A Cool Man (Introduction)

The snow that surrounded Chris made the entire world white as he struggled up the path that was supposed to lead to the guild. He started out at the base of the mountain and was directed to a path he was assured was a direct and safe path to the guild. Before he left the one who directed him warned him that there would be a ‘test’ he’d need to pass in order to be accepted, but he brushed it off as mere child’s play. If the blizzard was the test however he may have to reconsider it.

As he walked Chris noticed a blue light off into the distance. It was the only sort of light he could see in the whiteout, and turned to follow it. He just hoped it wasn’t a spirit leading him off a cliff. That would be a great way to introduce myself to the guild. Get killed on their front door.

When Chris got closer he noticed it was actually a wolf that glowed with an unearthly blue light. It sat on its haunches and looked at the human quizzically. It was only when Chris approached that he noticed the storm that surrounded him also appeared to taper off. It still raged out past a certain point, but nearby the wolf it was calm by comparison. The two looked at each other as if expecting the other to act first.

Taking  deep breath Chris felt that he should speak. ”I don’t suppose you can lead me to the guild.” The wolf cocked its head to the side a little, and then without a word turned and began up the trail Chris had been walking. The human only hesitated until the storm nearly engulfed him again before hurrying to catch up with the wolf. He stayed a good 20ft from the creature as he wasn’t sure whether to trust it or not. It is a wolf. Maybe the guild uses them as guides.

After 15 minutes of walking a golden glow pierced the white haze. After a few minutes more the vague outlines of a building could be seen in the gloom. The wolf turned off the path and headed into the hills surrounding the area. Chris hesitated a moment not knowing whether to follow the wolf or keep on the path. After the snow engulfed him again he decided to go to the building. Anything to get out of this snow.

Approaching Chris noticed it as a really big building with large double doors out front. The snow tapered off around the building even more than with the wolf, and he could see still see the storm raging farther out. Walking up the steps he couldn’t help but shiver. It was mostly from the cold, but it was also a little bit from the prospect of joining a guild. As he reached out to the door he noticed his hand shaking. It was then that he noticed his teeth were chattering and his body was shaking. He was about a minute from freezing altogether.

Ignoring how rude it would be to barge in Chris hurriedly opened the door and slipped inside. He closed it just as quickly behind him and stood there in the warm entryway shivering and trying to get warmth back into his limbs. His teeth chattered from the cold, and he was certain his limbs had a light blue tint to them. The warmth from the building slowly began to seep into his body, and he silently blessed whoever kept the fireplaces stocked. Frozen water began to thaw and drip onto the floor as he tried to get his bearings.

Paragon of Virtue

As he heard the door close, Jin's interest was immediately piqued. Did Leona go out on a job?

Not that I recall.

Intruder?

Those guardians would've torn them apart if they meant ill will towards the guild.

Not necessarily. They still let you through.

The Bringer of Death scoffed before going silent. Seemed the Paragon set off a nerve on his other half. Regardless of his hesitation, Jin followed his senses to the entrance of the guild hall. Sure enough, it was nothing particularly suspicious. A man was standing, dripping wet from the snow, just as Jin had done some time prior. He was obviously cold, as most were when first entering the halls of Silver Wolf, and his presence likely meant only one thing.

Jin smiled, doing his best to keep a warm presence towards the man. "Hello! Welcome to Silver Wolf. This is far from something personal, but I'll need to know who you are. I presume you're here to join, however?"

Why else would he be here?

It's a matter of caution. It's my head on the line if something bad happens.

The Bringer of Death laughed. Our head, you mean? I don't think we oughta worry about this whelp.

It's possible this "whelp" is a strong wizard. Not everyone joins a guild at the infancy of their magic ability. As far as we know, he could-

Take a look at the kid. Does he look strong to you?

I wouldn't say we look strong either. My face doesn't exactly scream "intimidating."

But mine would if I wasn't tied to this accursed enshacklement.

Jin did his best to repress the conversation his persons were having confined into his head. It certainly would be far from the greatest thing to let a pup be scared of an elder, even if Jin himself was far from experienced in the guild.

