skittle
The Story || Characters || OOC
​

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-First Meeting-
​

"It's a pineapple," Frederick said, crossing one arm over the single breasted suit coat he wore, the other hand raising slightly so he could cup his chin with it.

"Ha! Are you mad? It looks nothing like a pineapple... more like some sort of wild haired goat," Thomas shook his head, his laugh somewhat wry as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his pressed brown pants.

A five-year-old Lydia stood in front of her full grown brothers holding up a painting of a tower, her little nose wrinkling up slightly in agitation.

"No... it's definitely a pineapple."

"It's not a pineapple or a hairy goat! It's a tower!" Lydia stomped her foot as she yelled in her normal voice.

Both of her brother tilted their heads to the side.

"pineapple.....goat...tower," Lydia muttered after a while and rolled over, her green eyes slowly opening. It was then that she realized where she was, which was someplace that she didn't recognize and not where she had last been. She sat up quickly and looked around the room, quickly spotting Renee. Lydia looked mortified and after Renee greeted her, she blinked a few times in confusion, "wha-what happened?" she moved so she could sit at the edge of the bed and touch the floor with her feet, nodding to Renee slightly as she asked her to hold on, her gaze following the other teen as she went to the door and stayed on her as she came back over to the bed.

"I'm.... my corset?" She touched her stomach and realized that it didn't feel as constricted as before. Then it hit her. She was somewhere that she hadn't previously been because she had been unconscious when she came to be there. She remembered going to shake James' hand before she fainted, though it wasn't entirely his fault. Lydia shook her head as the smile on her face grew and eventually became a grin, "It's fine..."

By the time Markl responded to Renee's call and came to check on her, she was already laughing merrily, "my corset! Oh wait until I tell mother!" Her posture was already straight because of the undergarments she wore, but she mimed holding a tablet and pen, pretending to write on her hand, "'Dear Mother, the day I arrived at the castle I fainted and nearly died. Why? Because of your medieval undergarments!'" she sighed and likely would have kept laughing if not for the fact that she was starting to feel light headed so with a last few little giggles she wiped her eyes, smearing her makeup slightly since she forgot she was wearing it because it wasn't a regular thing for her.

"I'm sorry to have worried you all... thank you for being so considerate," she bowed her head to them graciously before it really hit her that she just passed out in the Pendragon household because she couldn't breathe because of her underwear. This sudden realization caused her face to go beet red and she covered her cheeks in embarrassment, then not really knowing what to say or how to explain it, at least not to anyone that isn't a female. She couldn't imagine what all of them must think of her and she suddenly wanted to run and hide, her gaze switching from where it had made its way to Markl and turning towards the floor, "u-um... hmmm..."

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-Hisaya and Serena-
-How this friendship started-
​

Serena blinked before her smile grew wider, grinning happily, but not for herself; For Hisaya remembering something important.

"Oh! That's brilliant! You remembered happiness!" The violinist gushed as she leaned in closer to the stone, her hair creating a curtain effect around the red stone as she gazed back at the face.

"Looks like you can regain your memories too. That's absolutely wonderful...Hmm...I wonder if you would regain more of your memories if you were outside of the Atelier..." Serena said, now leaning back a bit and lightly tapping on the table with the tip of her finger. It's an idea. A suggest. Something to give Hisaya a chance to leave and see more new things if he wanted too.

Serena is willing to give Hisaya, a person she hasn't forgiven yet but on some level understood, to be free from this room if he just asks her...and she wouldn't mind it at all.

********



-Renee Pendragon-
-First Meeting-
​

Renee thanked James when he left Lydia's bag near her door before walking back in the room. He's probably gonna hide for thinking that he was the cause of her fainting spell...when it wasn't. She shook her head, listening to Lydia's quiet mumbling in amusement.

When Lydia woke up and basically wrote an air letter to her mother, thanking them for caring about her only to be nervous again; Renee couldn't hold it down anymore

"Pfft! Hahahah!"

The winged teen laughed loudly as leaned against her doorway, her eyes shut tightly as her arms hugged around her stomach, her wings flapped ecstatically. Lydia is funny! Oh Merlin, this girl is really something. I mean, who wakes up like that? Then to be embarrassed for fainting? Okay, maybe it is a little embarrassing, but still why would she expect them to not care for her well being? What a silly notion...then again she does not know them well but still-!

'Honestly, she's really interesting' is what Renee thought. Her orange eyes glowed in mirth as her laughter died down to giggles, walking back to jump on her own bed, making it bounce a bit.

"It's no problem! Trust me, James had it worse thanks to the twins and their inventions." Renee snickered as the memories of her brothers tormenting each other with pranks came flooding in her head.

"Anyways! If you ever need help with something, like health wise or general girl stuff, you can come to me or my mom." Renee said as she reached over to the half circle wall shelf to grab a napkin and helped wipe that smudge on her eyelid away.

"I'm sure dad is going to like you. I know I do already." She smiled warmly at her as she already accepted the apprentice to be.

