A Gathering Of Wolves

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, Banquet Hall-

Wearing her green-and-gold outfit and Argent Gloves, Leona stood in the banquet hall of the guild overseeing the preparation for the guild's first Guild Social that would be held under her leadership. Since the guild had grown and prospered over the months since she had been selected as Guild Mistress, Leona decided to share the good fortune with the rest of the guild. She also wanted to reward the numerous members of Silver Wolf who had made the success possible with their hard work and tireless dedication to the guild.

Leona was not sure what exactly to do for a social setting, so she settled on a banquet. Perhaps she could have thought the matter through or consulted someone, but she wanted to try her hand at party planning. Today would determine whether she made the grade or would have to hire a professional party planner for the next guild gathering. Leona stood in the entrance and surveyed the banquet hall, which had been suitably decorated for the occasion.

The walls of the banquet hall were decorated with black tapestries emblazoned with the Silver Wolf emblem and two rectangular wooden tables that could seat ten members were set with immaculate white tablecloths that had silver borders. The plates were fine porcelain and a bundle of silverware was placed beside each plate. The drinking glasses were of a finer make than what was normally used in the banquet hall... they were not quite crystal, but they were a very good glass that was not used every day.

The central table in the middle of the hall was as large as the ones that guild members would sit at. It was also covered in a tablecloth, but it was lined with food sitting on covered silver platters that ranged from fish to venison to roast chicken. In the center of the table was a selection of salads for guild members who did not eat meat. Leona was doubtful that she had covered every last diet option, but there were plenty of options for the guild members.

On a rectangular table of similar size against the right wall was a selection of drinks that were both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. There were wines, beers, and ales for the drinkers and fruit punch, ginger ale, and other sodas for the non-drinkers. The alcoholic drinks were on the left and the non-alcoholic drinks were on the right. They were also clearly marked with large white cards that had silver borders and black text labeling which section was which. Leona had even thought ahead for once and had special Braille cards set up for the convenience of Song Talea and Iris DuPage.

Leona watched in silence as last-minute preparations were nearing completion. The last table was being set with plates and silverware and the last of the tapestries were being hung on the walls. An older male staff member wearing black-rimmed glasses walked up to Leona holding a clipboard with some paperwork attached to it. The papers

"Here's the invoice for the food and the drink for today's social, Guild Mistress." The man said to her while handing over the clipboard and a black ink pen. Leona took it into her right hand and read over the invoice. This party would cost in the hundreds of thousands of Jewels, but it would be worth every last Jewel. The members deserved some recompense for their work and dedication.

"Thank you." Leona said before signing off on the invoice and handing it back to the man. He nodded and made his way around the corner, disappearing from sight after he had ascended the stairs leading to the Guild Mistress' office. Leona turned around and was greeted with a young red-haired female staff member holding a stack of invitations that boasted the Silver Wolf emblem in silver on front of fine white cardstock.

"What would you like to do with these invitations, Guild Mistress? Should I put them on the doors, slip them under the doors, or hand them to each member?" The redhead asked. Leona took one and read it.

"Dear Silver Wolf member,

You are cordially invited to the Silver Wolf Banquet Hall for a Guild Social. There will be a wide selection of food and drinks for you to choose from. All you need to do is bring yourself to the social. We hope to see you there!" The invitation read in italicized black text.

"I'd like them to be handed to each guild member, please. Did you get Braille invitations for Song and Iris?" Leona inquired, handing back the invitation. The young woman took back the invitation and nodded.

"Yes, Guild Mistress. I'll go hand them out right away." She answered, disappearing around the corner and ascending the stairs. Leona turned around to find still another guild staff member standing in front of her; this one was a young man with brown hair and brown eyes holding an old and rather thick brown leather book marked with a black Silver Wolf emblem. The blonde was startled by his silent arrival and nearly jumped out of her skin. That was embarrassing for the Wizard Saint of Courage, but she would live.

"Sorry about that, Guild Mistress. We found this strange book the other day while sifting through the old books and wanted to bring it to your attention. You see, I think we found a map in it along with some directions, but we're not sure. We're still working on figuring out what we're reading." He apologized before launching into an explanation of what the book was.

"It's no problem. Keep up the good work." Leona said to the staff member.

