Cursed Lands Has Festivals Too... Right? (Event with Ruvel)

Event Info:

Somehow, someway, in some ridiculous and impossible fashion, Samira got herself lost. Yes. Lost. She had become living proof that Wizard Saints and even the Gods of Ishgar were capable of such stupidity at times. To make matters worse was that she got lost in the Cursed Lands. How one went from trying to get to one of those seasonal festivals that was in literally every city and town but instead ended up smack in the middle of some obviously not very festive and dangerous land was anyone's guess. Leave it to her to figure out how to do that without trying and still not know how it happened, preventing the knowledge and experience from being told and spread so others could attempt to accomplish this miraculous feat. It wouldn't have happened if her portal spirit was available. Or any of her flying spirits in general really. It was very rare to have them all busy at the exact same time. One could rationalize that they were celebrating their own festival, but many of her other spirits were still present. And complaining. Apparently she relied on quick travel for so long that she had forgotten how to use her own sense of direction according to them, hence taking a wrong turn.... somewhere.... a very long time ago. Walking from place to place sure was slower than she remembered, especially while wearing a yellow summer dress with heels. Not the smartest choice but she was told to dress in bright colors such as yellow and orange and that was the only outfit she had in those colors! The complaints and criticism of the spirits in her head only made her continuously sigh even more.

While trying to find her way out of that mess of gloomy forest trees, since apparently going back the way she came was not working as well as it should have, Samira picked up on the sounds of music. The volume was low, indicating that it was a bit far away, but the fact that she could hear it brought some relief to the woman. Maybe she wasn't as stupid as she and her spirits thought! There really was one of those festivals way out there! A bit suspicious really considering the location, but it was there! Naturally, the summoner made her way towards where she heard the music. It got louder as she got closer but not by much. There was still quite a bit of distance, but there was a slight change. Festive decorations and lights were all around and even hung on the trees. There was even a sign with an arrow. Samira stopped in front of it and tilted her head curiously after reading it. It was simple and to the point, if not a little vague on certain details. "This way for festival" It didn't specify what kind, if you needed an invite, if those that followed the arrow's direction were really some sort of blood sacrifices for a random solstice god. That was a thing in some stories, wasn't it? Sacrifice some people to plan for good future harvests and safe winter and such? Eh, details. She'd follow it and see what happened. If things turned bad then that would be a major whoops to be added on for the day.

Along the way more arrow signs were spotted and followed until the path became an obvious dirt trail that was decorated. Eventually she came to a sort of invisible barrier that prevented her from moving on. Another sign that pointed to a trough filled with floating apples and water. Above that was another sign that said "Bobbing for Apples." Then another below that with the rules. Samira cringed inside. She was supposed to play that game? Her hair was not prepared to enter a trough filled with water. Her face wasn't either really. Pass. Apple bobbing was not her type of game.

"I'll do it!" Shouted one of the spirit's in Samira's collection, having summoned herself without prompt. Before Samira could react, water splashed from the trough and onto her clothes as the spirit pretty much jumped into the trough to get apples.

"That" Samira began to say, trying to hold in the annoyance she felt from the new situation and now partially wet clothes, "is not how you play that game."

"But I got the apples!" Serqet took a bite from one of them and began to chew and even talk with her mouth full. "And they're delicious!"

'Please let those be poisonous apples. Please.'
'We are never that lucky.'
'Hey guys, don't be so mean. Who else are we going to have to do all the dumb stuff if she dies from eating a poisonous apple? Do any of you want to play that game?'

The response was a unanimous no. Quite frankly, none of them could imagine themselves bobbing for apples. They didn't enjoy looking that ridiculous, or even feeling that way either.

While trying to settle the matter of the first obstacle game, Samira had neglected to read the other sign that was there. It was a warning about certain elementals, sprites, and even something much more powerful being in the surrounding area and that it was very possible to run into them along the way of the path. Because those that set up that particular festival were super special awesome they even made it to where clearing some of them out would also remove the barrier. It made those silly games optional! Like the current one! Another thing she neglected to realize or predict was that she would not be alone in this grand adventure of all adventures. Things were just getting started.

(Word Count: 948)

-In the Cursed Lands-

Wearing her familiar green-and-gold outfit with Argent Gloves and backpack, Leona also carried her Silver Longsword because the Cursed Lands were teeming with zombies, werewolves, spirits, and other hostile entities who did not take kindly to the living in their territory. Leona had been here before on several jobs, so she was not as daunted as a first-time traveler to the region would be. The Wizard Saint of Courage also carried a Silver Longsword and potent magic, so she was ready for anything... well, almost anything. She had a weapon, water, food, everything but that most basic of items, a map.

It took awhile before Leona realized that she was completely and utterly lost. The blonde felt really dumb and wondered where she had made the wrong turn that had led her to this point. The wind blew through her hair and rustled it as she looked around and found something very strange in the area. She saw what looked like a carnival. A CARNIVAL.

There were festive and appropriately colored lights that were gold, yellow, and other colors befitting the occasion. There was also the sound of music floating in the distance... accordions or organs seemed to form a large part of the instrument choice for the music. Those were not her first choices, but she was a mage, not a music critic, so she followed the sound of music and eventually spotted a simple and hastily painted wooden sign hanging on a tree.

"THIS WAY TO CARNIVAL" It read in crooked letters that looked like a child had hurriedly painted them on with black paint. Below the text was a thin arrow pointing to the right. Leona stopped to think about the situation for a moment.

This whole setup looked more than a little sketchy. It looked like something that one would see in a children's cartoon or comic book. Should Leona proceed with this, especially without backup? The answer was no.

"O FABLED HARPIES, O SISTERS THREE! LEND YOUR STRENGTH UNTO ME!" Leona raised her hands in the air and recited a familiar chant. Moments later her harpy sisters arrived to keep the blonde company.

"Hey girl, lost again?" Sylvia asked. Leona frowned.

"I'll take that as a yes." Sylvia the orange-haired harpy commented.

"Like, really? I thought you'd learn the lay of the Cursed Lands by now! You're such a blonde, Leona!" Daphne the black-haired harpy snarked. Leona was tired, lost, and more than a little hungry. She was not in the mood for Daphne's sarcasm and clenched her right fist.

"Hey, what's that power signature I'm feeling?" Sandy the brunette asked, diverting Leona's attention from Daphne's attitude. Leona reached out and felt a rather powerful magic, one far stronger than her own. There was only one mage in existence who was that powerful, but the blonde was not sure that it was not a trap meant to lure in lost mages to their deaths.

"I don't know, but let's check it out." Leona said to her harpies before walking on ahead of them. The trio flew dutifully above her to watch for danger. Leona kept going until she found a crude but serviceable dirt trail and walked to its end, which was rather soon thanks to some invisible barrier that prevented her or her harpies from passing. The blonde frowned.

"Like, really? An invisible barrier? C'mon!" Daphne snarked. Leona huffed and looked around. Another crudely painted sign pointed towards a "Bobbing For Apples" game that was conveniently stationed nearby. Another sign laid out the rules of the game for potential players.

"Bobbing For Apples, huh?" Sylvia asked. Leona frowned again. The last time she had been around any water of appreciable depth she had nearly drowned.

Leona read the sign below the rules sign and saw that she could either bob for apples or she could fight spirits that were empowered by the change in season. Since she was not spoiling for a fight, Leona decided to bob for apples. She hoped that she would not regret this.

Leona got down on all fours, then slowly leaned down into the metal trough and tried to grab an apple stem with her teeth. She heard snickering from behind her and was just about to grab an apple when she felt her hands slip and she fell over face-first into the water. The panicking blonde flailed about for a moment, then calmed down just enough to right herself and pulled her head out of the water. Her head and chest were soaked and Daphne was laughing at her.

"Um... I don't think that's how it's done, Leona." Sandy diplomatically commented while Sylvia tried to get Daphne to stop laughing before their mistress lobbed an apple at them. Leona ignored it and went down again, focusing hard and eventually grabbing an apple by the stem with her teeth. She raised her head and stood up in triumph.

"Um... congratulations?" Sylvia offered diplomatically. Daphne continued to laugh. Leona was sorely tempted to throw the apple at Daphne's smug face, especially after the raven-haired harpy made a crude remark.

"This isn't a wet t-shirt contest, Leona. This is a family-friendly event." Daphne snarked. Leona was about to hit the ceiling when she spotted the source of the magic signature. The blonde took one look and her mouth went dry.

It was Samira Nassar herself!

"Oh great." Leona muttered, trying to adjust the soaked fabric of her top. She was an apple's throw away from a living legend of the magic world and she was looking like this. The carnival could only get better from here.

[Word Count: 968]
[Leona's Word Count: 968/1,500]

Samira had been a tad bit distracted trying to explain to Serqet how exactly the Apple Bobbing game really worked. Naturally there were no actual demonstrations else that would mean that she was actually playing, and she had already decided she was not going to do that. Serqet was. She was the one that volunteered and saved the summoner from having to do it herself. Or exploding her way through the barrier. Assuming that worked. She had learned quite a while ago from a long gone friend to just destroy all obstacles by way of making it all go boom if she had to. She didn't have to JUST yet. More importantly, there seemed to be quite a powerful force of magic that seemed to get nearer and nearer. The woman couldn't place it. Not her fault really and certainly it wasn't because she had no idea who the one that signature belonged to was. Samira knew well the name and face. The Silver Wolf guild master and Saint of Courage had her face on magazine's everywhere for quite a while. Probably still did. The reason Samira didn't recognize it was because it had grown exponentially since the last time she was anywhere near the other mage. Probably the day of the dueling festival of sorts where she had watched the match. But really Samira was pretty far away from where that action was. No. The last time she was really in the same room with Leona was probably back during that mysterious Halloween party. But then, who even remembered that event clearly? Certainly not Samira!

So, what did Samira do whenever she felt the power of what was surely a monster that was native to the cursed lands coming closer and closer? Absolutely nothing. She was too busy dealing with one of the goofball spirits! The monster of doom could finish making its way over. She was here to check out the mystery festival. Not monster hunt! Maybe the monster would just make a turn somewhere and get lost. Like she did. But it was not to be. The blonde headed monster had made its appearance in the form of Leona Jarnefeldt. Well, Leona and her three harpies.

Just as Leona had not noticed her though, Samira had also not taken notice of her either. Her spirits hadn't exactly set off the danger alarms and she was too distracted getting a certain spirit out of the apple trough she had jumped right in. It wasn't until she heard the splashing of water that she let go of the struggling spirit, turned around, and blinked. One slow moving blink as her emerald colored eyes stared at the leader of the Silver Wolf guild, who had seemed to plunge her head right into the water while flailing about. "She... certainly gets into the spirit of the game..."

"Uh-huh." Even Serqet, who had playfully dove in herself just moments prior was also blinking and staring in disbelief.