"Where was I? Oh, right! I'll need to know who you are. My name's Jin Auri-el, a C-Rank mage who's nearly ready for his B-Rank exam, and I'll be glad to show you around!

Still shivering Chris turned his attention to the speaker. A man about his age wearing a black duster with a white shirt stood before him. He appeared to be close to his own age, but was about half a head shorter. What really stood out was the different colored eyes and the red streak in the otherwise silvery hair.

When he spoke something sounded arrogant to Chris. I need to know who you are? Unless this guy was security, which was a good possibility, he didn’t need to know anything. If he wanted to know Chris’s name that’s another story. Still it would be bad form to start off his first day in a guild on the wrong foot, especially if this guy was important.

Chris opened his mouth to respond, but stopped himself as he noticed the guy’s expression. It looked like he was distracted with something. His eyes were more focused inward as if he wasn’t really looking at Chris. Is he senile? He didn’t appear to be old, but with magic it was hard to tell sometimes. This ‘young man’ might be older than his own grandfather. After a moment the man came back to himself and continued.

This time Chris responded in kind, though his body still shivered a little from the cold. ”N-nice to meet y-you. My name is Chris. Chris Seenter.” He hesitated a little before continuing. ”I-I d-don’t know what r-rank I am.” It was true. He was still very new to the guild system, as the other mages in his family were all independent. ”I guess I’m D Rank.”

Chris had warmed up enough that he began to shake the excess water from his body onto the floor. He looked apologetic for the mess, but figured it was better here than in the hallways. ”This is actually the guild? It’s definitely not easy to get to.” He shook out of his backpack and set it by his feet as he pulled off his coat. This he hung on a peg built into the wall that he guessed was used for the purpose. Afterwards he turned his attention back to the man. ”How long have you been in the guild?”

Paragon of Virtue

Definitely a newbie. Jin thought.

Yeah.

Jin smiled on the outside. "So you're a new wizard here, eh? Not a problem, Silver Wolf accepts all. And, sure enough, you're at Silver Wolf. And I'll certainly agree on the difficulty of coming here. It gets easier once the wolves trust you."

Even then, I wouldn't say it's easy.

"As for myself, I honestly haven't been here all too long. It's a very welcoming group here, let me assure you."

I'm sure there are more welcoming groups than you.

And there are less welcoming, like you.

"If you stay at work well, you'll move through quickly, but that's all up to you and the higher-ups in the guild. If you don't mind my asking, what brings you to Silver Wolf in particular?"

You're acting too suspicious. And you're worried about me acting up.

I don't want Leona getting mad at me, so better be safe.

Chris eyed the man as he grabbed his pack off the floor. Awfully chatty for an old person. But he kept his tongue silent on the comment. His grandfather on his father’s side was very vocal about the family, and very violent against those who disagreed with him. It was because of one of those disagreements that Chris left the family in order to join a guild. Silver Wolf just seemed like the right one.

”Actually I came to Silver Wolf because of my interest in magic. From what I hear the guild focuses a lot on magic research, and that’s something I’m interested in.” Chris’s family believed strongly that ‘real men don’t use magic’, and regulated that only women were allowed to learn. That made things difficult for him and his mother, who had married into the family. It was especially strong in his grandfather, who stressed that ‘no successor to the family should learn that girly crap’.

The first time the old demon caught Chris’s mother teaching Chris about magic it left a physical and emotional scar on the young boy. After that they kept it a secret until his mother’s death. Shortly after that was when Chris decided to leave to find a guild to continue learning.

”What about you? Why did you decide on this guild?”

Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap. Click. Clack. Tap tap. The sound came down the stairs as someone would be gripping the banister rail, that thing that no one ever gripped going up and down the stairs. Well, this person needed it for balance to make sure she didn't lose her footing and fall down the set of stairs to the floor below. She had a walking cane, tipped with white plastic, something to grant her a sense of what was around her. She was blind. The purple haired blind writer from Silver Wolf herself, Iris Du-Page.