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Zer0]

- First Meeting -​

Markl laughed, holding his flat belly as he did so. "Medieval undergarments? Well, you'll be happy to know, Ms. Dubois, that you won't need to wear medieval undergarments in this household. And your make up is smudged by the way." he pointed at his own eyes. "We have a bathroom on the third floor near your room, you can freshen up there if you like, then I can show you the rest of the house."

When Lydia was good to go, Markl carried her bag and led her up to the third floor where there many open doors that led to balconies that opened up to the sky. For some reason they weren't in Kingsbury, but flying in the air on some sort flying metal contraption that creaked and groaned, and whistled steam from its many crooked metal pipes. The inside of the house seemed to be enchanted because one could not feel the floor move nor hear the cranking of gears outside.

Lydia's door opened to a spiral staircase that seemed to lead up to a tower. Her room was clean, simple, with a big bed that had hanging curtains, one big billow and quilted sheets. There was a desk near a tall arching window that had a lantern, a bottle of ink, parchment, and quills, a wardrobe and bookshelf near another, and a fireplace. There was an oil lamp on the bedside table, and a magic lantern on the ceiling that needed a shot of manna to light up. There were hangers, towels, extra blankets, and toiletries inside the wardrobe, and on the side was a small coffee table and chair.

"You can decorate your room as much as you like." said Markl to Lydia, "Well then, I'll let you get settled. Once you're ready for the tour, just come downstairs to the living room.

Roleplay Skittle Katsuya

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-First Meeting-
​

Lydia's lace covered hands curled, hooking some of the fabric of her skirt as she sat there slightly rigid, staring at the floor until Renee laughed. She turned her gaze towards the unusual looking girl before glancing to Markl as he basically mimicked Renee's gesture slightly and also laughed, "th-thank you... that would be great... and please, call me Lydia," Her face was marked by a surprised expression when Renee plopped down on the bed, her hands releasing her skirt to rest on the bed at her sides as she turned towards the giggling teen and blinked a few times, her face still red though she did develop a slight smile despite the fact that she didn't really understand what the other girl was saying.

She leaned away slightly when Renee came towards her with the napkin, but she was quick to be still and let her help with her eye makeup, "this was all my mother's idea..." of course she wasn't going to go into the reasoning behind her mother's decision, telling Master Howl's daughter that her father had been thought of as a shallow heart breaker too concerned with looks was pretty rude. Lydia's cheeks remained rosy as Renee continued and she smiled shyly as she looked away and nodded slightly, "th-thank you."

As soon as Renee was finished trying to help Lydia right her makeup, she rose from the bed and followed Markl, "y-you know... I can carry that," though only moments after those words were spoken, she tripped over the hem of her skirt as she was going up the steps. After she regained her footing, she looked away bashfully, an embarrassed smile on her face and decided not to make the suggestion again, instead using her hands to carefully hold her skirt to keep from tripping again. She nearly stumbled again as they were passing one of the balconies, Running over to the door and peering out, "what?!" she opened the door and stepped outside, leaning against the railing, "but...? Weren't we?" she glanced back to Markl, her pretty face appearing like an owls with her eyes open wide. She wondered if while she was unconscious they had somehow moved her to the castle instead of the house in Kingsbury, she looked like she was seriously considering the possibility that they had moved her while she was sleeping, "how long was I asleep?"

She stepped back inside and closed the door behind her, continuing to follow behind Markl, though she did look outside each window and door they past with a mild confusion, though with whatever information Markl gave her, she started to realize things that she hadn't really thought about until then, such as all the noise coming from the building, she realized that she had heard that when she had arrived but didn't really pay it any mind since she was so nervous. Really she was still nervous, embarrassed, but above all, incredibly excited.

When they reached her room, she took it in slowly, her smile broadening before she turned to Markl shaking her head slightly, "thank you! It's perfect!" she really didn't think she'd have time for decorating anyway once she began her duties, "I won't be long!" she took her bag from him and saw him to the door before locking it behind him and looking over her room once again before she began changing.

When she reappeared, she was no longer wearing the fancy dress and hat her mother had made her wear. The dress had been replaced by her favorite, a flowy black dress that hung to her knees and looked like an upside down flower, the splits of fabric making it somewhat difficult to even see where the long sleeves began. Her hair was still up, but had been unpinned in a more relaxed ponytail, her legs were covered by black and white stripes and she wore black granny boots on her feet. Her face was no longer covered in makeup, in fact she wore no makeup at all but it didn't really take away from the fact that she was a fairly pretty girl. She didn't seem as restrained and awkward in her current clothing, though she was still just as quiet as before.

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-Renee Pendragon-
-First meeting-​

Renee shook her head again, still giggling her chirp-like chuckles. It was her mother's idea to wear a corset like that? Wow...The Pendragon teen raised an eyebrow at Lydia before shrugging it off. It's not the weirdest thing that has happened to her, that's for sure...considering she has wings on her head is a testament to that.