Naturally Samira had thought Leona had purposely gotten into that position and had not considered that it was a natural accident. Still, seeing the other woman playing the game like that made her wonder if she was actually wrong with how the game was played. Maybe you really were supposed to just dive right in there. Samira moved closer to the rules sign and read it over again before looking back at Leona with a silent and awkward stare. Nope. The Apple Bobbing rules had not changed. Well, Samira couldn't be one to judge. Maybe it was some sort of... tactic. Yes, a competitive tactic for the game. That had to be it. Leona was a competitive apple bobber! She had even given it another attempt and had succeeded! A testament to her apple bobbing skills! A skill that Samira would never have since she refused to play the game and would probably be terrible at it. She would respect this skill to the max while standing in front of a professional apple bobbing player.

Samira had taken just a single step forward to approach Leona when she heard splashing from behind her, and then felt water begin to seep through the back of her dress. All a split second before the scorpion-tailed spirit that had been in the apple trough rushed on over while holding an issue of Sorcerer's Magazine, the one with Leona's picture on the cover, and a pen. "Hihi! I'm Serqet!" The hyperactive spirit, who's appearance and name did not exactly seem to completely match her personality, introduced herself with a huge grin while holding out the two items with hope that the Saint of Courage would take them. "Could you sign this for me? I'm a huge fan!" Serqet would look panicked for a moment before looking behind her, then turning back to face Leona and leaning forward a bit. "Just don't tell Samira about this. I think she'd get jealous," she whispered, somehow having the logic that just because she whispered that part that Samira was somehow deaf towards the previous shouting. At least, this would happen assuming Team Leona didn't send Serqet flying to the moon for randomly rushing over the way she had. What sane person, or spirit, does that?

As for Samira, she actually wasn't jealous, but she was a bit displeased that now the back of her dress matched the front side, in that it was a bit wet from all the water splashes. This deserved an apple throw. A mental apple throw with the image of her tossing the apple and sending Serqet to the moon. Why was it mentally done? Because chances were she'd end up hitting Leona or one of the harpy ladies if she actually tried to do it in reality. If they sent Serqet flying themselves out of concern that the scorpion-tailed spirit was going to do something hostile, Samira would do nothing. It was actually a pretty common thing when dealing with that one. Serqet never learned to approach people normally instead of like some crazed hyperactive lunatic.

All of that silliness made it to where Samira had not noticed the other three joining the grand midsummer adventure. Well that and the fact that unlike Leona or herself, they didn't really give off much magical presence. But even normal citizens were like that. It was more of the familiar voice that got Samira's attention. Her mental torture of Serqet popped like a bubble and she was brought sailing down to reality as she looked in the direction of the voice. "You are here too?" It wasn't so much her being rude about it, but it just happened to be the first thing out of her mouth from the surprise of it all. First Leona and now... uh... eh... what was his name? Samira didn't really recall introductions being made the last time they ran into each other. All she knew was that the small reaper didn't like to be called 'Deathy". As for the other two, one was a blonde teenager on the younger side. Although the gender could have gone either way. She wasn't entirely sure. The important factor was that whoever she or he was, it had to be the older sibling of the child that was with the reaper before during the invasion of the Christmas holiday oversized knick knacks. There were similar features and the reaper was with them both. Logic! Clearly it wasn't Ruvel, the God of Ishgar of Resilience. She wasn't entirely convinced that the toddler from before was actually him either. That was just impossible! Right? Ha... haha. Ha. As for the other kid that was running around, Samira did not recognize at all.

Then there was a mention of a present. Another curious thing to hear that made her blink and her surprise and confusion grow a bit more. She never would have thought about getting a present from him. Oh boy! What could it be?! Common sense would have told her it had to be something similar or relating to air freshener. That was the only thing those two had in common the last time they met. Every spirit that currently heard the conversation and could read Samira's thought process groaned. For months they were surrounded by the scent of Winter Spice. Everywhere! How the heck she managed to get it even into their part of the celestial realm was anyone's guess, but it was darn well there! And it was all that small reaper's fault for showing it to her that day!

"You did not have to get me anything," Samira replied, replacing her confused expression with a small smile as she took a few steps towards them to be a bit closer. "But it is nice to see you again." The location possibly could have been a bit better for most, but she wasn't going to complain about that part. The Cursed Lands was apparently a lot more of a happening place than she originally thought.

The blonde headed youth then spoke after being told that both she and Leona were present. It seemed as if a bit of help was required for it as well. Perhaps there was something wrong with their vision? Samira frowned for a moment upon that realization and as he spoke, but she wasn't going to address it. It was probably best not to and she was sure she wasn't the only one ever to do so. "Well it may have been desolate before, but I am now having to change that description. At least for today," Samira became a bit more chipper about it all and her earlier annoyance with her spirit was long forgotten. She had not been the only one to get lost! "Are you going to try and make it to the festival too now that you all are here? I was just about to congratulate Leona and see if she wanted to tag along with me. She has incredible Apple Bobbing skills. I cannot wait to see how well she does in the others if there are more. This will apply to all of you too if you decide to come along."

(Word Count: 1694
948 + 1694 = 2642
1500 used for Event

New WC: 1142)

This was so embarrassing that it defied description. Leona had accidentally dove into the trough and ended up getting her top half wet, including her chest. First Ruvel had shown up out of nowhere and now Samira had finally noticed the Wizard Saint of Courage plucking at the fabric of her outfit top. They probably thought that the blonde enjoyed the attention that came with that kind of thing, but they would be wrong.

Leona was not sure what to say to either of them. She was not sure anything that she could say would dispel the awkwardness surrounding their meeting. Things were not helped by Daphne making snide comments that added fuel to the fire.

"I think the green-haired chick's taken, Leona. Besides, she's way outta your league." Daphne commented telepathically. Leona frowned deeply. What made the dark-haired harpy think that Leona was attracted to Samira?

Leona did not have time to say anything sarcastic back because a brown-haired warrior princess in a brown, orange, and gold-colored outfit came charging towards her and the harpies. Leona's face went pale when she realized that the oncoming warrior princess was one of Samira's summons. Samira had gotten tired of Leona's awkward nonsense and was going to get rid of her!

Leona wondered who would take her place as a Wizard Saint once she was dead and buried and just a footnote in history. Would it be that Shane Stern guy who was making waves in the talent-packed Rune Knights? Would it be Gisen Coestra the bunny girl? Would it be Tyson Rhodes the youthful but determined mage from Sabertooth? Or would it be Gaia Sabin, the ambitious young mage who was married to Kyran of West Fiore Trading Company?

Maybe Leila Vergious would decide to reclaim the title of Wizard Saint. There were so many candidates for the title and so few places for them. Leona did not know who would take the place left vacant by her demise.

Whoever took her place, they would likely do a better job at making people feel hope than she did. All Leona could do was dabble in science, try to play the scholar of ancient languages, and kill bandits. The others... they could succeed where she had failed. They could bring hope to a world that needed heroes, someone whose hands were not stained with blood like her own.

Leona was expecting to die but was instead greeted by the warrior princess holding a copy of Sorcerer's Magazine with the Silver Wolf Guild Mistress herself on the cover. Samira's summon wanted her to sign it! Leona blushed. This was the first time someone ever asked her for an autograph.

"Um, sure. I'll sign it for you." Leona whispered, taking the pen and going along with the summon's wishes. She was sure that Samira was fully aware of what was going on, but Leona went along with it anyway. Anything to forget the dark thoughts that had just run through her mind. Leona steadied the magazine and gave a neat signature in cursive handwriting.

"Wow, Leona, your thoughts are DARK." Sylvia commented to her mistress.

"Understatement." Leona replied tersely. She turned her attention from the warrior princess to Ruvel, the Guild Master of West Fiore Trading Company. Now that some of the awkward had vanished, she could speak to him without looking too dumb.

"It's nice to see you too, Ruvel. I had just gotten here myself and played the Bobbing For Apples game. I don't know what on Earthland a festival is doing out here and I'm not sure it's entirely safe." Leona said to the slightly shorter blond male.

"I wouldn't be surprised if zombies or werewolves crashed the party. In some parts of the Cursed Lands you can't throw a rock without hitting either one of them." Leona explained why she thought that the festival "grounds" were not entirely safe. That was one reason she brought out the harpies... they were a great eye in the sky as well as good partners in a fight. They also made good company... even Daphne, who seemed to make it her business to troll Leona at any given opportunity. Leona needed to find some new friends.

Leona recalled what Samira said about Leona being a great Bobbing For Apples player who was a competitive one. The Wizard Saint of Courage blushed so hard that her head almost caught fire. Samira mistook the blonde's attempt to avoid drowning as being a competitive Bobbing For Apples player?

Leona was not sure which was worse... being mistaken for some kind of weird person who enjoyed drawing attention to her chest or nearly drowning in a metal trough as a result of trying too hard to play Bobbing For Apples and slipping in. The second fate was certainly more ignominious than the first. Wringing part of her damp hair dry, Leona then turned to Samira.

"Do you really think that there are more festival games involving water?" Leona asked the Goddess of Humility with a small amount of apprehension on her voice. Leona and water had not gotten along lately. First she had almost drowned under the Abandoned Cabin and now she had almost drowned at a festival. She found it funny that both incidents had taken place in the Cursed Lands, but the feeling of needed to breathe and not being able to was not very amusing to her. Maybe she and water were destined to be enemies since she was named after the lion.

[Word Count: 966]
[Leona's Word Count for Event: 1,500/1,500]
[New Word Count: 434]

"Yaaaayyyy!" Serqet whispered in rejoice as the Saint of Courage agreed to sign the magazine for her. It was truly an exciting day. First free apples and now an autograph from the one and only Leona Jarnefeldt. Maybe she'd get super lucky and be able to make an entire collection of Wizard Saint autographs! For now though, she was ecstatic to have the one in her collection. Now she could go back home and annoy brag about it to all of her fellow spirit companions and even the other world entirely. Then she'd be sure to frame it and put it on a wall somewhere for all to see. It was going to be great. Once the signing was complete, Serqet took the magazine back and hugged it close to her chest. "Thank you!" She turned and sped off, dissipating into purple colored particles during the movement. Now the blonde was free to do as she pleased... which hopefully involved getting a new shirt at some point.

Aha! So now Samira had a name to use for the small reaper other than the nickname a spirit had given him the first time they had met. The woman had no issue with the chosen name he preferred others use, even if it wasn't his real name. Many spirits didn't mind either because they simply didn't care. The one that used to call him Deathy though was eye rolling in that protective celestial space of his. Jasper? Seriously? That sounded way too normal and didn't exactly match the fact they were all staring at a four foot tall and some inches reaper. 'What was wrong with Deathy as a nickname? It described him perfectly and even had that cutesy ending to it. Small pokeable things need to have cutesy names. It's a law that's written somewhere.'
'Are you saying that you find him cute and pokeable?'
'For me? That's a no. He's creepy and I am staying here instead of going out there. You're the one that almost poked him the last time. Death by poke. Do I normally look like someone that wants to write something that stupid on a tombstone? So do me a favor and walk away before you get the temptation to-' The sentence was interrupted by Samira's sudden reminder of the cheek poking that she didn't get to do that last time, and the desire to try it again. He naturally picked up on that, as did the others with a heavy sigh. 'Dammit, Samira!'