"We will, Guild Mistress. We'll keep working on it and let you know if we find anything." He promised before yet another guild staff member, an older woman with gray hair and green eyes behind brown-rimmed glasses, walked up to Leona. She turned to face her and when she turned around the young man was gone without making a single noise. How strange.

"Everything's about ready, Guild Mistress. The guests should be arriving at any time now." The woman told Leona. The blonde ran her fingers through her hair as she examined the banquet hall. Everything was indeed ready, everything except for the Guild Mistress. She hoped that she had done well enough with the party preparations to make the Guild Social a good one.

Disheveled hair that she couldn't bother to style because she couldn't see it? Yep, that was the mop head of Iris DuPage, one of the newest members to the Silver Wolves, and one of the people invited to the banquet. SHe could have easily converted the writing on the letter in to braille with her magic, but, that was a wonderful gesture that she was given a letter in risen bumps for her to be able to read. SHe already felt welcome, but, this place felt like a place she could call home for now. At least, until whatever past she had came to get her. She sighed to herself in her room as she got dressed and ready.

On her person was a pair of high ended sandals, the bands of which went up half of the way to her knees, stopping on her calves. Hooked in and in place with slight heels to them. A black singlet on her body underneath the rest of her outfit. A hemmed skirt around her legs, open at the legs to allow dancing. A hanging down of fabric for the girl to have her modesty. A long shawl, strewn over her shoulder, and brought around her body in a coil and looped around one arm, ready to be flourished and flaunted. Sure, she didn't have to get all dressed up for this, but, it was a nice occasion. A choker necklace about her neck, with baubles and armlets along her fore arms and upper arms. Really, she looked like a dancer in an exotic country. Topped off with that double snake tiara in her hair, she headed down the stairs, trying to make her way without her cane. The smell of food, an array of colors to her nose, leading the way.

She couldn't pinpoint any smell exactly, because she perceived them as colors from her synesthesia, but, she could tell where it all was. "Hello? Is anyone out there? Am I early? Guild Mistress?" Iris was thrilled to be here, she was happy to have this family, moments like this, it made leaving her home and forgetting her past all worth while. Now she had to have someone help her find a seat, and hopefully not stumble her way down the stairs!

It was strange for the masked octopus dude to find the face of a startled staff member in Apocrypha. Poor redheaded lady must’ve used one of his books that were laid in random places around the guild, since Yuvon made it easy for everyone to attend to Apocrypha. Apocrypha wasn’t just a safe-ass extra vault where he could literally contribute with all of his experience, but it was also a neat catalysator between realms to travel about. This lady, in particular, had nothing like that in mind, though…

Yuvon apologized for her terrifying journey to his corner office where he lied resting in flaked, knee-long shorts and his golden mask. He had taken a nap after returning from the Silent Glaciers - imagine that, a golden tusk containing 5000 year old honey hidden there - and the redheaded staff member found herself concerned and rather oblivious to the whole ordeal with her sudden arrival here, but then she remembered what she came for. She apologized herself, rather unnecessary, and handed him the invitation. And oh boy, he felt like a child in Christmas. Banquet!

Obviously, he was going to dress up. No baggy pants or golden dragon heads on his shoulders. He was going to dress a little more… fine than that. He could admit that his general appearance was rather adventurous, but his whole life in Silver Wolf welded him into the professor of adventures as he saw himself. But now… he needed a fine suit. It was time to open the dusty closet near his office - it had been pulled to him from miles away by the tentacles in the ink sea - and look at his remains from Minstrel, his home country.

…

The mask would stay on, of course. But about everything else had to be exchanged.

And thus, he entered the room in the usual way with slimy tentacles that made sure not to leave a single drop of slime on him or anywhere else. Thank goodness for magic, am I right? Anyway, there he stood in a new light; his mask was the only familiar appearance, for now he donned a white suit fit for a princ- I mean, high-standing gentleman. The value this set of clothing had for him…

Suit (MASK IS STILL ON):

Looking around for a brief second, he proclaimed: “This is… absolutely gorgeous! I totally forgot how delightful a banquet can be! Where’s our Mistress- I need to give her a hug for this…!”