Once Lydia left her room, hearing someone tripping on the stairs, Renee's wings fluttered excitedly at the new member of their flying home. 'I hope she enjoys it here...' She thought before going out of her room, closing the door to turn the dial: green to orange and opened it to a puff of purple smelly gas-!

"Ugh! -cough!-" Renee forgot about that. It should have been aired out by now so what gives? Life just loves to make it difficult for her, doesn't it?

Holding her breathe a bit, she went inside and flapped her tiny wings as she opened the other windows of her studio, watching the gas leave out to her garden and made sure it wouldn't affect her treasured plants. Renee checked around, not realizing or was comfortable enough to leave her door open for anyone to come in as she made sure the room was not covered in gas anymore before thinking of a way to make it smell nice again...

"Oh...I know. Rosemary with roses and a bit of ginger sound do." Renee thought out loud and walked around her studio, looking for the dried ingredients to light up as incense.

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[Zer0]

- First Meeting -​

The very first thing Lydia was shown was the magic front door and its different colored dials that led to different exits every time the doorknob was turned. It was a homey portal and only Calcifer could tell which knock came from which exit, and Markl let Lydia go crazy with it as much as she liked.

Shing, went the dial when the doorknob was turned.

The red dial led to Kingsbury, where steam-powered motor cars beeped and rolled along bustling roads; the green one led to a sunny, breezy mountain top carpeted by flowers and dotted with cool pools that reflected the blue sky above. There was a cottage here that used to be Master Howl's private study when he was a boy. Now it was Sophie's quiet place where she goes to hang laundry, read, or pick flowers for their shop. Often the Pendragon children come out here for a peaceful stroll --- the twins would hike down to a nearby forest where they'd spend hours playing hide-and-seek or tag in the trees with their sister, while James who'd be worried they might fall would follow to make sure they weren't doing something foolhardy, well more foolhardy than usual.

The yellow dial led to Sophie's home town in a house that lay beside a noisy train track. There was a small courtyard here for Sophie and Renee's vegetable planting pleasure. Right now there were big leafy cabbages, a chili bush, a plot of potatoes, and funny little clay pots of mint, basil, coriander, and parsley. There was also a huge wall that was also given to Renee to paint. The courtyard led to a hat shop that also sold flowers.

A blue dial led to a sea-side town where the markets boasted of fresh fish, and foreign goods such as desert spices, silk, porcelain, and strange fruits from merchants who sailed from different lands across the sea.

There was a purple dial and it seemed to lead to a wizarding town in an underground cave in a rocky mountain side.

There was also a black dial, but only Master Howl and Sophie knew what was inside. Everyone else was forbidden to go in, even his children.

And then there was the white dial that led to the flying castle itself. For the entire house was a flying castle, arranged all pel-mell as a wizarding house should be, as though it had been constructed through magic instead of straight and proper carpentry. Calcifer moved the entire castle.

Other than the door, everything else seemed as normal as it could be for a wizarding home. There was an elusive fourth bathroom that keeps moving around the castle, and the paintings and photos hanging on the walls moved; strange smells wafted from Renee's room, James' was quiet, while bangs and muffled explosions came from the twins' room that had a huge "keep out" sign.

There were many small grassy courtyards sticking out from the flying castle. It seemed that Calcifer was flying it to Shiganshina, an island in the Orients so that the family can see the migrating flying whales.

Lydia's tower room had a nice view. And if she decided to return she'd hear the cry of sea birds perched atop her roof.

Katsuya Roleplay Skittle

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

Lydia didn't even know what to think of the door. It at least answered her question of how she ended up in the castle when she thought she was still in Kingsbury. She giggled gleefully as she continuously opened the door and ran out into each new destination, just to look around. It was like she was dreaming. Looking at the expression her face could make one think that she had forgotten she wasn't alone. She seemed to actually think she was dreaming and that she was the only one conscious of what she was actually doing and how she was acting. It was like opening a present repeatedly and each time there was something new inside. Her black dress waved behind her as she quickly would run out the door, laughing the whole time.

Anyone who saw her probably thought she had lost her mind. At least she was able to get some of that wild energy out when the door opened on the green dial, she ran out and just ran around in the fields for a while, tripping and falling at one point and disappearing beneath the blanket of grass and flowers that lay over the ground before she popped up again, blowing a flower petal off of her nose. She asked questions about all of the dials, such as how did they work and why were those particular places chosen and she nodded her head solemnly when she was told of the black dial and how it was forbidden. She may have seemed like a wild card, but she wasn't completely without sense and every answer she received for every question she asked, she listened to intently.

She took note of each of the Pendragon children's rooms so she would know whose was who's before asking, "oh... um... James... will he be around again? I want to apologize... for fainting..." she regretted that she had fainted before she even got to shake his hand. She could understand that it wasn't entirely her fault, she placed most of the blame on her mother, but she still felt bad and she didn't like the impression she likely left on him.