Thankfully the summoner had resisted the urge to try it again. Just because the temptation was there didn't mean that she was suicidal. The warning was given the last time and she was fully capable of heeding it. Her focus had now gone to her confusion on who the other two were, which was also taken care of rather quickly. The messy-looking child introduced himself as Sato, although the mention of a Yona made her tilt her head in further confusion. Her eyes gave a quick glance around, wondering if she had missed an older girl somewhere but she had seen nothing. Maybe it was just extra information that was given for the sake of it. Children did that at times. "Hello, Sato," Samira smiled and nodded as she replied. Then she focused on the blonde youth and waited for his introduction. "Nice to meet you, Ruvel." Another smile and nod without her even fully realizing the entire introduction. Then the proverbial lightbulb switched on and exploded into pieces. "Eh?!" Her emerald colored eyes widened in disbelief. That had to be a lie or exaggeration! The last time she looked at the records there was a picture of a toddler by that name! Well, she did think that photo was really outdated at one point, but surely the Council wouldn't have accepted such a photo. Maybe. She didn't know. Her mind was blown. "But-" she paused her words, her mind still blank from the destruction of any thought process that was originally there. "I thought..." She looked from Jasper to Sato and then back to Ruvel, clearly confused. Even Leona had walked up and called the blonde male by name. Then as if her thoughts had been picked up on it was explained that the small toddler from before was actually Ruvel. Did it occur to her that it was a spell of some sorts that de-aged him? Of course not. The first thought that entered her head was the opposite. Samira moved closer and leaned in for further inspection with her now wide eyes and gasped. "You grew up so fast!" Not.. quite accurate. Not even close actually. Samira was corrected with Jasper informing her that it was a de-aging curse, and she stood up straight once more. "Oh." Well that made more sense, didn't it? It was likely a more interesting tale as well that she would have to ask about later on. Did she feel stupid about her train of thought? Not even a little.

Unfortunately, the whole mind reading was what the spirits focused on instead. Normally such a thing was impossible. Their own thoughts and voices would have been reached well before Samira's, yet somehow that reaper was able to pass through them unnoticed. They did not think their guard was let down that much while in the presence of allies. Apparently they were either wrong or he was able to get through even all of them combined. Perhaps the missing few was what made it possible for that breach. They would have to investigate and correct the issue at a later point. For now, they would have to deal with the fact that there was no mental protection. Yet another had crossed paths with their summoner that could defy the barriers and protections they had in place. It was so very annoying, and they did not want repeats ever, let alone so soon. The spirits demanded that she tell the small reaper to stay out. They themselves currently had no intention on going out there and starting a fight over it. Samira would have forced them back if they so much as tried and they could feel that. The ones that didn't give a damn about what she wanted were also away or had their links turned off to where they could not tell what was going on. Thank goodness for small miracles. 'That would be rude. He said he has a present for me.' And thus every spirit shook their heads and died inside. Apparently asking for someone to stop reading one's mind was rude if they brought presents. It better be a damn good gift that's for sure.

A portal was then opened by Jasper, and after he instructed Sato to look after Ruvel he stepped through it. Naturally Samira was drawn to it, curious as to where it led. Instead of it being some vague flashes of blinding light the portal was one of those that showed exactly where it led it. Some sort of library it seemed to be. Dozens upon dozens of scrolls and books littered the shelves and even the floor. "Not the cleanest or most organized library, is it?" She thought out loud as she stared into the portal. Well that certainly didn't stop her from wanting to walk right through that portal so she could see what all those scrolls and books were about. Maybe it had some hidden knowledge that was located only in that library space. Then she noticed the bed and sofa. Maybe it wasn't a library. With that thought, Sato had commented that it was actually Jasper's room. Well it being someone's room didn't really make her want to go in any less. It was an open portal. Not like it was closed and locked. But before she could get her chance to just waltz right through it, against the advice of certain spirits and her better judgment, Jasper returned and the portal disappeared, much to Samira's disappointment. She pouted, but she was over it fairly quickly. Maybe next time.

"Oh, thank you. You really did not have to-" Samira had just been about to thank the both of them for the gifts. Both of them had even made the items instead of just purchasing them. Extra effort was involved for something they really didn't have to do. She felt bad about not having done the same. Perhaps she'd make sure she had something prepared for the future. Not that she really knew what Ruvel liked and she doubted Jasper really wanted a lifetime supply of air freshener. For them that'd probably be an eternal amount. Maybe she'd ask around. That was how her thought process worked in those quick moments when she accepted the package and bag. Then it quickly hit her on what Jasper had just said. Her face turned a shade of red as she was reminded of that day. "We do not speak of that! Ever!" While not her fault that Christmas Tree had set a scene that was even more embarrassing and showed more than Leona's drenched shirt taken out of context. People needed to forget that even happened! Samira calmed her comical embarrassed outburst and went back to focusing on the fact that she got anything at all. She wanted to look at everything but uh... with a glance around their surroundings there was that huge reminder that they were standing right in the middle of the Cursed Lands. "You do not mind if I open these later, do you? This is not an ideal present opening location, and I do not want them getting dirty and broken after you both put so much effort into it. You are both very kind so thank you again." Ruvel had even made something for Leona and handed it to her. He really was one to be prepared it seemed. The other woman must have been thrilled to have a nice shirt replacement right when she needed one. There was just one problem and that was the fact the Cursed Lands lacked a dressing room. Well, maybe she could hide behind a tree or something to switch shirts or use her harpy ladies to surround her and act as a visual blockade. Assuming they were fine with her opening them all up later to look at everything, Samira would use a bit of her magic to open a small celestial portal and put the gifts inside where it would then close and disappear. They would be there until she retrieved them.

It was confirmed that Ruvel was indeed blind with further details that he was nearly killed during the event that led to his condition. A most unfortunate thing to happen. She would not press for details, however. If they wanted Leona and herself to know then they would have told them. "Fair enough, Ruvel," Samira commented with an agreeing nod when he made his wishes known that he wanted to be treated normally and not have things toned down on account of his blindness. At his question on if he could tag along though Samira blinked. She didn't really think that he would slow them down at all really. Considering how long it took to get past the bobbing for apples game none of them were exactly rushing to get to the end. "Of course you are welcome to tag along! That is why I asked if you were heading that way. It will be fun! A festival in the Cursed Lands. It is exciting and mysterious and there is no telling what we will find once we reach the real party!" Samira wanted to take the hands of both Ruvel and Leona and lead them through the path as if they were skipping down a yellow brick road. But it seemed her lack of worry was not exactly infectious. Leona had expressed her concerns about the Cursed Lands and potential dangers and Ruvel agreed, but he also agreed that with their combined powers it was highly doubtful that they'd run into anything that they couldn't handle. Then Leona had asked her a question involving the games. Although the fellow Saint seemed bothered. Was she afraid that she'd make Ruvel and herself look bad with her carnival game talent? Well maybe since she mentioned water she was just afraid of ruining the new outfit Ruvel had made her if she changed into it. That made sense and Samira completely understood. The fact Leona almost drowned in an apple trough didn't even register in the summoner's mind. "I do not know." Samira folded her arms over her chest and thought about it. "The only games I can think of at the top of my head are those little water gun games where you shoot at a target. Maybe even the game where you throw a ball at a target and the person connected to said target gets dropped into a water tank. It will not be one of us though so your clothes should be fine. Do not worry." Yes, the clothes were something that Leona was surely and one hundred percent worried about. Not the death by drowning or anything.

Before the group could continue on there was one other matter to take care of. Ruvel had begun to cry, and upon listening to the conversation it had to do with someone he was very fond of romantically. It was a sad situation that seemed more extreme in details than just his blindness preventing him from seeing her. Jasper had asked for advice on how to comfort him but Ruvel was quick to intervene before Samira could say anything. She just stood there and listened quietly until they went on ahead. In truth, she had no way of comforting him. The only advice she had was that if he truly never could be around her again then it was best to just forget about doing so. Keep the memory to cherish and learn from but leave it at that and do not long for more. Samira would respect him for being the rebellious type, though. At least rebellious in this case. He wanted to find and be with her at least one more time. Hiding for what may be forever wasn't exactly living, after all. Not when he wanted more. Although, Samira did have her concerns. Based on that conversation it sounded like someone was trying to find Ruvel. Hopefully his presence would not put that girl in any danger, or hopefully she was very capable of defending herself. Actually, weren't the two of them on a page in one of the magazine issues during Valentine's Day? Samira would have to check it out to be sure of that. For now though, she kept to herself and said nothing. It wasn't any of her business and Jasper knew what was best for Ruvel more than she did. Ruvel also seemed to know what he wanted. There was just nothing for her to add in that wouldn't seem like putting her nose where it didn't belong. Perhaps Leona would have some beneficial input.

If Leona had not changed into the new outfit just yet, Samira would tap her shoulder to get her attention. "You should probably change while the boys are ahead and no one else is around. Although, I can have one of my spirits dry you off rather quickly if you like. Their powers are acting a bit strange today though so there is probably a ninety eight percent chance that you will end up on fire. I do not suppose that you have fire resistant abilities, do you?" Most would have probably said that was an obvious no based on appearances, but in regards to ability and magical prowess Samira was not all that certain. It was possible that Leona was very much fire proof. Her clothes too maybe. Samira forgot to inquire about that which was a bit odd seeing as a burnt shirt was even worse than a soaked one. If the offer was declined, Samira would understand and begin to follow along the path. If Leona had said yes... well hopefully she was fire resistant because there were going to be some flames to make that shirt dry in seconds.

The path continued on until Samira caught up with the others, who had been stopped by another barrier and were waiting. "Another one?" Samira inquired before looking at the game that had been set up as a trial to complete before given access. This party was hardcore. Bottles lined the ground with various colors, with a single golden one. Thankfully getting the golden one wasn't exactly required. They just needed to hit a certain number of points to make the barrier go away. The amount required to gain entry to the next phase was told on the rules sign, as well as the amount each bottle represented with the golden one being an instant vanish of the barrier. Easy enough. "It looks like we are all given four chances. I assume there is a magic cast on this game to prevent cheating. Or I would hope anyway." It was tempting to just cheat by using magic to make the rings fall on the golden bottle. "But these are often usually rigged as well. I will not judge if someone tries that tactic if we fail enough times." Just her putting that out there. Just in case.... Honestly, it would probably be her that attempted it.

"You were here before us, Ruvel, so you can go first if you like." It was probably going to be a difficult game for someone that couldn't see, but who knows? Maybe he had very good intuition and could do it very well like some people being able to do things blindfolded. If he didn't go first and Leona didn't volunteer, then Samira would ask if she wanted to have a turn. That is, assuming no one offered for Samira to go. In which case she would accept the offer. No matter which place she was in line, the outcome would be the same. The woman would grab four of the rings that were on a nearby booth and start to throw them, not really aiming for that golden one that was likely impossible to get, but the ones around it that were also high in points. Two misses and two hits. Not bad, but not great. She would be satisfied for now and step aside to let the others have their turns. If they all managed to hit something then the barrier would vanish and they could move on. If they didn't and they were stuck they could try the game again or cheat. Or go fight something. That worked too.