She was new to the guild, not so new as to say she had arrived shortly before Christopher. But, she was still the new girl until he showed up, so the new girl status was dropped almost immediately. That was amazing for her at least. The disheveled mop head of purple was the noticeable feature on her. Followed by the blank silver eyes that couldn't take in any sort of light. They could take in sound and color, she had synesthesia at least. But, it was like wading through an abstract water color picture for her. SHe had no way of seeing just what was really what, but, she was confident that she could find a means to cure her blindness.

SHe overheard people talking about why they came here, she just had to butt in. "Pardon me, I don't want to just shove my way in, but, I just wanted to say that's a great reason for joining. I came to research curses and how to cure them, and to make a living for myself so I could have a bumper crop of money for the business I want to form if I ever cure my blindness. I'm happy to meet you. I am Iris DuPage, and you are?" SHe asked while offering her hand for a shake to Christopher, but, it was off, like, he would have to lean to the side to take a hold of her hand to shake it.

Paragon of Virtue

The blind girl's voice came as a shock to Jin. "Ah, Iris! Welcome! As both Iris and yourself mentioned, Silver Wolf certainly has an aptitude for magical research. Many people have that exact same reason for joining, whether for pursuit of knowledge, like it seems like you desire, or another motive, such as Iris's. As for me, I joined a guild to get stronger. As for Silver Wolf in particular..."

His voice trailed off. He was hesitant to reveal the existence of the Bringer of Death if at all possible. He was too much of a loose cannon, Jin thought.

"Apologies if I sound rude, but I would prefer to keep that to myself. You have things you would prefer not to share with others, as does Iris, and thus I do as well."

Afraid of me?

They might well be. They're probably too "pure" to be all that accepting of a homicidal maniac.

The Bringer of Death laughed. Homicidal maniac, am I? I prefer the term "harvester," personally, but to each their own.

Jin did his best to keep control of his external body. "Honestly, it's nothing personal. I just have some secrets I would like to keep to myself, if that is alright, Chris. Regardless of the reason, however, we're both glad that you've joined. The pack can't be full enough, right?"

He laughed to himself, trying to convince himself that his attempt at a joke was good. He had his suspicions about this newbie, but he was far from able to put his finger on exactly why. Iris, at this point, he was accepting of. She was far from a threat, so he thought, but something felt...interesting about this one. Even with the Paragon's idealistic view on the world, the Bringer of Death had weighed on him enough to take suspicion into account with all wizards. Even at this moment, he pocketed hands were prepped to fire off a spell or two with little delay. He was without his scythe, but his magic would be enough, he thought.

The wolves wouldn't be wrong about him.

If they let you through, then certainly anything is possible.

You always go back to that. Whatever, it's fine. If he somehow does end up being an enemy, I can kill him right quick.

Leona certainly wouldn't be happy with that.

Protection of the guild. And you chastised me for being skeptical of joining a guild. Oh how the tables turn...

The Paragon shook off his other's words, focusing back in on his own attitude and the actions of his new potential guildmate.

Chris turned his head when he heard the odd tapping sound coming from the stairs. His body stiffened involuntarily when he noticed the cute girl descending the stairs while keeping a firm hand on the railing. In her other hand she held a walking stick that made the steady tapping sound as she made her way down the stairs. Judging by her milky white eyes he guessed she was blind, which would make sense that she carried the stick.

That didn’t keep Chris’s body from tensing as she approached the pair. No matter how often he traveled through a city; pretty, cute, and beautiful women were always a problem for him. It wasn’t that he hated them. In fact, he was always very attracted to them and enjoyed their company. At least the ones he eventually got used to. But new females, whether old or young that were attractive, always caused him to tense up involuntarily. Once instance was total paralysis, but Katrina apologized for the spontaneous ‘glomp’ on their first meeting. She said it was adorable how shy he was that she couldn’t resist.

Mentally shaking himself out of his trip down memory lane Chris tried to force his body to move. The young lady was offering her hand and her name to the new guild member. His legs trembled as he tried to move so that he could shake her hand without it being awkward for either of them. Moving in short jerks his hand moved as he mentally warred in his own mind to take her hand and give a feeble shake.