Each and every thing she was shown she took careful note of. Some things she even came so close to that her nose almost touched them, especially the paintings. It was very obvious by how she carried herself that she had never been exposed to all of the fantastic things that were commonplace in the Pendragon home, but she was equally as excited and interested in how everything worked, absorbing every little piece of information she was given.

At the news of where they were headed, she appeared absolutely ecstatic. She had never been anywhere outside of Frankia before, even going to Kingsbury had been a treat but she hadn't really considered it much because she had so much more to look forward to. Now that she was in the castle, anything they told her or anywhere they went were things that she was able to put more focus on even though just being there was enough for her and all she had done so far was get the tour of the house!

She felt lucky to have the room she did and expressed her endless gratitude for it, opening the window once she returned to it just to smell the breeze and consider everything that she had just been shown and told, as well as to just try and hold onto the fact that this was now her reality and no longer just a dream she had.

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-Renee Pendragon-
-First Meeting-​

Oh yea, Lydia is definitely a funny one. After airing out and burning incense in her studio, Renee went back down to where Markl was letting their new roommate go crazy with the door, which she is. She couldn't help but laugh again when she saw her run out of the green dial, having fun while hiding under the field of flowers. Maybe she should let Lydia know about her studio and the abandoned castle she claimed as a greenhouse...

'Later...' Renee thought as she sat on the bench to watch Lydia twist the dial again and again.

When Lydia ran out to her mother's hat and flower shop, she would see on the wall Renee has painted on a half finished mural of a forest that's on the edge of a flower field. There is random items and creatures around and hidden in certain parts. Like an owl with a monocle glass on one eye with a wizard's hat who's reading a scroll looks like he's having trouble reading it; a scarecrow with a black top hat and a turnip head bouncing on a huge droopy dog that has chicken legs who's weaving himself between the trees; a muscled fire that's in the middle of a fire pit nearby a familiar cottage; a large crow that's about to fly is wearing green gem earrings with a smaller dove that's about to land on the same branch is wearing a silver ring that's glowing towards the fire; a pair of toy mechanical foxes grinning as they rode on a magic carpet in the clear skies; and her newest edition, a black toy cat that's riding on a unicycle with a toy winder on it's back and a large flower hat on it's head, riding it's way to trip on a tree root.

Renee knew that it's an odd mural to paint but she never was normal in society standards, so why not show it off in her art?

When she heard Lydia's question, the winged teen waved a hand at her. "James comes out when he wants to, but you should be able to see him in breakfast, lunch, and dinner." She shrugged her shoulders as she stood up and prepared to start on making lunches with her mother who might be coming down soon.

"For now, just enjoy yourself in whatever. Oh! and if you want, I can show you my treasure room too as part of the tour." Renee smiled warmly, her wings fluttered. "Just let me know when you want to, okay?" So that she can keep it clean and not have dangerous chemicals out. Then she returned to looking for the large weaved picnic basket and jar cups with lids to carry the drinks in.

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Zer0]

- First Meeting -​

Later that lunch time, Lydia was finally able to formally meet Howl and his wife Sophie. Mrs. Pendragon came down after a nap with her youngest daughter Rhea (who was seven) while Lydia was still upstairs, then cooked up a scrumptious feast together with Renee.

The dinner table was cramped full of baked spaghetti, baskets of fried chicken legs, sweet and sour potato chives, deviled eggs, grilled pork, toasted bread, sweet pees, buttered corn-on-the-cob, and a vegetable soup and salad with made from ingredients from Renee's garden. There were pitchers of cold pumpkin juice, and iced tea.

Howl greeted his new apprentice with a cheerful good afternoon when she came down, while Sophie stood up and hugged her in welcome, then ushered her to sit next to her husband.

"Sen, could you call James? The food is ready." whispered Sophie.

The twin dashed up but then came back saying that he had already went back to sleep.

"That's my eldest," said Sophie as they all started digging in; the twins wolfing down their food. "He's working on his thesis for his conjuration major in the academy, so he stays up late, wakes up early, then goes to sleep in the afternoons, though usually he eats lunch first. He must be really tired."

"Ow' embawassed'." muttered Sen, sniggering, his mouth stuffed with chicken and corn.

"Lydia, Markl has told me that he explained to you the duties of an apprentice," Howl was saying, "we will start tomorrow early in the morning and begin with the basics. I've read your letter, you've done quite a lot of reading and research on the essence of magic, I'm glad to have you under my wing."

They talked as they ate. Howl was a neat and fashionable man, who seemed to take great care of his looks, his skin was pale and flawless, while his hair, like his eldest son fell with a casual elegance down his face. It was a contrast to Sophie who was simple, and seemed to wear clothes usually worn by old women. Even the way they moved was different: Sophie's was brisk and chop-chop busy as she tended to her children's needs with elegant, speedy efficiency, while Howl's was confident and easy-going.