Nothing beats relaxing after a proper work-out like a banquet would. At least, to Kitalpha it did, because safe for the socializing, careless conversing or even dancing with music on the background, banquets held a certain value to the blonde. And that value was best measured in larger scales; refreshments of the most wealthiest kind, accompanied by drinks. After all, she was a refined woman with the simplest of tastes, happy with the smallest of things. Preferable food, as one might've already noticed. Therefore they didn't need to be expensive, nor foreign in nature at any cost, hell, she'd be exalted by it being even the smallest of home-made cookies; all she needed to know was the heart with which they were made, bought or otherwise acquired. And as long as nothing were to be spilled, she wouldn't mind at all. The latter was mostly a personal grudge to the gesture, but she'd try not to let it get to her. Not today.

After all, this was a kind gesture of none other than their very own guild master, Leona. If anything, she'd be on her best behavior solely to please the smaller blonde, as a form of respect, and a gesture of goodwill on from her own side as well. The warrioress was more than aware of the fact that she could be unruly at times, especially during proper occasions such as these. Be they a lack of communication with the public -something she was dearly working on improving in-, or common manners towards dealing with others. Her boundaries, so she had come to learn, were not those of others in the slightest, and her ways were sometimes a tad bit too crude to be called a ladies. She'd blame that one on the werewolves. To hunt beasts like that, one required to think and act like them… sadly enough, some of those 'acts' had stuck to the blonde like a fly to a flytrap. But she was improving, at least.

So for that very occasion, Kitalpha had taken to her room after having received the invitation to the banquet. Still needing some time to prepare, the blonde had even cut her daily training short so she had plenty of times to tidy herself, and to ponder upon what to wear for this festive event. A beaming hot shower had washed any incoming fatigue from her body, and as she trotted through her room drying her hair, her bed lead sprawled with all types of dresses and fancy outfits she could've found within the Treasury. Minus the, uh, let's call them less appropriate ones, there were still a good dozen outfits from which she had to liberty of choosing between. A menial task to some, but a dreaded one for the blonde. Old man Gil would've known which one suited her best, but alas, she couldn't quite conjure him into this world just yet… even though she was dying to ask him why exactly he had this many dresses stored in his Treasury. Had he expected a female successor and prepared accordingly? Lots of female suitors that needed gifting? Or did he perhaps have curious hobby? Well, not that she would judge him if he had, she bet he would've looked lovely in any of these. Especially that red one… although it was a tad bit too flashy for her tastes. With a flick of her wrist the dress disappeared back into the confinements of the Treasury. Maybe she should invest in an actual closet for once. Keep a few clothes tucked away in it like normal people would.

And so the process continued for a bit longer as she carefully scanned and contemplated, dismissing every dress that did not make the cut until only two more remained. One somewhat daring, a black dress with a very low cut back, baring her shoulders and sporting very high splits right above her hips that went all the way down. She swallowed softly. God, that one was just gorgeous… but perhaps a bit too daring for a casual event. After all, there would new members she'd be meeting for the first time there, and making that bold of a first impression wasn't the best of things to do. Might even scare the shy ones away, if luck was against her. So that only left one dress out. An off-gold strapless dress with a moderately cut back, and held together by a black belt above her waist. It seemingly consisted of two layers, with the lower layer being somewhat frilly in nature; the split on both legs was craftily filled with the darker fabric of the 'lower layer', but in fact they were just one and the same layer. She swapped her bracelets for smaller, more delicate ones and kept her signature golden necklace and earrings. Somehow she didn't feel like parting with those for the night. Her hair was neatly combed, and after trying a few different hairstyles decided to leave it loose. Her long, blonde locks fit this outfit in particular quite well.