Either way the next area would be larger than the others since it had one big setup for the dunking game that had the shouting man Ruvel could hear previously, as well as one of those games that tested one's strength. Oh boy!

(Word Count: 3175
New WC: 4317)

Leona despaired on how to get out of this latest predicament without coming across as... weird. Ruvel came to the rescue with a package of clothing that provided both a way out and a way to keep what dignity Leona had left. The soaked blonde gratefully took the package from Ruvel and looked for a safe place to change into the new outfit without Samira or Ruvel seeing her.

"Thanks Ruvel. You're a lifesaver." Leona thanked the slightly shorter blond guy before ducking off behind a cluster of bushes as tall as she was and opening the package. Inside was a blue and white outfit that was a bit like her current one except that it also featured a pink necktie of sorts. It looked like it was tailor-made to fit her... no pun intended. Leona looked around for voyeurs and when she was satisfied that there were none, she started to take off her outfit top and replace it with the new one. Leona did so quickly and had barely put it on and secured it when Daphne stuck her head through the bushes and scared the blonde.

"Like, do you like that Ruvel guy? Like, like like?" Daphne asked with a smile on her face. Leona clenched her teeth and threw the soaked top at the black-haired harpy. Daphne caught it with a clawed hand and threw it back.

"I guess you do." Daphne took another jab at her mistress. Leona ignored the provocation and looked at Daphne.

"Do you mind?" Leona asked with a voice that was trying to be polite but showed that her patience was fading fast. Daphne smiled and slowly pulled her head back out of the bushes in a way that was totally creepy. Leona took off her green skirt and was about to put on the blue one when the harpy's voice whispered a joke from behind the bushes.

"Your skirt makes your butt look big." Daphne whispered. Leona put the skirt on, put on the blue-and-white boots, then packed away her green-and-gold outfit into her backpack and put the packaging in there as well. The annoyed blonde then emerged from the bushes and faced a worried Sylvia and Sandy. Standing behind them with a wide smile was Daphne, who was obviously using her sisters as a shield to keep Leona from hitting her with an apple, her fist, or a spell.

Leona turned away from her and towards Samira and Ruvel. She looked down the path and there was a booth for a Ring Toss game, one that did not involve water. Leona was grateful for that because she doubted that Ruvel had another convenient change of clothes handy.

"I'll check it out." Leona said to Samira and Ruvel before sauntering up to the booth and reading the rules posted on the sign. She had four plastic rings that were slightly smaller than a standard paper plate and had four tries to throw a ring and have it ring the golden bottle. There was a floor covered with bottles of varying colors that were neatly aligned in ranks and files like a glass bottle army, but the golden bottle was the main target. The prize depended on how many rings she managed to get to ring a bottle and what color the bottle was.

Leona noticed the neat stack of rings on a wooden table with a festive summer-themed white and yellow tablecloth. She looked at them, then the bottles, then at Samira and Ruvel. The blonde was willing to try any game that did not involve water.

"It seems legit, so I'll play first." Leona informed them. She grabbed the rings with her left hand, then sidled up to the booth and picked a blue bottle on the first row as the target of her first ring toss. Leona took a red ring into her right hand and gently tossed it with a flick of her wrist. The ring landed around the neck of the bottle and slid right down. So far, so good.

Leona looked through the five rows and picked out a green bottle on the third row for a slightly greater challenge. Leona took a blue ring and gently tossed it with the same flicking motion; the ring landed around the neck of the bottle and shot down to the base. The elated blonde then turned her attention to the golden bottle in the middle of the fourth row. If she were to ring this one she would win the game.

Leona took a deep breath, aimed carefully, and threw it smoothly. The orange plastic ring bounced off its mouth and rolled on its side until it hit the far end of the booth. Leona frowned and looked at the bottle... something about it made her want to try again. She had one ring left, so she had to make it count.

Leona took a minute to get ready. Once she was mentally ready, she leaned forward a bit and made an underhand toss, not lifting her leg so that she did not flash Samira, Ruvel, or her harpies. The blonde held her breath and watched as the green ring rung the neck of the bottle and wobbled around it like someone rotating a hula hoop very fast. It wobbled around for six rotations and threatened to leap off the bottle, but after five more fast rotations it admitted defeat and sunk down around the bottle.

Leona was pleased with herself for winning on the last toss. On the table where the rings were stacked sat a small plush lion with a fuzzy mane and deep brown eyes that peered into her soul. Leona found herself drawn to it despite herself and inspected it for traps or tricks, then picked it up and tried to find a way to fit the small king of beasts in her backpack.

"OK Ruvel, looks like you're up!" The victorious Leona said to Ruvel while trying to work the plush lion into her backpack. Carrying it around in her arms would be so undignified.

Leona's New Outfit:

[Word Count: 1,042]
[Leona's New Word Count: 1,476]

The comments made by Jasper continued to be of an annoyance to many of those spirits connected and listening in. The main one communicating especially. Samira mentally cut off the link with that one to prevent any more outbursts or possible actions from being taken that would have made things worse. She was still in her mindset that it would have been rude to demand that Jasper stay out of her mind when he and even Ruvel had made gifts for her. Based on his responses he didn't seem to have much choice in the matter regardless and would have preferred not always having such involuntary access to another's private thoughts. However he was taking initiative to enter the mental conversation instead of remaining quiet and ignoring what had been said. That had taken a breach of privacy even further and was something that she would have to address if they ever crossed paths in the future and that problem still occurred. Thus far for that day she would let it slide. Samira didn't plan on making or participating in any drama. She just wanted to enjoy the festival, assuming of course they ever got to the real party. With all of the barriers around and a severe lack of other people it was possible it was all a prank or a trap. Well, that was to be dealt with later if necessary.

The ring toss game had been done by each of them and they were allowed to move on. With a bit of relief the mind reading issue with Jasper would come to a momentary end. Both he and Sato took their leave. It was unfortunate really. Despite the slight issue she enjoyed the interaction and banter between Ruvel and those two. Samira also liked being told about the curse that had de-aged him some time ago. Naturally she was curious as to the reason of why he didn't want people to know about the glowing, but she could understand him wanting to keep secrets. They didn't know each other all that well, and if she were going to pry it was best that it was not in a public location. If the Cursed Lands could really count as a public setting. It certainly was open enough for eavesdropping ears, she supposed.

In their place was another that seemed to take residence in Ruvel's shadow until called, or she assumed he had been called. He had popped out suddenly while she was waving and saying goodbye to Sato. The newest addition to the party completed the Strength Hammer game with little issue. A proverbial sweatdrop appeared at the side of Samira's head as she smiled awkwardly and watched. Well that certainly made the game look easy, didn't it? He must have been stronger than he looked. It was after that, that Jasper took his own leave in order to take care of some business. Samira waved goodbye to him too but whether he noticed or not was anyone's guess. If the issue was serious enough then probably not.

Regardless, the one known as Amuul led Ruvel back to them and made his introduction by way of telepathy. Samira was quite used to mental voices in her head so that wasn't the surprise really, it was more so that, that was the method of communication used when he was standing right there. Perhaps he couldn't speak normally and was a sort of mute. "Hello there. I am Samira," she greeted warmly with a small wave of her hand since handshakes were likely not good for her health when performing that act with one of his race. "I suppose you prefer telepathy as your form of communication?" Thus far in the few moments he had been around he seemed friendly enough, and very polite. They were all so well mannered actually. It was kind of... eerie now that she thought about it when compared to her own magical team of dysfunctional hooligans.

After she had spoken to greet Amuul though, another voice jumped into the conversation. One that came from the dunking game that was set up not too far off. Apparently an associate of the festival had taken notice of them all and had taken it upon himself to shout out varying insults so they would take notice of him as well. "Excuse me for a moment. I am going to look into that game over there, and see if I can quiet down that noise." While Samira wasn't really one to get angry over petty insults, especially ones that were just for the game, she still didn't approve of it. Surely there had to be a better way to gain interest for a simple game.

She left them to make her way over there without saying another word. Once she approached, Samira got a better look at the one in the tank. Usually it was some man in a sort of swim wear. Or even a type of clown. For this case the one in the tank was dressed in some ridiculous costume that was similar to one of her spirits, but much more... obscene. Was it a way to poke fun at the real Cernunnos? Samira covered her mouth, trying to suppress a giggle that could be the only logical reaction to such a costume that was so similar to her spirit version. Whether as part of the game or real offense, the one in the tank didn't seem to like the laughter. He was supposed to be the one laughing, after all! His comments and insults that followed mattered little to her. She would try this game. There was a booth where a great many buckets of throwing balls were lined up. With a light skip in her steps she grabbed some and went back to standing in front of the tank to have a better view and angle of the bullseye target. One ball was thrown and missed. Then another. The woman was more accustomed with aiming a bow or even a sword than she was with throwing balls. Maybe she'd train in that area for next time. Still though, she could have sworn she had hit the target at least once or twice but the ball just bounced right off. Did she really not throw hard enough? The thought gave her pause as she contemplated if perhaps that game was also rigged for failure. Another insult caught her attention. It would have been ignored entirely if it had not practically been permission for her to cheat. A comment had been made that even with all of her spirits helping her that she would never manage to hit that target and make him fall into the water. Yes, he knew who she was. He knew who all of them were. It was hard to not recognized a trio of Wizard Saints passing by. And so, with that comment, Samira's eyes narrowed, taking it seriously. "Very well." A magic aura lit up around the summoner as all of the spirits currently there gave her a portion of their power for this... game. The man in the tank realized that he was taken a bit more seriously than he would have liked and tried to take it back but it was too late. The next ball was thrown in full magical force, breaking through the enchanted plate of the target, through the wall of the tank, through several trees, and on and on the ball went until it disappeared somewhere in the distance. Needless to say, the game had been won. The man on the board fell into the water. A long overdue punishment.

The barrier containing them in that portion of the festivities vanished. The four trials of Apple Bobbing, The Ring Toss, The Dunk Pit, and The Strength Hammer were complete. Now the true festival was revealed as even more games, booths, and even people were up ahead. Would this end with them all just enjoying themselves? Or would there be more going on with this festival in a strange land? Even the narrator behind this post does not yet know!

(Word Count: 1356
New TWC: 5673)

Leona had long since given up on trying to stuff the plush lion into her backpack and opted to just carry it in her arms. It was undignified for a Wizard Saint to carry a stuffed toy around, but it was slightly easier for her to get away with it since she was a female. Ruvel could get away with it too since he was a strong mage who happened to look very young for his age. As for Samira... who was brave enough to insult the strongest mage in existence and who outside of the Magic Council could tell her what to do?

Some guy dressed in skimpy clothing that no man should wear had the audacity to insult Samira with some choice insults about the Goddess of Ishgar's competence. He implied that she would be unable to win the game without the aid of her team of spirits. Unable and unwilling to let the challenge go unanswered, the Goddess of Humility strode forward to the dunk tank where the man was sitting with the intent on teaching him a lesson in manners. Leona was glad that she had not been the one to anger Samira by having the bad sense to imply that the green-haired Goddess could only get by with the help of her spirits.