He seemed to be the type of teacher who liked to draw out the talent of the student instead of cramming information in and telling them how it's supposed to be done. He mostly asked questions and asked Lydia to defend her answers, though after a while, the talk turned to stories about Howl, Markl, and Sophie's different encounters with magic with the different races of the world: there was the High Elves who used their magic for beauty and art, and the flourishing of things that grow. Their power came from an ancient place called the Sunwell, quite different from the Nightelves whose powers come from the moon. Then there were the gnomes who melded magic and science to create arcane engineering, and there were the ancient races whose shamans commune with spirits and are granted powers by them to see things that are yet to come and transform into powerful beasts.

There was so much to learn, and at the end of the day, Howl showed Lydia his large but very cramped library and said that she could come here anytime she wanted to.

Katsuya Roleplay Skittle

​

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-First Meeting-
​

She couldn't help but be envious of the magical door of the flying castle. She really couldn't help but be envious of the spectacular home as a whole. She wondered what it would be like to be able to travel in the blink of an eye from home to the streets of another city. She probably would have played with the door all day if she didn't realize how foolish she looked darting in and out of the castle each time the door opened, like a dog that wasn't sure if it wanted to go outside or stay inside.

When she came to the flower and hat shop, she did calm down some, she didn't want to go tearing through a building like a maniac so she had time to contemplate the mural. She tilted her head slightly, she'd never seen anything so odd in all her life and it made her smile. She took into consideration all of the little quirks of Master Howl's home and it made her think that the flying castle really fulfilled the very definition of 'home,' she didn't really think that a home should be entirely pristine, it should look lived in and feel that way too. She loved her family dearly, but aside from the library, most of the rooms didn't really look lived in the way this castle looked. She chuckled to herself slightly, her heart beating rapidly from her happiness at being allowed to be a part of this family, even if it was just for an apprenticeship.

Lydia only nodded when Renee briefly told her of James habits, she supposed that it wasn't too big a deal what happened, no one else seemed horribly offended, then again, they hadn't been greeting her at the moment she had fainted. She rubbed her arm nervously and looked at the floor, biting her lower lip gently, though her attention returned to Renee and she smiled brightly and nodded, "your treasure room?" her hands clasped together, she didn't know what kind of treasure room it would be since her mind didn't immediately go to gold coins and trinkets, but it sounded like an adventure on its own, "I'd really like that, thank you!"

When lunch was ready and she came down to join the Pendragons, she froze up on the spot the moment she saw Howl. Her green eyes widening to the point that she looked like a very surprised owl. The truth of it was that she just had no idea how to act or what to say. She was meeting her idol. She was meeting the person that she had worshiped since the first story she had heard about him when she was a little girl. She was meeting the person that she had strived to be like basically since she could read.

"u-uh.... d-d-d-d... hmmm..." she stood there stunned, swallowing dryly when Sophie saved her. The hug that the mother Pendragon gave her, snapped her out of her stupor and she blushed in embarrassment as a shy smile slipped onto her face and she clumsily went along with her, though now her problem was that she was having trouble wiping the delighted smile off of her face. Once she was seated and Sophie asked Sen to get James, she sat up a little straighter and quickly got herself a drink so that maybe she could stop stuttering long enough to not sound like an idiot and make Master Howl question his decision of accepting her as an apprentice.

She didn't have a chance to look disappointed as Sen returned and said James was asleep because Sophie started explaining to Lydia why. Her eyes widening again as she appeared slightly dumbfounded, "conjuration major?! There is school for magic?!" she was honestly surprised. She didn't realize that it was possible to go to school to practice magic, that it was possible to actually major in it like anyone would major in something at a normal university. She felt a little silly not knowing it, she wasn't exactly isolated where she was from, but the society was not very magic touched. At times it almost seemed to her like magic was very nearly taboo, it was okay for an entertainment but anything more was faux pas.

She glanced to Sen as he spoke with his mouth full and smiled wryly, hearing that made her feel a little worse about fainting, but again her attention was drawn away from her thoughts as Master Howl spoke to her and her posture perked up like a soldier standing at attention, "y-yes, Master Howl," she bowed her head respectfully, she still was having a hard time of getting over the fact that she was in Master Howl's house sitting beside him at lunch with his family, she was so excited that despite the bountiful meal spread out on the table before her, the butterflies in her tummy were too chaotic for her to think about eating, "o-of course, I-I'll be ready!"

As the meal continued and Lydia started to relax more as she was able to converse with Master Howl, explaining to him how she was self taught because no one in her hometown knew magic outside of parlor tricks. She was more than happy to defend her answers, quite literally. She seemed to take to responding to his questions with an abundance of joy to her tone and expression, regardless of what she was saying, she seemed to thoroughly enjoy it and the more they talked about magic, the happier she appeared to be, her love and devotion to the craft very evident in her demeanor. There were so many things about the situation that made her ecstatic, she was actually talking about magic with someone that was basically world famous and was unmatched in skill. She was talking about magic with her idol. These were all things that she had never been able to do before and writing or talking out loud to herself wasn't the same, getting a response to her ideas from another living being was amazing in her eyes.