Now she'd made the finishing touches, by slapping on a pair of black high heels, all that was left for Kitalpha was to move towards the banquet hall and actually attend. Mayhaps the easiest part of this night. She wondered who'd be attending. Would Yuvon be there? Secretly she hoped he would be, having come to like being in the man's presence. He was a curious one, he was, but that in fact was what interested her so much. It didn't take her long to reach the room where the banquet was being held, and noticed that aside from a handful of servants helping guide the event, only a few guild members had shown themselves. Leona of course was present, as one would expect of the host. Her choice of attire was one the blonde could very much appreciate. Much to her surprise she also noticed Yuvon to be present and heading towards Leona, in a rather new kind of outfit. Definitely not what she had been expecting to see him in, but it was a most-pleasant surprise. She'd go give him her compliments soon. A new face-- or rather, should she say scent, was that of the purple-haired girl a slight bit before her. She seemed to be carefully moving along, which made the blonde curious about her. Was she one of the new members she'd heard about? Her rather exotic dress was flamboyant, but Kitalpha liked the design… that tiara in particular. Oh, here it was again. That bubbling sensation of 'I'm probably gonna regret this later on but I need to'-urge. Go with it? Or fight it? Remember, dignit- well, that's a strange question. Is anyone out there? Weren't there quite a few people like literally right in front of her? And it was that moment the coin flipped in favor of the urge. She just went with it. With an almost natural smoothness Kitalpha moved towards the girl, linking her arm with hers and making a broad gesture at the room in front of her. As if she was presenting the decor to the purple-haired girl. "Why yes there is! Although only but a handful, because we're early, and thus vastly outnumbered by the delicacies present before us!"


Outfit

Leona the amateur party planner hoped that she had not gone overboard with the decorations or with the food and drink selection. She did not know what exactly her guild members liked and was afraid that she would overwhelm them with choices, thus wasting a lot of food and drink. On the other hand, setting out too little food and drink could backfire if more guild members that she had anticipated showed up. Not only would it make things between the guests awkward, it would also make Leona look stingy. The blonde decided to err on the side of offering too much choice so that everyone could partake of the banquet.

The Guild Mistress had hoped that everyone either got the invitations or had wandered towards the banquet hall of their own accord. Maybe she should not have sent out invitations but instead have personally invited each and every member herself. She felt that the invitations were a bit... pretentious, for lack of a better word. She need not have worried about people showing up because her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Iris' voice asking if she had arrived too soon.

"Hey Iris! You're not too early. In fact, you arrived just in time for the Guild Social!" Leona greeted Iris DuPage, one of Silver Wolf's newest members and one of its most determined. She had come here looking for employment but had taken up Leona's offer to become a mage instead. During the course of Howl With The Wolves Iris had proven that her blindness would not prevent her from finding her place in Silver Wolf... she had a good command of Solid Script Magic and used it to pull her weight both figuratively and literally.

Barely a minute had passed before a guild member who had been here longer than Leona showed up. Leona looked towards the man in a blue-and-white suit and a golden mask that belonged to only one person. The man was none other than Yuvon, who on this occasion had traded in his librarian robes for a nice suit. This was the first time that the Guild Mistress had seen him wearing a suit.

"Hey Yuvon! It's been awhile! Welcome to the Guild Social!" Leona greeted the librarian. The last time she had really interacted with Yuvon was when she, yuvon Mu-Myu, Song Talea, Adalinda Ortinbas of West Fiore Trading Company, and Garnet of Fairy Tail had traveled to Era to put a stop to Santa Claus' invasion of Earthland. During the fight against the not-so-jolly man an exploding present had somehow removed the librarian's robes, leaving him in an awkward state of undress until Leona loaned him her well-worn desert cloak.

Leona had barely greeted Yuvon when another member from the old days entered the hall. It was Kitalpha Aurence, the mage Leona had traveled to Mountain Village with to take care of a lion terrorizing the remote village. Leona had not seen the taller blonde in quite some time.

"Hey Kitalpha! It's been a long time since we last met!" Leona greeted the taller blonde with a hand raised in greeting. So far Iris DuPage, Yuvon Mu-Myu, and Kitalpha Aurence had arrived. The Guild Mistress crossed her fingers and hoped that more guild members would show up to make the social a success.

Chris was busy organizing what he had unpacked earlier when he heard the knock on his door. He was curious, as at home everyone would come and go as they pleased. I’ll have to remember….what was it called? Common curtosy? With a nod he walked over and opened the door.

On the other side was a young red-headed woman dressed in the livery of the Silver Wolf. She was holding what looked like an invitation in her hand. The guild has staff? That was all Chris could think before his mind seized on the fact there was a beautiful woman standing outside his door. He could feel his body stiffen and begin to sweat at the thought, and with effort he managed to speak. ”Y-Yes?”