Leona clutched her stuffed lion and watched from afar as Samira began to throw balls at a white disk attached to a mechanical arm and painted with a red bullseye. After Samira's first few attempts did not succeed, the man did not have the good sense to quit while he was ahead and goaded Samira with more snide remarks mixed with insults. He kept going right until she had had enough of his nonsense and did something that gave her more power to overcome the game, which appeared to be one of those rigged carnival games that people disliked. Samira's next throw hit the target dead center and dunked the man in the water tank, silencing his baseless talk in a decisive fashion.

Leona turned away from the dunk tank and focused her attention on something that had caught her eye. Ruvel had just finished a game called The Strength Hammer, completing all the games necessary to access the entire carnival. Now that all the magical barriers had been removed, the carnival was open for the Wizard Saint and God and Goddess of Ishgar to explore.

"Hey girl, what will you do from here?" Sylvia asked her mistress.

"I don't know yet, Sylvia. I've never been to a carnival before." Leona answered with uncertainty. There were so many activities to choose from and so many food booths with wares to sample. She was somewhat interested in a confection called cotton candy but had no idea what it was. It looked like someone had scooped sections of clouds out of the sky and had dyed them different colors before putting them in plastic bags for sale.

There was also a flavored ice booth with a large white sandwich board sign to the left listing all the flavorings that customers could pick from. Once they made a selectionthe worker took shaved ice in a white styrofoam cup and put the chosen flavoring on it with a syrup bottle turned upside down. Leona was halfway tempted to try a cup of that sugary treat.

Three booths to the right of the flavored ice booth was a conventional soft-serve ice cream stand that sold ice cream in cardboard cups. Aside from the old standbys of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla, customers could also pick from flavors like Neapolitan, Rocky Road, Caramel, and more. Again Leona was tempted to try something from there.

"You act like you've never seen ice cream before." Daphne snarked.

"I grew up in the middle of the desert, Daphne. We didn't have ice cream in the desert because there was nowhere to keep it cold and that stuff melts fast." Leona replied calmly, suppressing the urge to shout at the raven-haired harpy for being so insensitive. Daphne suddenly looked embarrassed and quickly backed off. Sandy kept quiet but had an apologetic facial expression.

Leona had never been to a carnival before. It was a new experience to be among all the lights and cheerful accordion music and laughing people playing games of all types. With so many options laying in front of her, Leona had no idea what to do next.

[Post Word Count: 760]
[Leona's New Word Count: 2,236]

Already Samira was getting to know a great deal about Ruvel and the summons around him. More than she expected to know actually. Not to say that was a bad thing. Information overload was a good thing in Samira's book. The more she could know, the better. Within reason, of course. Not all details of life was something she needed to know, or even wanted to. There were limits. Thankfully she didn't think the two mages accompanying her would step over that boundary. Maybe Leona's harpies since they seemed to be quite the characters, and very similar to some of Samira's more rambunctious spirits. What was a bit surprising to learn was the extent that it took to call forth Jasper, now fully known to her as Oykai. She herself could offer her life energy as a way to summon her spirits if necessary, but never to the point of near death. The only one that could harm her to that extent only used it as threats. Actually going that far would not be beneficial. It was interesting how even though they all had summoning magic as a part of them and had some similarities, they were all still very different in several ways. Would everything she was learning about the two be added to a journal and notebook later? Most certainly. Another one for the massive collection she already had about other things and people.

With all of that put aside during her little game of dunk the jackass, Samira returned to her fellow mages, who had already entered the newly discovered festival. Finally! Now the real reason she was there, which was to experience the festival, could finally get started. The challenges before, while unique and could be considered fun she supposed, were still forced if they wanted to reach the place. That took quite a bit of fun and freedom away from it all. That could all be forgotten now though. The true fun could begin! Although, as Samira looked at the festival and the other people having fun, and took in the smells and sounds around her, she was reminded of another festival she had attended a while back with a close friend. True enough the current one was not her first festival like the other two, the other one had been. With that memory a bit of gloom smacked her in the face, but for the sake of those around her she forced it away and put on that smile again. "Oh, thank you very much," Samira said kindly while taking one of the cones for herself. Not only had he bought ice cream cones, but he also had other sweets in the bag he held. They all certainly were very generous, weren't they? At that rate both she and Leona would become spoiled. Refusing it was not an option though. She didn't want to be rude by rejecting the kindness and generosity. Not unless it was too extreme a gesture anyway and thus far that limit had not been reached.

Samira took a short moment to enjoy the ice cream cone as the others thought about what to do next. Rare was it that she bothered to have the frosty treat, and even if it were just plain old vanilla it was still quite good, especially with the extra flavoring of the strawberry sauce. The sprinkles made her feel like a kid really, but it was a welcomed topping all the same. There was mention of fireworks and a bonfire. That could work. It would give them time to finish off the treats while the firework show went on. Call her a bit selfish but she was enjoying that ice cream way too much to just toss it aside so she could have her hands free to do something else. There was also mention of some rides. That suggestion came with a bit of disapproval from her. One could not eat ice cream while on a ride. Well, they could, but it'd probably be a very messy experience. Her gaze looked over towards some of the more exciting rides. It wasn't hard to find given the screams of those already on them. "Are some of those even safe?" Samira asked, a bit of skepticism in her tone. She herself had been through many dangerous adventures and missions in her life, and it was a good assumption that the other two had as well. Yet rides in a festival was what it took for Samira's danger alarm to go off. Aside from the more high speed and crazy rides though there were slower ones, such as the ever popular ferris wheel and carousel. "If we choose a ride maybe we should start with something a bit slower, and work our way up." Naturally the suggestion came from two things. One she kept imagining pieces of the high speed and whacky rides breaking apart while she was on it, sending her and the others flying to their doom somewhere deep in the Cursed Lands. If the crash didn't kill them then the monsters would feast upon their broken bodies for sure. Not counting the healing magic that she and likely the other two had, of course. That slipped her mind during her exaggerated imaginings. The second reason was the ice cream. She could finish the treat on a slow ride easily. "I am satisfied with the firework and bonfire option too. Should we flip a coin to decide?"

(Word Count: 912
Samira Total: 6595)

Despite the cool temperature, Leona hurriedly finished her ice cream cone because she did not want it to melt on her before she could finish eating the frozen treat. Having fingers that were sticky from melted ice cream was something that the Wizard Saint wanted to avoid, especially since the line to the bathroom was rather long. The line to the bathroom numbered at least twenty people ahead of her and was growing by the minute. Thankfully Leona had not had anything to drink... aside from that mishap where she nearly drowned while bobbing for apples. She was still mystified as to how Samira could think that Leona almost drowning was part of the game, but Leona was glad that that fiasco was over.

Once the ice cream had been finished Leona turned to Samira, who was eying the rides. The Wizard Saint faced the roller coaster and watched a trio of red carts clack up a hill, then pause at the top for a ten count before veering sharply downwards at high speed. The blonde knew that a roller coaster ride was not in her future. It was not the high speed that frightened her, but the idea of looking down from the cart to see the fairgrounds below and realizing how far off the ground she was. Leona and heights simply did not mix.

"Ummm... if you two don't mind, I'd rather skip the roller coaster." Leona chimed in as she heard the screaming coming from the riders, who were busy zooming down the track towards the point where they disembarked. Altogether it looked like the ride lasted three minutes. Once the carts jolted to a stop the current riders got off so that other thrill-seekers could have their turn on the roller coaster. If Samira and Ruvel got on they would have to go without Leona.

The blonde's attention turned from the roller coaster back to Samira, who had also expressed interest in going to a fireworks show and then a bonfire. Leona thought that those two options were good ones, but Daphne chose this moment to speak to her mistress. Much like she had done earlier, the black-haired harpy was poking fun at her summoner.

"Hey Leona, why don't you go on the roller coaster with Samira and Ruvel?" Daphne asked mischievously. Leona frowned. Not more harassment from Daphne, especially when the raven knew that her summoner was afraid of heights. Sandy just covered her face with her hands because she knew that Daphne's effort to troll Leona was going to end in disaster.

"C'mon! It'll be fun!" Daphne insisted, putting her hands on Leona's hips and gently nudging her summoner towards the line for the roller coaster. The Wizard Saint gently pulled away and tried not to make a scene. Instead of going for a stinging verbal rebuke delivered at high volume like Daphne expected, the blonde opted for a different approach, one that could get the point across without publicly humiliating Daphne.

"No thanks, Daphne. Remember what happened when you guys took me for a flight when I first summoned you? Do you want that to happen again?" Leona asked Daphne about the incident that had occurred so many months ago. The dark-haired harpy had a blank face for a moment, then frowned as she thought about Leona's words and remembered what happened the first time they flew her around. Leona got the feeling that the raven was starting to get what the blonde was getting at.

"Like, are you gonna throw up again if you go on a roller coaster?" Daphne asked in disgust. Leona, seeing an opportunity to drive home her point, looked Daphne straight in the eyes and nodded. Daphne cringed.

"Like, SO GROSS! OK then, never mind. Let's not go on the roller coaster then. Let's just keep our feet on the ground, sweetie." Daphne verbally backpedaled. Having made her point, Leona let the matter go without further discussion and turned back to Samira. She needed to let the Goddess of Humility know which way her vote went so that they could go to the appropriate place before the lines got too long.

"I'm all for the fireworks and bonfire, but maybe Ruvel wants to start off fast and slow down. We'll wait to see what he wants to do. If we reach an impasse where we just can't decide what to do, flipping a coin would be the best way to decide." Leona said to Samira.

[Post Word Count: 747]
[Leona's New Word Count: 2,983]

So ended the conflict of what to do next. Having a blast on the roller coaster was thrown out for it seemed neither of the three Saints would have enjoyed it. Based on what Samira heard from the interactions between Leona and Daphne, it was wise that the blonde woman did not get on it. Throwing up while on a roller coaster was a less than appealing thought, especially for those around the individual on the ride or those down below and near the roller coaster when the inevitable tossing of one's lunch through the upper esophagus occurred. Samira made a mental note to ensure Leona never got on things that were similar to a roller coaster in speed, altitude, and direction if they were to end up meeting in the future and the situation came up.

As for Ruvel, he too was not too thrilled about the roller coaster option. Being off the ground and traveling at a high speed was not his thing, at least, not when riding a quickly constructed festival ride. Moreover, he did not wish to be trapped. That Samira could understand. At a young age she didn't like that feeling either. It was something she had gotten over with experience and time, however. Maybe one day he would too. She didn't question or think much about his change of tone while speaking about it. The simple reasons behind why he didn't want to go on the roller coaster were sufficient enough to convince her. Plus, why ruin the opportunity to skip the rides for now? Now she could slowly finish off her ice cream instead of scarfing it down as quickly as possible like Leona had. If she didn't know any better, the Goddess of Ishgar would have assumed that Leona had thought someone would take away and steal the ice cream right out of her hands with how fast the cone had disappeared. An interesting piece of imagery for her thoughts.