Anything that he wanted to impart to her was grasped eagerly, she enjoyed hearing the stories that they told her and asked questions about the spells they described and the beings they described, relaying that she had heard of many of them but hadn't known they actually existed since all she had were books and it was sometimes hard for her to tell which were make believe and which weren't.

Lydia felt honored to be allowed to use Master Howl's library and she thanked him graciously, even bowing deeply to him to show her appreciation. She described to him the library that she had at home, but told him how most of the books on the shelves were all mundane and that it was the stacks of books she had collected and set in front of the book shelves that were the real attraction. She had left with many books she planned to read, ones that had caught her eye for their titles or any that Master Howl recommended to her and a week later she had finished many of them and was carrying them back to Master Howl's library from her room in the tower.

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Zer0]

James Pendragon
- Second Meeting -​

Bam

James' door suddenly opened, knocking the books out of Lydia's arms. A sharp intake of breath followed by a pause, then he came out looking askance. "Lydia, er, let me help you with that." he bent down to pick up the books; a silvery-white glow reflected on the glass of the framed paintings on the opposite wall, then a large ethereal stag whose great horns almost stretched to either sides of the hallway cantered out of the door after James, with a saddle and some bags strapped on its back. It kicked the door shut gently and tilted its head curiously at Lydia.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. Are you alright?" asked James. He was dressed for travelling.

The past week Lydia hardly ever saw James, but if she didn't know any better, it seemed that he had been avoiding her. He never ate at the table, rather he came down when she was out and carried his food up his bedroom. Those times she caught a glimpse of him, he seemed not to see her and would never pass through a room if she was in it. One could actually think that he didn't like her.

Roleplay Skittle

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-Second Meeting-​

Lydia released a startled cry when the door opened and caused her to drop her books. She hadn't been able to stop because she had stacked them to the point they obscured her vision and she had been leaning to the side slightly just to see where she was going. She swerved and fumbled slightly as she tried to retain her grip on what she still held, but half of the stack had already fallen and so she dove to catch it, her head colliding with James' as she did.

Hitting her head caused her to drop the rest of her stack of books, falling back on her behind, both of her hands moving to press against the red lump forming on her forehead as she winced and drew in a sharp breath between her teeth, "oooooh.. ouchouchouch..." she chuckled nervously and nodded her head, "it's fine! I-I'm fine! No no... it's my fault.... I-I-I-I didn't see you!"

The brisk pace at which she was rubbing her head slowed as her gaze briefly caught that glimmer of light reflected on the pictures and she turned her gaze back towards the door from which James had exited, her little doll-like mouth slipping open slightly as her eyes widened, "d-d-d....?!" she didn't really know what to say. There couldn't be a live stag just wandering around in the castle? This one didn't look like a real one, at least not any that she had heard of, "is this?! Did you?!" she looked quickly between James and the ethereal creature in a mixture of awe and shock, her parted lips soon forming a positively delighted smile.

"It's magic!" she looked like she was scanning her thoughts for something, "u-um... summoning! Animal spirit summoning?" she remembered reading about it in one of her books though it wasn't her focus, she cautiously stepped nearer to him, her eyes examining his every detail with an expression of admiration on her face. She seemed to have completely forgotten about the books as well as the feelings of rejection and anxiety she had been swimming in because she did think that James didn't like her, she thought that surely just being embarrassed wouldn't have kept him dodging her for a full week and was convinced that he had been horribly offended and developed a soured opinion of her. All of that was temporarily drowned out by the chance to talk with another amazing magic user.

Though those strange feelings were brought back as she whirled around to look at James, her gaze drifting over to the books before she hurried back over to the books and crouched down to start picking them up again, "I-I-I mean... s-s-sorry... are you okay?"

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

James Pendragon
- Second Meeting -​

James laughed a deep hearty laugh, rubbing his forehead that had a steaming lump too. "Apart from the stars dancing around my head, I'm okay!" he seemed amused for some reason and stacked up most of the books in his arms. "You're right, this is Frey, my guardian spirit. He's a tier two summon and there's no better guardian than him in the whole world." he grinned.

The stag puffed out its chest and strutted majestically around him to stand regally beside Lydia. It seemed to be intelligent enough to understand him and loved praise. It bowed its head at her in greeting.

"Let me help you carry these." said James hoisting up the books more securely. For a boy he didn't seem to be as strong. "Where to?"

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[Roleplay Skittle]

-Second Meeting-​

He's laughing and he's not yelling at her? Lydia's expression relaxed into a somewhat content smile. Maybe he didn't dislike her after all? She giggled to his response and nodded slightly before her attention returned to the stag and she grinned too, obviously impressed, and she became even more so as he showed his intelligence, bowing her head to him as he did to her, "he-he's magnificent!" she exclaimed, nodding her head, her hands clasping together under her chin, "I've read comparative studies between the intelligence of guardian animals and mundane animals, guardian intellects are on par and sometimes higher than Humans', correct?"