The young staff member held out the invitation in a bit hesitant hands. Chris noticed she appeared slightly pale, as if she had witnessed something disturbing earlier tonight. ”I’m here to deliver this invitation to the party downstairs.” In forced robotic movements Chris reached out and accepted the invitation. ”T-Thank you.” The staff member gave a nod of her head before turning to hurry on. She glanced back worriedly before knocking on another guild member’s door.

Feeling foolish Chris entered his room and closed his door. Once it was closed he sagged against the wood and let out a long breath of relief. He looked down at the paper he held in his hand and began to read it. And then he read it again. Food, drink, and socialize. Sounds like something he needed to take his mind off of recent events. As long as there aren’t a lot of females I should be fine. Straightening he changed out of his travel worn clothes and put on something nicer. Not too extravagant, as he wasn’t too sure how fancy he should dress. But slightly better than average. Once he calmed himself a bit more he opened the door and headed where he hoped was the banquet hall.

Down a flight of stairs and two wrong turns later Chris found himself where a lot of food was laid out. The decorations were nice; not too extravagant but not subtle either. And the food. Several dishes and drinks were displayed on two large tables. A few people were there already, including the guild mistress Leona. The only other one he recognized was Iris, who appeared to be stumbling around trying to find a seat. There was a third woman, and a man in a squid like mask. He looks a little creepy.

Now Chris was conflicted. He knew it was proper etiquette to greet the guild mistress, but he was petrified of her. Iris he knew, but was still pretty stiff whenever he talked with her. The third woman would just make him freeze up, and he wasn’t sure how friendly the man was. After a moment he chose a table and seat off to the side and sat down looking at the grains in the wood. Hopefully Jin would show up and he could try to socialize that way. Great, I’m planning on using him as a security blanket. His face colored slightly at that thought.

The ground of the guild hall would rumble a bit as a dark shape approached the door frame and stopped for a moment before the figure ducked before entering revealing it to be the Hybrid Yuudai. Now he stood at his full 10 feet height and his nine tails twitched and moved in the air behind him as he sniffed the air he yawned after a moment revealing his gleaming fangs before he approached the guildmistress. As usual the Were Hybrid was garbed in a simple pair of Black Hakama pants which covered his digitigrade legs. As he got closer his shadow overtook the guildmistress before a smirk appeared on his muzzle."gotta say you have perfect timing Mistress I was just on my way here when I got the invite its been getting a bit tough to be here since the triplets are being fussy they either want Mommy or Daddy or Both” he explained as he bowed a bit.”excuse me Im gonna grab some alcohol and sit down its been a bit of a hike to get here from home” he said as he stepped aside and grabbed three bottles of alcohol.

Seeing another guild member looking at the table like it was something new and undiscovered the Hybrid smirked before he approached and sat down beside him, as he sat his weight would be strong enough to potentially send the man into the air for a second before he popped a cap on a bottle of ale with his claws.”Ya know there are better things to focus on then wood” he said as he took a few swigs of his bottle. Even covered in dark fur you could see rippling muscle under it showing that the hybrid was extremely strong and build like a tank. “this is a party ya shouldn’t be a wall flower” he added looking down at the boy beside him.

Iris was taken by the arm by someone, a friendly loop of arm around arm, she was taken aback by the sudden presence of another person. While the person was nice enough to gesture to everything, Iris just smiled and nodded, "Ah, yeah, I'm certain it does look nice. But, I can't exactly see any of it." She would point up to her eyes with her index and pinky finger of the hand that wasn't occupied in a bonding bind with her guild mate.

"You have a lovely round honey like voice by the way. It's like a warm caramel honey that's glazed over a ball." Was that an insult or a compliment? For someone with synesthesia, the way she said it with a gentle tone and a smile, it was certainly a compliment. Her guild mistress had a steely voice that sounded solid, and reassuringly metal, not artificial though. It was hard to describe. Gate keeping on this: only synesthesia people would get this.

More people arrived, a familiar and sheepish voice, like a needle skipping on a record that relaxed in to the filtered gravel points. That was Seenter. There were two more presences now, one had the voice of a gravel lined side walk, crackling to her ears in the gentlest kind of manner/.