There were more rides to choose from, but there was an agreement that they could always return to the rides later on. The bonfire and fireworks were more interesting to the trio. "It seems so," Samira agreed with the blonde youth, smiling at him while giving a nod. She just hoped that he would enjoy the surroundings despite not being able to see the bonfire or fireworks. Best to think positive though, as someone wise out there had to have said at one point. He seemed to be excited for it, so that had to be enough for her.

Samira followed along with the others silently. For a moment she broke away to grab some napkins from a booth they were passing by and used them to wrap around the cone and clean off any ice cream that had melted onto her hands. That problem was easily solved. Offering napkins to Leona and Ruvel crossed her mind, but Leona had already finished eating her own ice cream cone, and Ruvel had already been led further towards where the bonfire festivity was taking place. That and the writer of this post is unsure if he had finished the cone or not.

A different sort of music started to play in the background as they got closer. The other sounds of the festival started to quiet down as well. Rides were making their final rounds temporarily, and shopping and game booths started to close. Soon, the main bonfire event would start, and it was more than simply standing around watching a flame burn brightly. Many within the festival already knew this and had prepared for the temporarily shut down of everything else. Everyone that cared to see and listen to the event begun making their way as well. Samira took note of this, glancing around as more and more people either passed her or were following behind. "It is a good thing we did not decide to wait in a line for a ride. Everyone is leaving them and going towards the bonfire, including the operators." A shame the operators had also left, else it would be the best time to be in line for a ride since no one else was there to make a line in the first place. "This bonfire must be a more important event in this festival than we gave it credit for." The fact that pretty much the entire festival shut down just for it was testament to that.

As a crowd started to gather around, a pair of women with partially braided long blonde hair and blue eyes took their places in front of the bonfire. Their physical features were identical to the point that it was obvious the two were twins. Though their similarities also went to their clothing as well. Plain white dresses that went past their knees were worn, with only a simple brown belt around the waist. Upon their heads was a simple crown made of white flowers, and that was it for their accessories for they wore not much else, not even on their feet. It was a simple outfit the two had chosen to wear for the summer solstice celebration, and among the rest of those there they did stand out as they should have, for they were part of the festival itself and were part of the performance.

The lighting of the festival began to dim, as many of the magic lacrima lights were being turned off, replaced by lanterns and candles that had their flames providing light within that small area of the Cursed Lands. Aside from the massive bonfire, of course, which seemed to grow in strength as if knowing it was surrounded by mostly darkness. Once it seemed that everyone was settled and had quieted down, the two young women began to speak while also moving in a smooth and graceful way that was almost like dancing.

"We welcome all who have come to join us in this celebration dedicated to what is called the Summer Solstice to most, but to others that of Midsummer."
"We also thank those that have gone through the entry trials to be here at this moment."
"We are known as the Sisters of the Sun, and come from a people that have celebrated and honored this day for many generations."
"We hope our short time together will entertain you, and be remembered until next year, where we will hopefully see you again."
"We have many tales that reign from our heritage and homeland, but first there is something else that must be done."
"We must honor the flame. A tradition that has been passed down to us and we now wish to share with you."
"We ask that you please take a moment, and partake in this ancient tradition."
"We also understand those who wish to not do so."
"We ask that you remain patient and enjoy watching before the fireworks begin."

With that said, more festival workers that were also dressed for the celebration made their way through towards the bonfire, carrying crates that contained small velvet red pouches filled with a sort of powder. The crates were set down on the ground at various points within the bonfire circle. Each person was able to grab their own pouch from the crate and toss in the powder inside onto the flames of the bonfire. The flames would grow stronger for a few seconds after the powder was tossed into it, surging outward and lighting up even more than it already was. With enough of the powder applied, the fire would be strong enough that nothing would be able to put it out until after the solstice ended. During this ancient and yet very simple ritual, the background music would change once more, though it had never been and still was never confirmed on who or what was the source of the music. Nonetheless, the twin women began to sing a song from their homeland, gracefully moving around the bonfire circle and welcoming those that came to honor the midsummer flame.

Samira herself had stayed there throughout the entire speech and even the honor the flame ritual. To her, it was entertaining enough for her to enjoy herself, and it was something that she could add to her journal for sure. Perhaps she'd even write down the lyrics to the song so she would know it for the future and if she ever traveled to where those two were from. If the other two mages and their companions were still present, Samira would turn towards them slightly while walking the steps towards the bonfire center. "I am going to try out this little ritual. I will return shortly." Whether they wanted to participate in it or not she wasn't sure on, but either way she wanted to let them know of her intentions so they wouldn't think that she was completely ditching them. Who knows? Maybe her volunteering to do it would get them to try it as well for funsies.

Music 1
Music 2

Word Count: 1500
Samira Total: 8095)

Leona was glad that she would not have to ride the roller coaster because she did not want to throw up on anyone by accident when her stomach inevitably got upset by the combination of speed and height. It would be impossible to use the Winged Lion's ability that eliminated her fear of heights so that she could remain calm. Furthermore, she did not want to risk damaging her reputation as the Wizard Saint of Courage by panicking when the roller coaster paused at the highest point of the ride. It was best for everyone involved if the blonde just stayed off the roller coaster.

Again Leona was amused by the contrast between her name and her fear of heights. Lions and lionesses were symbols of courage that were prevalent in many cultures. Leona was the Wizard Saint of Courage. Leona was afraid of heights to the point that even thinking about riding a roller coaster made her stomach turn. Life was full of little ironies like that.

"The bonfire? Yeah. I can do that. That's a good choice of activity." Leona readily agreed with Ruvel and Samira's decision to go to the bonfire. It was a fairly safe activity that kept her feet on the ground and all she had to do was stand around and watch the celebration. It was hard to beat that... she would not throw up and she would still get to enjoy the festival. As long as Leona kept a safe distance from the fire nothing could go wrong... she hoped.

It seemed that the Wizard Saint and the God and Goddess of Ishgar were far from the only ones interested in observing the ceremony because the lines to the rides, vendor booths, and other attractions all began to disintegrate as if on cue. The people all began to move towards the bonfire; even the ride attendants and vendors left their stations and began to make their way towards the bonfire. Leona found that odd, but she kept her opinion to herself to avoid offending anyone. There was a special significance to this that she did not understand and it was best to keep quiet instead of saying something dumb. If she kept quiet and watched she might even find out what the ceremony was all about.

"Yeah. This festival's probably been going on for decades, if not centuries. Maybe we'll find out how long it's been celebrated here." Leona said something safe and non-offensive about what was going on. She had no idea that the people of the Cursed Lands had a bonfire festival, but in a way it made sense. Fire generated light and light kept the numerous creatures lurking in the shadows at bay, giving the people a much-needed psychological boost in an area infamous for paranormal activity and supernatural denizens. Or maybe Leona was reading too much into it and everyone just liked the festival because it was a welcome break from their routine. That scenario was also plausible.

After the crowds had largely subsided Leona stood a medium distance away from the growing circle around the bonfire, where a pair of women with partially braided long blonde hair and blue eyes took their places in front of the bonfire. Their physical features were identical to the point that it was obvious the two were twins. They wore plain white dresses that went past their knees and a simple brown belt around the waist. Upon their heads were simple crowns made of white flowers; Leona noticed that the simple outfits lacked shoes. Whether that was done to maintain the aesthetic of the ceremony or if the twins were genuine back-to-nature types was unknown, but Leona found the decision to not wear shoes interesting.

The Wizard Saint listened to the music that was faintly reminiscent of that back in Desierto, but the music of her home village was provided mostly by woodwind instruments like the flute and the occasional acoustic guitar bought from the Tri-Council City. The music here sounded more... natural and had a greater variety of instruments. Leona was no musician, but the music accompanying the ceremony was pleasing. She noticed festival workers carrying little red pouches of some kind of powder that made the bonfire a little bit larger and brighter each time it was thrown onto the fire. While it appeared safe, Leona hoped that the workers knew when to quit and had sufficient fire-fighting equipment nearby or some fire-dousing magic handy in case the bonfire grew out of control.

Leona was glad that she had kept her distance because at this point the fire was rather large and bright. Knowing the dismal luck she had with her clothing, had she been standing closer a stray ember would have touched her skirt and either burned a hole in an inconvenient place or set the entire skirt aflame. Ruvel was a miracle worker, but Leona was not sure if he could produce a second skirt when the Wizard Saint needed it the most. Still, there was something about the ceremony that tempted Leona to get closer and perhaps even join in despite her unspoken reservations that this might be some kind of insidious cult activity disguised as a festival. Lacking Leona's reservations, Samira decided to get closer to the bonfire and the singing twins.

"OK Samira. Have fun!" Leona bade the Goddess of Humility before the green-haired mage made her way closer to the celebration.

Leona was not sure if she really wanted to join in because she did not want any pressure to dance before an audience. Dancing was not the blonde's strong suit and she would make a laughingstock of herself by dancing with all the grace of an elderly camel. It was best that she stayed away from the circle closest to the bonfire so that there was no pressure to peform.

"Hey Ruvel, are you gonna get close to the fire or stay back?" Leona asked the God of Ishgar. She was entirely capable of forming her own opinions and doing things for herself, but Leona was awful with social situations and needed a bit of help every now and then. Samira had already made her way closer to the celebration; the Wizard Saint was curious as to whether Ruvel would follow suit or keep his distance like Leona was doing.

[Post Word Count: 1,057]
[Leona's New Word Count: 4,040]

Note: I have received OOC permission from Samira to skip her.

Leona listened as Ruvel designated the Ferris Wheel as their meeting point when Leona and Samira were ready to move on from the bonfire. That was a meeting point that was nearly impossible to miss. Even Leona could find it since it was one of only two attractions that dominated the nighttime skyline. The other was the roller coaster that she had lobbied so hard to avoid riding. She was not sure if the Ferris Wheel would be much better for her since it too was a combination of heights and movement, but she noticed that it traveled at a far lower speed than the roller coaster did.

Maybe Leona could live with a ride on the Ferris Wheel. It seemed to move at a slow enough speed that she could stay calm while riding. Her only other concern was a freak accident like the wheel breaking off of its support structure and sending her and the other passengers on an unscheduled ride through the park.

"OK Ruvel, I'll see you there once I'm finished here." Leona informed her companion as she kept her distance from the fire to avoid losing yet another outfit to an unfortunate accident. Leona understood that her line of work was dangerous and that she should count herself lucky if the worst that happened was that some of her clothing got damaged. She was also aware than some of Earthland's people considered her to be attractive. Furthermore, she understood that image was important to Wizard Saints and if she kept going around in torn-up clothing people would inevitably draw erroneous conclusions about her. The social media rumor mills were always eager to get news about Earthland's most famous mages and crank out stories for an audience clamoring to learn more about the larger-than-life figures that walked among them.