She held her hand out to Frey, palm up before looking back to James and seeing him holding a good portion of her books, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment and she went to collect the remainder, "u-um... here, I'll..." she took a few of the books off the top, only then really noticing that he looked like he was getting ready to go somewhere, "y-you're leaving?" her brow furrowed slightly and though she frowned, it soon turned into a bashful smile, "um... y-you don't need to... I-I-I can do it..." through gestures, she then urged James to put the rest of the books he held back on her stack.

Zer0

 

[Katsuya]

-Renee Pendragon-
-Sparks' Training-​

It's a good day for Renee: other then Ken-chan finding Seifer and her cuddling with less clothes that morning, everything seemed pretty good. There's more plants to examine, she finished making the cure for Ken-chan (and become normal again...without laughing randomly), and none of the potions she made exploded in her face! So thinking that she did a lot that morning, the Pendragon sister went to training that early afternoon where she spotted James training with Sparks and...failing again.

Feeling bad for her older brother, Renee came over to talk with him and figure out what's up with Sparks. Only for their talk to turn into when is a good time to...give her virtue to that one special person.

As much as she appreciated her brother and him caring about her 'virtue', Renee is glad that they changed back the topic from her relationship activities to James' training with Sparks. It's just a topic that should be private...between her and Seifer; not her, Seifer, and her brother. That's just strange and weird, no matter how thoughtful her brother is being right now...

Which she still does not understand why he cares about her relationship status so much; It isn't like she's doing that to him for goodness' sake!

So now, out in the open with red grass and clear from the trees in case Sparks tries to attack James again, Renee sat down in front the lightening warbest and offered a hand, smiling warmly at him.

"Hi Sparks, mind if I sit next to you?" Renee asked calmly as her wings fluttered.

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[Zer0]

James Pendragon
- Second Meeting -​

"Correct." said James, his eyes lighting up to the change of subject. He seemed surprised Lydia knew that, and eagerly began talking about the theories behind guardian spirits; Frey sniffed Lydia's hand and then her clothes, then blinked up interestedly at the pile of books she had in her arms.

" . . . it's been noted by many that the intelligence of the guardian is always roughly equal to the caster." said James knowledgeably. "They also understand and know things about their masters they previously weren't told and share some of their master's qualities. Nobody knows the realm from which they come from either. There are theories that say guardians come from one's self and is the embodiment of the caster's soul, yet there are conjurors who say that their guardians remind them of a dear pet or family member who died, like this one classmate of mine whose guardian's a lechupakabra."

He looked down at his travelling clothes. "Yes, I'm leaving. Off to said classmate's place with some friends to work on our thesis together. You sure you don't want any help, Lydia? I'm not in a hurry." he paused as she took some of the books off his arms.

If she was sure, James would huff, impressed, then place the rest of the books back on her stack and watch her carry them, glancing every now and then at his own thin arms.

He let Frey out the door, and then for some reason followed Lydia to the library. "I see you like reading . . . Um . . . welcome to the family, and . . . about making you pass out. I'm sorry I didn't care about brushing my teeth and being more presentable, it was really discourteous."

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[Zer0]

- Sparks' Training -​

The lightning salamander took one lazy look at Renee, then zapped her with a spit of lightning. It then stood on two feet so that it was taller than her and gave her a haughty look, bristling its hogback of white shocking sparks, as though daring her to try and make it do what it doesn't want to do.

James, who was watching at the sidelines under the shade of a red tree, winced. Renee was smoking and her hair was an afro.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-Renee Pendragon-
-Sparks' training-​

"Ow!"

Renee shook her hand as the lightening hit her palm and the circuit ran through her body. Her wings twitched uncontrollably which made her have this weird tick on her neck like she couldn't stop twitching her head. She didn't really mind the afro nor did she mind the smoky smell, however that hurt a lot...

Then she giggled as if she's really amused about something when she noticed the look it gave her. "Am I bothering you? Should I leave you alone? I will if you want. Just let me know." Renee looked up with a patient and warm look, not moving from her sitting position unless Sparks said so.

"But boy, let me tell you: You have a sharp spark, Sparks. Heheh! I can see why my brother is afraid of summoning you." Renee complimented the haughty summons. "You're really strong."

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Sparks' Training -​

Sparks hissed at her, but when she praised him he blinked surprised.

He then raised his nose proudly before curling up, his hogback of white sparks cackling louder and shining brighter in greater intensity, then turned and unleashed a surge of chain lightning at a nearby tree.

Thunder deafened everyone in the vicinity and the white flash momentarily blinded those who were looking. There was a great crack and a crash as the tree fell, burning and smoking; James immediately cast flamme guarde around it to keep the fire from spreading and summoned Pond who doused the flames with a giant scoop of dirt.

Sparks posed magnificently as though showing off.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-Renee Pendragon-
-Sparks' Training-​

Renee had to squint her eyes when Sparks let his sparks shine brighter then he normally let's out and then covered her ears in the loud thunder, closing her eyes fully when a white flash hit something. As soon it was over, the Pendragon teen looked over where she believed the lightening hit and widened her eyes. Then she looked over at the posing Warbeast before smiling wide and giggled again. Her wings fluttering and flapping happily.