"I'm Iris, Iris DuPage. It's nice to meet you Kitalphia was it? I'm looking forward to having plenty of time to get to know you all, and to get to know the guild as a whole." SHe would continue to walk down the stairs, looking to see if she could get closer to the food, so the smell wasn't just a slurry of blurred colors like someone had spattered the paint over the canvas and cherry picked the colors would with a brush like a plunger.

At the table, Iris would turn around, trying to see if she could pick up on anyone else in the hall, "Kitalphia? What brought you to Silver Wolf, if, you don't mind me prying in to it?"

Leona was calmly observing the social in progress and watching over Iris when she received the greetings of the much taller guild member named Yuudai, who explained his absence as him having been busy caring for triplets. Leona barely had time to raise a hand in greeting before he made a beeline to the table with alcoholic drinks on it. Did Yuudai have a family and children... or were they younger siblings entrusted to his care for whatever reason? Or were they a family member's children that he helped care for whenever he could?

It was none of Leona's business.

The family matters of her guild members was something that she did not ask about or interfere in... unless they threatened her guild members in any way. Once something threatened her guild members it instantly became the Wizard Saint's business. In this case there seemed to be no trouble other than Yuudai having to surmount the numerous challenges associated with caring for younger children. Leona had cared for children herself a little over two years ago in the Tri-Council City while babysitting a merchant of Berreb's two children shortly after her exile from Nebdoui.

Leona looked around the room and focused on Iris, who was busy conversing with Kitalpha. The Guild Mistress should have known better than to be worried about Iris, who had demonstrated the means and the will to care for herself. Still, Leona was worried about the purple-haired mage for reasons that were hard to put into words.

When Leona and Iris had first met, the latter had demonstrated a strong desire for a place to belong and was apprehensive about Leona finding fault in her and using the fault as an excuse to throw her out. Because of that Leona wanted to make sure that the mage felt welcome and wanted in Silver Wolf. Still, the blonde had to exercise caution and not come across as patronizing to the mage. A hands-off approach would be best for the time being.

The blonde walked over to the non-alcoholic drinks table and grabbed a metal ladle sitting in the clear punch bowl, then grabbed a nine-ounce glass just to the right of the punch bowl. She wanted some of the sweet-smelling fruit punch. She never developed a taste for alcohol and did not want to risk her lightweight drinking habits getting the better of her. She did not want to drink too much and risk saying or doing something stupid that would make her look bad in front of the guild. Non-alcoholic fruit punch was a safe drink for the Guild Mistress to partake of... the worst that could happen was a sugar rush from drinking too much.

When the purple-haired girl casually noted she couldn't quite see what Kitalpha was gesturing at, and at that also gestured at her own eyes devoid of color, a lump sunk into her stomach. "Shit." Although it wasn't quite shame overcoming the blonde, it was definitely a feeling of unease and perhaps embarrassment. To such a point that she was even unaware of the fact she'd just cursed out loud rather than mentally. "I'm so sorry, I hadn't seen- noticed that you were bli- uh, couldn't see." She stumbled over her words. Yes. Great. Good going with that. Definitely nothing to be embarrassed about. Kitalpha looked a bit troubled trying to find her verbal footing again, but the girl was quicker and complimented her voice in the most unique way someone had ever complimented her with. Perhaps also the first time someone had in fact complimented her voice, at that. But with it, the blonde flushed red as she stared at the girl, somewhat dumbfounded. "Ah, uh," she shortly cleared her through. T-thank you, it's uh… well, the first time someone's ever said something like that. So, thank you." she smiled at the young woman.

Leona called out to greet both her and the girl, and Kitalpha put up her free hand in greeting as well, trying to contain her otherwise explosive wave to a gentler one. "It's been since that mountain lion business in Mountain Village, hasn't it? Good to see you're doing well, Leona, and might I add, a very nice gathering you've hosted so far!" The blonde smiled brightly, making a small bow before focusing her attention back to Iris, who'd gone to introduce herself. Kitalpha once again smiled. "Right you are, Kitalpha Aurence, at your service, Iris~" she once again made a somewhat courteous bow, but made it so that she didn't need to let go of Iris' arm. "Aside from this happy meeting, I'm sure we'll have plenty of occasions in the future to get better-acquainted with one another. Silver Wolf is as much a home for anyone here as it is for you, so hopefully you'll feel at ease here." Together with Iris she moved along to the buffet table, following the girl as she lead her on. When Iris stopped, so did she, and replied in kind when she called her name. "Yes, Iris?" she replied, after which she was asked what had brought her to Silver Wolf.