Leona's focus drifted from the social media rumor mill to the oddly hypnotic bonfire blazing in front of her and people standing in a circle around it. It reminded her of a celebration during one of the few times in her village that the food supply was stable enough and physical security was reasonable enough that an outlaw attack was unlikely. Leona went back in time to when she was still sixteen and wanted to see the world beyond Nebdoui and beyond Desierto.

She recalled her mother's stiff opposition to Leona leaving Nebdoui and being a traveling trader like her father Samuel. Sophia insisted that the world was too dangerous for a young woman like Leona, who had only been outside of Nebdoui in the company of her brother Leonidas. It did not matter that Leona knew Wind Strike Magic and had some skill with one-handed swords. Sophia insisted that the world was far too dangerous for Leona to go into. That all changed the night that Joshua Hamlin made unwanted advances on Leona and groped her at the festival.

An enraged Leona kicked his ass and an embarrassed Joshua vowed to have her family killed in retaliation for being rejected. Chief Elijah, knowing that the incident was partly his son's fault, instead opted to banish Leona from Nebdoui with the provision that she could return only when the exile was rescinded by the chief himself. That incident was the start of all of Leona's adventures to date.

Leona wished that there was a more dignified beginning to her adventure, something more heroic than "I beat up the village chief's son because he got handsy with me at a village party and it was either exile or being burned at the stake." It was an ignoble start to Leona's career and it made the blonde unhappy that her chance to see the world was a result of that situation. While others set out with admirable goals such as righting the wrongs of Earthland or delivering vengeance to those who abducted or killed their families, Leona's journey started because she got kicked out of her village for something that was technically not her fault. Such was life for the Wizard Saint of Courage. It was a life full of ironies, contradictions, and little mishaps that added up to create the story of Leona Jarnefeldt, the desert chick with the out-of-place last name who went to Fiore and made it big.

However, as rough as the start of her adventure was, Leona had also been through quite a few good times. She had met the Goddess of Ishgar Leila Vergious and become a member of Silver Wolf. After Leila vanished Poko Monstar saw fit to request that Leona become a Guild Ace. After Poko disappeared Leona was appointed to the rank of Guild Mistress. Once she attained that title her career accelerated from there.

Soon after that Leona met a list of illustrious up-and-coming mages like Nessa Cordelia Lux, Mura Kensho, Johann Von Weiss, Akeya Kuusai, Haraka Omaras, Ruvel Mizune, Arcadia Fairchilde, and a lot of other mages who had made names for themselves. She also met Sol, a tall, dark-haired guy who was a good fighter as well as a good talker. Then later on when she met with Ruvel to attend this festival she also met Samira Nassar, the near-mythical mage who had a variety of legends surrounding her person. While Samira's power level and dignified appearance was more than a little intimidating, Samira herself was a nice person who looked on the bright side of life and who was more than willing to treat Leona as a peer despite the difference in power.

Turning back to the bonfire after shoving the unpleasant memories out of her mind, Leona once again watched the fire dance as it burned. She watched the twin performers perform their well-rehearsed dance and watched people celebrate. Maybe she was wrong about her outlandish theory that the celebration was a cover for some insidious plot by a cult to capture people to sacrifice to some unknown deity. Maybe it was just a run-of-the-mill celebration held for the amusement of the region's citizens. Maybe Leona had been watching too many adventure movies like that one about that guy in the fedora and leather jacket looking for a crystal skull.

Leona chose to believe that this was just a festival and set aside the conspiracy theories to enjoy a time when she was not fighting for her life or fighting for the lives of the innocent. It was just an ordinary festival with an ordinary fire and ordinary songs that were not songs of praise to a deity that required human sacrifice for worship. Hopefully.

[Post Word Count: 1,090]
[Leona's New Word Count: 5,130]

Samira had been unaware of the reaction Ruvel was having with the bonfire part of the celebration. It wasn't until the one called Amuul spoke in her mind to tell her not to take part. Strange though that he didn't mention why. Was it just out of concern for the possible dangers of being too close to a giant roaring flame? Or was there something more ominous to it that was far more sinister? They all were, after all, in the middle of the Cursed Lands. That was easy to forget while in the midst of fun. The woman had only paused for a few seconds upon hearing the plea. 'There is nothing to worry about,' she mentally assured the summon and guardian of Ruvel, assuming that he would be able to hear her due to his telepathic abilities. The bonfire ceremony seemed harmless enough and so she didn't worry about it. If there was a mystery to it that put people in danger then getting closer to it would just enable her to put an end to it and save others. Either way was a win. She nodded when the summon replied back that he and Ruvel would be waiting at the Ferris Wheel. 'Very well.' And that was that. Leona didn't seem to be interested in fully participating, but Samira could see that the blonde was still nearby watching the bonfire ceremony. As for herself, she grabbed one of the pouches of powder and followed the others that had stepped ahead of her. The powder from the pouches were tossed onto the flames, and the bonfire replied each time the powder particles touched it. The flames swirled and made sizzling sounds as it absorbed the powder.

Some of the participating individuals danced, and others returned to the crowd. Samira allowed herself to enjoy it for a few moments before she considered that enough time had been spent there. It was time to return to Leona and also meet up with Ruvel to keep him from waiting too long. In her mind, she had also confirmed that nothing strange had happened with the bonfire ceremony. She felt no different nor sensed anything. If there was a danger there then it was very well hidden. Samira had begun to make her exit from the attraction and rejoin the audience, but one of the twin sisters from earlier had stepped onto her path, intercepting and preventing her from continuing on. Well, not unless Samira was the type to shove the woman out of her way. She wasn't. The thought of stepping aside and continuing to her desired area also didn't cross her mind. It was clear the woman had done that purposely and wanted to have a word. The gentle smile as she stared at her was a giveaway, as well as the words she spoke next. "Greetings. You are the one called Samira Nassar? One of the Wizard Saints and Gods of Ishgar?"

"Just Samira is fine. Or Ms. Nassar if you prefer to be formal." Samira confirmed the assumption for the woman. Being referred to by a title wasn't something that she thought was necessary. Her name was all that mattered, especially while in such a public setting where she just wanted to enjoy herself. Everyone were equals there.

"You bless our humble ceremony with your presence, Ms. Nassar," the young woman said with a bow of her head and small curtsy. "Thank you for participating. Some others that were uncertain had decided to follow your example and also honor the flame." Her hand motioned over towards the bonfire, where many more people had indeed taken pouches and joined in on the dancing. Though now the music had become more uplifting since the twins had finished their song. True cultural festival music was playing in the background, and the dancing had also become more fun to watch and do. At least, from what Samira could see from the joy on the faces of those that had joined in since she walked away. "This pleases my sister and I. We were surprised to have someone of your status attend our festival."

"I would be more surprised that anyone at all attended," Samira said back flatly. She didn't mean for any offense or insult. The festival itself was fine. It was the location that bothered her and rose an eyebrow or two. "This location is an odd choice. Most would avoid the Cursed Lands."

"Ah, yes. Many fear this place and what lives here. Many here are those that attend our celebration every year and are of the same faith as us. They follow us and other leaders of our congregation. We held an event in Sin one year. We are not as many as those within your populated cities, but we are still many. They meet others during their travels and invite them to attend our events. This is why you see as many as you do now. I did not realize that you would be attending. Or the other two. To have one attend is a sign of good luck and that we have been acknowledged and rewarded for our faith. To have three indicates that we have been truly blessed."

"I see." Samira didn't really know much about their faith, and she felt that the other woman was highly exaggerating the circumstances. Those thoughts remained in her mind though as she didn't want to cause trouble or worse. It was better to just agree within reason or let it go. "Truthfully I got lost while trying to find a solstice celebration elsewhere. To find one here was the last thing I expected, but I do thank you for the warm welcome. I am enjoying myself thus far."

The twin smiled. "Good. I hope you continue to enjoy all that our celebration has to offer. The fireworks should start soon. You should gather your companions before it does so you can all enjoy it together. I must go now and prepare for the later festivities." She bowed her head and curtsied once more, and then made her departure.

As for Leona, whatever she was doing by that point, she would find that the other woman in the twin pair had found and approached her. "Greetings. You are the one called Leona Jarnefeldt? One of the Wizard Saints?" Asked in the same exact wording and tone as her sister had asked Samira.

(Word Count: 1072
Samira Total: 9167)

In contrast to the other people attending the bonfire, Leona was content to watch the festivities from afar. She was not sure what was going on. She was not sure how it managed to get bigger as the festival progressed and she was hesitant to get any closer to the fire than she had to. Lately Leona's clothing tended to get damaged in embarrassing ways and she was trying to avoid having that happen in front of a large crowd. Bad news traveled fast and the blonde did not want to be any more of a laughingstock than she already might be from the "nearly drowning in a trough while bobbing for apples" incident.

Leona could only stare at the bonfire and feel trapped by her own insecurities. Part of her had wanted to get close and participate in the festival, but she had trouble interacting with people in any meaningful way outside of work... or outside of combat. In those two areas Leona was bold and decisive, but outside of them she was decidedly less competent. She envied how Ruvel and Samira smoothly interacted with others and made it look so easy while she struggled to even talk to a festival booth vendor. Speaking of those two illustrious mages, they were kind enough to invite her to some festivals and give her an acquaintance or two who just might become friends some day... if Leona would let them become her friends.

Like with so many other problems in her life, Leona's chief problem was Leona. While she hung around with Samira and Ruvel, she always felt like the little sister who the parents made their older siblings take along with them wherever they went. They were kind to her and helped her out of embarrassing situations with poise and dignity, but the Wizard Saint did not feel like their equal despite being nearly as powerful as they were. She was close to their level in terms of power and prestige, but "close" only counted in horseshoes and hand grenades.

The Wizard Saint of Courage was so distracted by her hidden feelings of inferiority that she hardly noticed that one of the twin dancers had approached her for some reason, probably because she was in the way of wherever they needed to go. Leona stepped back six paces to let them pass, but to her surprise they did not want to pass by her. Instead it looked like they actually wanted to talk to her. Leona did not know why anyone would want to talk to her unless it was to direct her towards a threat in the area. Was she about to get a call to arms?

"Greetings. You are the one called Leona Jarnefeldt? One of the Wizard Saints?" The young woman asked her.

"Yes." Leona answered laconically. She was not sure what the young woman was getting at. She must have grown up in a remote village like Nebdoui because almost everyone knew who the Wizard Saints were. That would be one of the few plausible reasons that the dancer did not know who the short-haired blonde was.

"My sister and I are pleased that you chose to attend our festival. The presence of a Wizard Saint honors us. It also makes others at the festival feel safer despite the location." She said to Leona, who had pushed back her skepticism long enough to listen to the young woman engaging her in conversation. Leona needed to think of a polite response to the young woman's statement but was struggling to come up with a good one because of her social awkwardness. When the dancer said that the presence of Wizard Saints made the other attendees feel safer, Leona chose to use that topic as the focus of her response.