”N-nice to m-meet you I-Iris. M-my n-name is C-Chris S-S-Seenter.” Chris cursed himself mentally over his bad stuttering. It was obvious there was another reason he stuttered that had no bearing on being cold. It was another war of wills to get him to take back his hand after his pitiful attempt of a handshake. He took two steps back in order to give himself some room away from Iris, while he struggled to reorder his thoughts and slow down his heart rate.

Turning slowly as to not appear stiff Chris looked to Jin. The man seemed a little off for some reason, even more than if he was actually old. It made him uneasy, but with Iris still close his mind was too jumbled that he couldn’t put his finger on it. He did manage to file it away in the back of his mind to think about once he had a more clear head. ”I can understand that. Everyone has their secrets.” Good, his voice didn’t stutter that time.

Turning back to Iris he could feel his body tensing as he looked at her. With a visible effort of will he focused his eyes past the blind young woman to a door leading further into the guild. ”T-That’s a pretty b-big undertaking Miss Iris. I-I’ll be honest, I-I’m a bit new to magic beyond w-what my mother taught me. I-It was unseemly f-for a man to p-practice magic in my f-family.” Great, even when he wasn’t focusing on her he still had a stutter. Another mental curse directed at himself for his ‘issue’.

Iris would, after shaking hands with the person that seemed to stutter plenty like running a hand over plastic wrap, that quick little catching of his own noise he was making, she would retract her hand, and stand with both gripping her cane for support as she smiled warmly. "New to magic? Taught it? You can do that with magic? Where I'm from, people discover their magic at random, and, from there, they are innately aware of what it is that it can do, but, it is capable of growing in strength over time." SHe would state while swinging her cane around, looking for a chair to sit on a bit ways away from the two.

It wasn't rude for her to not look at them as she spoke, she couldn't see anyone really, so, it didn't matter as much, right? "Where are you from that magic is done through teaching and matriarchal, if you don't mind my asking."

Iris's introduction, and Chris's reaction to her was something telling.

Interesting.

He seems a bit...afraid of Iris?

Perhaps it's a stretch to propose, but considering the ease of comfort he had speaking with us - rather, you - one thing that we mustn't discount is the possibility of him having a fear of women, perhaps?

It'd be best to not press on the issue further, but something to take into mind. He'd certainly have some trouble with management if that's the case.

Jin nonetheless smiled, keeping a kind demeanor on the outside. "I'm glad you understand the need for secrecy, but I must agree with Iris that I am certainly curious of this upbringing. I've heard plenty of patriarchal societies working with a specific type of magic, but seeing a matriarchal society in such a way is...curious to say the least. Of course, it'd be hypocritical of me to simply dismiss your own privacy, so if you aren't comfortable sharing your own past, I won't be offended. Aside from your upbringing, I am also curious of what magic you use. You seem a bit on the older side to be just discovering magic, if you don't mind my saying. For example, I started learning my magic something like twelve years back, and I'm sure Iris here has a similar story, same with Leona-" A realization just stuck into his head. "Oh no, I forgot about Leona! Er, Miss Jarnefeldt. She's our guild mistress. If you wouldn't mind staying here with Iris for a moment, Chris, I'm going to go get Miss Jarnefeldt.

Promising to be back shortly with a quick wave that he realized seconds after doing it that Iris would not be able to see it, Jin rushed towards Leona's office to retrieve her to meet the new guild member.

It's already been twelve years, huh?

Strange to think I've been stuck with you for that long.

Jin lightly chuckled aloud. I could say the same about you.

Chris hesitated at the questions regarding his family. He was taught that whatever happened in the family stayed in the family, which is why he never told anyone about the incident with his grandfather. Why should I worry? I disowned my family. He had to. His grandfather was about ready to kill him when he said he was going to use magic and join a guild. He only managed to get away because of said magic. The rage he felt from his grandfather even from a distance.

Both were curious about his upbringing, and Chris was about to answer when Jin mentioned bringing the guild mistress for introductions. Wait, guild mistress? A thin sheen of sweat appeared on his brow, and he was glad that he was still wet from the storm to hide it. He cursed silently to himself as he tried to appear calm.

The ‘young’ man made an excuse to leave and fetch her, and Chris silently prayed the man wouldn’t leave him alone with Iris. It was too late to call him back though, and he found himself with the attractive blind mage. She was ‘looking’ around as if trying to find something, and he found himself curious.