"That- That was amazing, Sparks! Heheh!" Renee complimented again, watching her brother try to stop the fire from burning anywhere else. Then she payed attention to Sparks, her eyes glowed.

"Knowing that you are this strong makes me relieved...I know you don't like my brother but...either way, thank you for looking out for him." She bowed her head at him gratefully, her wings fluttering gently. Her wings, as her family understands, are the most sensitive part of her body. Just one hard yank and she's knocked out cold, so her being not afraid of Sparks possibly striking them is her way of trusting him.

"He's a dork, I'm sure you noticed, but...he's a caring dork once you get passed by his insensitivity." Renee muttered to the proud summons. "You don't need to, I won't put this on you if you truly do not want to, but I ask of you: Please continue to look out for my silly older brother." She pleaded quietly so that James doesn't hear her.

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[Roleplay Skittle]

-Second Meeting-
​

Lydia's smile only grew brighter as she absorbed the knowledge that James was imparting to her about guardian creatures. She didn't trust herself in attempting to summon one, she hadn't even attempted any more common spells because she was afraid of something going wrong and since at home there was no one to right any of her wrongs, it hadn't been worth the risk and summoning could be even deadlier. Though she did have hopes of being able to eventually summon now that she was under Master Howl's wing because at least she could trust in him or Markl to stop something bad from happening if she messed up, but for now she was just going to study and make sure that nothing went wrong when she finally cast something, at least she hoped that's how it would go.

She paused as well when he said he wasn't in a hurry, balancing awkwardly with the stack she had being partially supported by one of her thighs as she had started taking her books from James, she looked as though she might accept his offer before she laughed nervously and shook her head, "n-no it's fine... I do this all the time at home!"

After she had the rest of the books secured, she made her way to Howl's library and set them all down on a table before she began the task of putting them back where she had found them. She glanced back at James as he spoke and she laughed slightly, "o-oh... yes... um... there's not much to do.. where I'm from... so..." she laughed awkwardly and waved one of the books in the air before putting it in its designated spot and turning back towards James, her green eyes widening slightly, "th-thank you!" she laughed nervously and shook her head, holding her hands up in front of her with her palms facing him as she shook them slightly as well, "n-no... um... my mother... she.. she made me wear a corset..."

Her cheeks flushed and she brushed at the black fabric of her skirt pointlessly, "it-it really wasn't your fault, I couldn't breathe."

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

James Pendragon
- Second Meeting -​

"Ah, a corset," said James, relieved, "and here I thought I made you mad." Then as though he had an idea and felt a bit embarrassed doing it, he stood there awkwardly for a few moments before smiling and bravely offering a hand to shake. "Shall we start over? Hello, I'm James Pendragon."

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[Roleplay Skittle]

-Second Meeting-​

Lydia nodded and smiled awkwardly before turning back to her books, though since James still stood behind her, she eventually turned back around only to have him offer her a hand. She looked at his hand curiously and smiled as he spoke, nodding and firmly accepting his hand with her own which was soft and small in comparison, though there were noticeable calluses along the side of her hand where it would rest while she wrote and along her fingers where she would hold a quill, showing that she spent a lot of time writing, "it's a pleasure to meet you, James. My name is Lydia Dubois."

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

James Pendragon
- Third Meeting -​

It was the second month of winter. Every morning Markl could be seen shoveling snow out of the walkway of House 44 in Ruby Street of Kingbury and greeting the neighbors a pleasant merry winter. The houses were frosted with snow, and fairy lights hung down from the trees amidst snowmen with carrot noses, children is sleds playing with their pets, and festive wreathes decorated with holly and ever-blooming flowers.

Howl had enchanted the strange artifacts in his house to sing carols to anyone who passed by, while the twins would sneakily alter the spell so that some words were replaced with profanities instead. Needless to say, Sophie gave them a good whooping. But that did not stop them from pranking Lydia, who became their favorite victim. The mischievous duo was so delighted to find someone so naïve and trusting that they never failed to drop a lizard down her back, drop a water balloon on her head, and one time enchanted her doorknob so that it wouldn't open unless she sang and danced the Macarena.

Master Howl had spent the days lecturing Lydia indoors in the mornings, and outside in the afternoons for real hands-on spellwork. He recognized her talent for spellweaving and, instead of teaching her common household spells, encouraged her to make her own incantations and was delighted when she succeeded in creating her first spark --- then burned something down. He also told her that she can use Sen and Seth as dust stunning targets, which made them more wary of her and lessened the number of pranks. The twins' talent doesn't seem to be in casting spells, rather it was enchanting or disenchanting objects and inventing toys that explode.

There was another witch in the house, and that was The Witch of the Waste who would often come by and sit on a rocking chair in the library while Lydia studied. The old witch seemed to have taken a liking to her and regaled her with stories of her youth.

And one day, Howl announced to Lydia that she was ready to go on her first magical excursion.

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