"I'm glad that I could be of service. I was worried about the location, but it's been quiet so far. I hope it stays that way for the rest of the festival." Leona finally said to the young woman. She was worried that her presence would draw danger here, but to her relief everything had been quiet. There were no werewolves, zombies, vampires, or other denizens of the night attempting to make meals out of the festival-goers and that was fine by Leona. It was nice to be able to go somewhere and attend a festival without a life-or-death struggle breaking out.

"We believe that the festival will continue to remain safe thanks to you three. If I may be so bold as to say this, we observed that you were reticent to get close to the bonfire. If we may ask, why is that? Are you afraid of fire?" The dancer asked Leona why the Wizard Saint had not approached the bonfire to dance around it or to offer a sprinkle of the powder that Samira and the other attendees had sprinkled onto the bonfire. Leona was already having a hard time keeping the conversation going, but that question threatened to bring it to a screeching halt. The short-haired blonde had to come up with a good reason and make it fast because the eyes of the dancer were inquisitive and starting to bore into her.

"I didn't approach the fire because... because I'm not sure whether I should approach it. I don't fully understand the significance of the festival and I don't want to offend anyone by doing something like approaching the fire in the wrong way." Leona answered truthfully. Part of that answer was truth. She did not understand the significance of the event and was woefully ignorant of other cultures beyond those of Desierto. She also did not approach the bonfire in case the offerings of powder were part of some occult ritual meant to bring a malevolent spirit from beyond into Earthland.

Leona waited for the dancer to come up with a response to that statement. In the meantime it did not look like the young woman was entirely buying the Wizard Saint's response to her question, but it could be that Leona was just being insecure again. It was ironic that the Wizard Saint of Courage could face down any threat without blinking but could not carry on a conversation without a lot of difficulty. Leona had somehow infiltrated a cultist lair by herself in Spooky Forest and had faced down Bull Demons and Infernal Guardians alongside the Order of Lightbringers in Fat Monsterland, so why was she so hesitant to talk to someone?

[Post Word Count: 1,082]
[Leona's New Word Count: 6,212]

The twin that was speaking to Leona stared. Not speaking at first as she respectfully waited for the Wizard Saint to finish her explanation. It was a strange answer to be certain. There was no wrong way to approach the flames unless the intent was to be purposely disrespectful. Leona did not appear to be that type. All she really had to do was mimic the others that were taking part of the ceremony if she was really uncertain. There must have been a much deeper reason on why the blonde refused to take part. The sister would press the topic no further. Like the one that had spoken to Samira, she too needed to make her time conversing with festival guests short so that the firework event could be tended to and organized. "I see," The twin smiled gently as she closed her eyes and nodded. "Your fears are deeper than just the fire itself." Her eyes opened and remained without judgement over the other woman. "Do not worry yourself over such things. This festival is for you and everyone else that has come to celebrate with us. Enjoy yourself without fear of causing offense. The bonfire will be there throughout the rest of this night should you change your mind." The twin dancer then blinked and her attention on Leona wavered for a moment, as if she had heard something. Though, it was something only she could hear. It was the mental call of her sister scolding her for the delay. "Excuse me," The dancer said apologetically with a bow of her head. "I must now go attend to my other duties. I do hope that you are able to enjoy the fireworks much more than the bonfire event. They will begin shortly, but there is no need to rush to the event. They will be able to be seen from anywhere within the festival grounds, and the entirely of the Cursed Lands itself." As soon as Leona made a reply, or chose not to, the dancer would give another respectful nod of her head and wish her well before departing.

At that moment, if Leona was unaware and/or had not reacted towards it beforehand, she would feel a tap on her shoulder. That tap coming from Samira, who had finally managed to leave the bonfire area and was now standing behind Leona to get her attention. "Hello again," Samira greeted cheerfully, though also hoping that she had not startled Leona in any way by approaching as she did. It didn't dawn on her as a possibility until she had already done it. "I have returned just as I said I would." Her head tilted slightly as she looked over towards the direction the twin dancer that Leona had been speaking to went. Curious. They both had been stopped by one. Were they actually  triplets so that one could engage Ruvel as well? A humorous thought. "I see you have kept yourself busy even if you stood on the sidelines to watch." It was just a basic observation regarding the dancer. It was always interesting whenever someone approached her, recognizing her as someone that was considered important or powerful. Those conversations always reminded her of those times when she was very unknown. Someone sure had a sense of humor to line her fate up the way it did.

Her focus left the departing dancer and returned to Leona. "If you are done watching we should probably go check up on Ruvel." Samira had still been unaware of his earlier reaction towards the bonfire ceremony, so her concern wasn't really to make sure that he was alright. It just seemed considerate to meet up with him again after that much time had passed by. "We were told that he would be over by the Ferris Wheel if I recall correctly." The teal-haired woman looked around to see if the attraction could be found from where she was. With most of the bright festival lights still shut off due to the bonfire event, it wasn't as easy as it should have been, but she soon spotted it. "Ah, there it is," Samira stated as she pointed in its direction. An area that was pretty dark, but the shape of the Ferris Wheel could not be mistaken for some misshapen tree. "I do hope everything starts running again soon. I do not know why he would take off towards the dark and closed parts of the festival." It was a bit worrying really, but she was sure everything was fine regardless. Assuming Leona was content to go find the third member of their little trio, Samira would begin to head off towards the Ferris Wheel. Slowly, of course, as there was no need to rush.

If Leona decided to come with her, Samira would find a way to break the silence between the two girls as they walked by asking questions. Because, why not? It was the first time meeting the blonde in person so she may as well get to know her a bit better. "So, Leona, care to tell me anything about yourself? I have read the issue of the Sorcerer's Magazine that you were on the cover of, but beyond what was published there I am afraid that I do not know much about you." Besides her talent at bobbin' for apples, of course. That was something she learned new that day!

(Word Count: 904
Samira Total: 10,071)

Leona was not sure if the young woman was going to buy her explanation or not. The explanation was definitely lame and not her best "little white lie." The woman was obviously skeptical but let the Wizard Saint down easy with only a cryptic comment about the real reason for Leona's refusal to approach the fire being a deeper fear than a matter of concern over disrespecting ancient traditions. In a way the young woman was right. Leona had a few reasons for not approaching the fire, but only one of them was related to a deeper fear.

The first and most petty reason was that Leona did not want to have to have her outfit repaired yet again. She tended to take a lot of clothing damage from the most random things and Ruvel was a metaphorical (and literal) magician who always came up with a replacement outfit right when the blonde needed it the most. She was reluctant to have to ask him for yet another replacement outfit because if she did that too much she would burn through his goodwill in no time flat. He was a God of Ishgar, not a walking clothing store for Leona.

The second and more important reason was that Leona feared this whole festival was a front for a cult. The cult could have killed and replaced the original festival staff with their agents. The cult could then be using the festival-goers as unwitting pawns in their scheme to resurrect a demon lord by getting enough people to pledge fealty to their infernal liege by sprinkling the powder on the fire. If that was not the case, dancing around the fire might have provided the demon lord with the life energy they needed to manifest on the physical plane.

There was a third reason that she was reluctant to approach, one she really did not want to think about but was forced to think about after the young woman's remark.

The bonfire reminded her of the village party that she attended shortly before being exiled from Nebdoui. It also reminded her of Joshua's vow to have her and her family burned at the stake after she had beaten him up for getting handsy with her.

It was not the most compelling reason to be wary of bonfires, but it was the truth. Leona still had not gotten over the events that led to her exile, but she supposed that she owed everything that had happened in her career to her exile. Had she remained in Nebdoui, she would have never gone anywhere and done anything but live the life of a typical desert dweller and fit her mother's ideal of a stay-at-home mother and housekeeper. That led to another issue that had plagued the Wizard Saint from the time she had been granted the privilege to lead Silver Wolf.

Leona felt like she had only gotten to where she was by being in the right place at the right time.

It was not all dumb luck that had paved the way for Leona's rise from nobody to a Guild Mistress and a Wizard Saint. The blonde had performed quite a few heroic feats like eliminating the serial killer Jacob Goodnight in Hargeon Town, saving her childhood friends and the prince of the Regudo tribe from captivity while swiping what turned out to be a Muserian Focusing Stone from the commander of the Crimson Sashes, and joining forces with future superstars like Johann Von Weiss, Nessa Cordelia Lux, Arcadia Fairchilde, and Haraka Omaras to defeat an influx of invading creatures from another dimension during the Night of Eternal Darkness. Those brave deeds were surely valid reasons for her to be chosen as a Wizard Saint by the Magic Council. There was more than just extraordinary luck to her career, but luck certainly played a part in Leona's career trajectory.

After that lengthy bit of introspection Leona returned to the present and thanked the young woman for being as polite as she had been in the face of such a lame excuse from someone who was supposed to be the Wizard Saint of Courage.

"Thank you. I'll probably approach the fire at some point before the night's over." Leona said to the young woman before the latter left to perform other duties at the festival. Once the young woman had vanished from sight the blonde felt stupid for even making the excuse that she had. Right now was one of those times where she wished that she knew some Invisibility magic so that she could disappear for awhile. It was at that moment that Samira Nassar, the "first among equals" of the Gods and Goddesses of Ishgar, showed up to speak to Leona and suggest that they go find Ruvel.

"I'm ready to go find Ruvel whenever you are, Samira." Leona said to Samira. The blonde would fulfill her vow and return to approach the fire later, but right now they needed to go towards the Ferris Wheel to find Ruvel and make sure that he was OK. Leona also wanted to do something different at the festival just so long as it did not involve riding the roller coaster.

Leona then realized that Samira had made a statement concerning the blonde. Samira said that she had read the Sorcerer's Magazine with Leona in it, but she then said that she wanted to know more about the blonde. Samira also added that she specifically wanted to learn something about Leona that was not published in the magazine. Someone wanting to actually know her a little better was news to the Wizard Saint. Then again, Leona did tend to work alone a lot and it was only the festival at the Haunted Castle where she really began to interact with Samira and Ruvel.

"OK, I'll bite. One thing about me that wasn't published in the magazine is that I wanted to be a traveling mage because of my father Samuel, who's a traveling merchant. He'd tell me and my older brother about all kinds of places and people he had seen while traveling and I'd want to go and see those places and people for myself, but my mother didn't want us following in our father's footsteps." Leona told Samira a bit about herself, throwing in the seeds of the ongoing conflict with her mother as a bonus. Sophia Jarnefeldt was determined that her daughter was going to stay in Nebdoui and have bearing and raising children as the highest goal in her life. Leona Jarnefeldt knew that such a life was not for her and was determined to be a traveling mage until she voluntarily retired or went on one dangerous adventure too many and died as a result of some bandit, demon, cultist, or wild animal getting lucky and landing a fatal blow.

However, Leona was not going to die any time soon because she was hard to kill. Her skin was supernaturally tough and she was one of the most powerful mages in Earthland. It also helped that she was named in honor of the lion. That name was a mixed blessing because trying to live up to it often made the blonde do risky things. On the positive side, being named after an age-old symbol of power and courage made Leona step up to the plate and do brave deeds worthy of the name.

[Post Word Count: 1,234]
[Leona's New Word Count: 7,446]