Chris focused on a nearby chair to distract him. ”C-Can I help you f-find something?” He mentally kicked himself for his choice of words, and hoped that he didn’t take offense. It wasn’t that he considered her weak, as someone who had that kind of dream was definitely strong minded. But he was raised to help when needed, and it looked like she might need some help. In a way it was good that she couldn’t see him, as it made him feel a bit more relaxed without that cute face focusing on him. Not much, but a bit was better than nothing.

With Iris left with Chris, in favor of Jin going to get the guild mistress. Iris would speak to Chris while unable to look at him directly. As she was given the chair thanks to Chris, she sat dwn to speak to him more, "Well, it's nice to meet you Chris." She wasn't focusing on him, she wasn't focusing on anything at all, she had no vision to focus with. Sadly, she would have to live like this for the foreseeable future, funny how a lot of analogies come back to seeing things.

They say beauty is int he eye of the beholder, and, Chris had an opinion on her being cute, for Iris, she couldn't share that sentiment, she couldn't see if anyone or anything was attractive. But she didn't let that stop her from being happy. Thanks to her synesthesia, she could say that his voice was nice.

"You have a lovely voice. It's pointed, but, not sharp. More like a fine point of a single needle running over a record without music behind it. That gentle sound of a record crackling along. A few skips here and there like a bouncy leap of the needle skipping to the next line, but, that's a charm you have about it." WHat the hell was she talking about? Well, she perceived sounds as different feelings. Most people with synesthesia had only one particular type. Iris had multiple as part of the curse that plagued her oculars.

Jin knocked on the door to the Guild Mistress's office, ready to bring her in to meet the new recruit. "Miss Jarnefeldt? There's a new recruit here. Me and Iris have been getting a bit of intro to him, but I think it best for you to meet him."

Waiting for the guild mistress to follow, Jin made his way back to the main hall, where Christopher and Iris were still in conversation.

As expected, he seems a bit nervous being left with Iris alone.

That'll be sure to cause him problems with staying in Silver Wolf. Most of the guild is girls, if that's what's going on.

Finally reaching the doors where the two were, Jin smiled, putting on his best face. "Christopher, this is our Guild Mistress, Leona Jarnefeldt. She's one of the Ten Wizard Saints here in Fiore, so you'd do best not to get on her bad side, though if you manage to do that I'd admittedly be a bit impressed." Jin laughed at his own joke before slinking away, appearing to leave completely, but merely lying in wait observe how the new recruit would deal with Leona.

Chris watched nervously out of the corner of his eye as Iris moved forward and found the seat he had been staring at. When she sat down he quickly focused on the hallway Jin had disappeared down in order to try and calm his nerves. He had little success, but at least he was trying to remain calm.

When she spoke about his voice Chris actually focused on her. In that brief moment he forgot he was actually talking to a woman and managed to focus on the conversation. He had never had his voice compared to anything before, and it was interesting to hear what Iris had to say about it. Is she making fun of my stutter?

Looking at the blind woman Chris realized that she was being honest. She wasn’t saying it in a teasing or even a hurtful way. She genuinely liked hearing his voice, and compared his stutter to a record needle. A slight grin came to his lips as he considered the comparison. ”Thank you. That’s the first time anyone has described my voice like that.” And it was true. The most people complimented him on his voice was that it was pleasant sounding. ”Your voice is lovely as well.”

Footsteps snapped Chris out of his comfort zone, and he realized who it was that he was talking to. Immediately his face blushed at his comment to a virtual stranger, and his body reflexively tensed. It wasn’t quite as bad as before; more of a slightly stunned than paralyzed. Turning to the sound he noticed Jin returning with someone following.

As soon as he saw who it was Chris’s entire body became rigid as if he had turned to colored stone. His breathing turned into quick short breathes, and the sweat that was hidden by the melted snow became more apparent. When Jin turned to leave he silently prayed as hard as he could that the man would decide to stay; if only to find out how much of a fool Chris would make of himself. He imagined he looked akin to a deer in the fireball look. What is wrong with me?

Iris took a back seat to this, this was Seenter's introduction to the guild. SHe just folded her hands in her lap as she lightly swung her feet, barely scuffing the floor with a little hum as the Guild Mistress showed herself. Right after that, Seenter seemed to retreat like a turtle. Iris would greet Leona.

"Hello Guild Mistress! I wanted to say thank you for allowing me in to the guild again, and I wanted to apologize for something!" SHe would say while standing up, before taking a deep bow, "In my studies for curses and how to counter act them, I went in to the library, and, I converted many books in to braille through Writing Magic!"

That wasn't a problem, was it? Well, when you consider, "I cannot convert them back from braille in to proper words though as I do not know what standard writing letters look like! I simply use a lexicon formula for my writing conversion and get the pages to read how I can read them! If we have any other writing mages in the guild, please, allow me to work with them on repairing the books! Please don't fire me! I haven't even been here two weeks!" Normally, she seemed confident, or, without a care for her disability, but, when it caused problems, along with her innate clumsiness, Iris let her guard down, and showed how she truly was, a panicked worry wort.

The Bringer of Death had decided to take control of Jin's physical form for the time being, in part for reveling in the newbie's irritability. He was not allowed to simply kill at a whim, so he had to take what little pleasure he could in causing chaos for others, even if it were something as small and petty as exploiting a fear for comedic effect.

Still is really cruel to just abandon him like that.

Think of it like this: We're training him for situations where he might encounter something like this. He's not always going to have a familiar, friendly face to rely on and use as a crutch. Thus, we're just prepping him for a worst-case scenario.

You're tossing him straight into the fire! At least wean him in and let him get acclimated to Silver Wolf for a bit!

No. It's more fun this way. Plus, this guild is about research and information, correct? We're just following the guild purpose by gaining more information about someone and seeing how well they can handle being tossed right into an uncomfortable situation. We both have had to do that, Iris has been living with that kind of stuff forever, and...well I'm not certain on Leona, but I wouldn't doubt that she had some uncomfortable situation that she's been tossed into at some point. It's a learning experience.

The Paragon sighed. Fine. Whatever. But at the very least we could do something helpful. Let's just go and make sure that there's available quarters for him and make sure everything's nice and well-prepared.

As much as the Bringer of Death wanted to keep observing this, he thought it best to follow suit, just in case Leona had the idea of dragging him back into the fold without his consent.

Crap, this is so much worse. While talking with Iris Chris was able to somewhat relax a little after entering the guild hall. True Jin made the transition a little easier, but he was getting more relaxed around the blind woman. When the guild mistress came around the corner all that flew out the window. Not only was Leona Jarnefield beautiful, but she just radiated power. Even if he wasn’t afraid of women he had a strong feeling he’d still be stunned.

The guild mistress spoke with Iris first, which gave Chris a chance to try and calm his racing heart. It did not help, but if did give him a chance to catch his breath. Apparently Iris had used magic to convert the books she was studying to a form that allowed her to read them. That was impressive magic, and he was curious how it worked. The blind woman was worried that she’d be fired over it, and the guild mistress was understanding. A sigh of relief escaped his lips, as he liked Iris.

However when Leona turned her attention to Chris the young mage immediately stiffened. He tried to speak, but it felt like the words caught in his throat and he almost coughed. Instead he cleared his throat and tried again. ”G-good e-evening g-guild m-m-mistress. M-My n-name is C-Chris S-Seenter.” Very slowly and very carefully he tried to force his hand out in an effort to shake, but only managed to make it twitch. What is wrong with me? I feel like an idiot standing around like a statue. Move damn it! Despite his mental cursing his body refused.

Iris saluted, glad that her guild mistress wasn't mad at her. Braille often didn't hard translate to the letters that compromised it one to one. In order to translate it back, Iris would have to recall the words she translated, because she didn't make more paper for the books.

Seenter was still nervous, that needle voice skipping along the record of his vocal chords. There wasn't much for her to do here other than sit and wait for Seenter to be fully accepted in to the guild. "Tell me guild Mistress, how is it you keep the place looking so clean?"

Iris said, out of nowhere, trying to break the ice a little more to help ease Seenter in to things.