Kitalpha smiled softly and silenced for a moment, trying to find her words without blurting out the wrong things. After a short moment of that silence, she started talking. "I guess that would've been back when Silver Wolf was only recently founded. You could say I came here voluntarily after meeting with Leila before this all, but in fact it felt more like something was calling me to come here. You see, I've never truly been a people's kinda person, so this was all new to me. But they were kind and patient enough to deal with someone as seclusive as me, so I kinda stuck around all this time. Although there was a period where I went into seclusion when Leila first disappeared… I'm not proud of that period, since I left the guild to its own devices to wander aimlessly. It kinda took me a few hard lessons to realise that being all alone wasn't really the answer I was looking for, so I returned with the intent to better that part of me. Admittingly I'm still learning, but there's progress in what I do, I guess?" she shuckled somewhat sheepishly. "But that's how I ended up here… what about you, Iris? What brought you to Silver Wolf?"

“MY MISTRESS!” Yuvon proclaimed in utter joy, almost attempting to make her drop her fruit punch in shock, but holding an accurate, precise, open hand ready to grab the falling glass should that be the case. His other arm was held around her in a brotherly manner as he went on: “I’m already enjoying this! It’s been a while since the guild was gathered like this… when was last time, I wonder? Ah, yes, at Leila’s return, the Guild’s Mother.” He was mostly just eager to write more names into the roster of Silver Wolf and, uh… ask questions and stuff. The voice rang like an ancient monk’s growling through that mask of his…

“And I still have to thank you for your cloak back when… you remember,” Yuvon proceeded to explain as an unpleasant memory flashed by his mind, “Since this is clothes-based, I was thinking about improving your own set. I’ve collected several runes that imprint tri-weave signatures as well as ballistic and environmental protection at ungodly levels, b-but of course, only if you wish so, my Mistress! Give me the word, and my Seekers will have the runes ready.” As commercial as that sounded, Yuvon only intended to help his Guild Mistress in any way he could, and he realized that he was best at enchanting stuff and improving the effects and perks of items. Why not enchant the Guild Mistress’ armors and weapons? Iceberg, in particular, had some of the strongest runes and enchantments in Earthland - and guess who got himself a handful of spells from them?!

He picked up a cup of fruit punch himself and did the unthinkable; without moving, a leech-like tentacle escaped his mask and sucked up the punch. What was that? You thought he would take off his mask at an occasion like this? Hell no! By the glorious Musketeers, no, no! His mask stayed on.

He then heard the arrival of Kita and a girl with hair that shone nuances of purple and lavender. Iris DuPage… a wide smile grew behind the mask as Yuvon recognized the wording of that name. She was going to be a relative one, indeed.

“We’re all wolves in this guild, milady,” Yuvon commented as he suddenly appeared behind Kita, gently resting his hands on her shoulders, “And wolves live in packs, naturally. I’m glad that you came back… I-I mean, obviously, we all are. Especially Leona, our Mistress. Seeing a guildmate’s grand return is a sight to behold.” Yuvon loved his mask, for while he talked, he could look down and take a very good look at Kita for some reason that the reader can figure out themselves. Although, he still had to unveil the last curtains of unfamiliarity between him and lady DuPage, for he had never seen or spoken to her before.

“I, too, would like to know, if it doesn’t bother you too much. Not to put you on the spot or anything…”

Chris looked up to see a man had sat down next to him. Letting out a silent sigh of relief he straightened his back and addressed the newcomer. ”Not trying to be a wallflower. It’s just not easy to socialize when you’re the ‘new kid’ on the block.” He smiled. ”At least for some.”

Glancing around Chris noted if anyone else had joined the party. So far the one next to him was the only other guild member that had shown up. Others who bustled about appeared to have the same livery as the one who delivered the invitation. He still had to make small talk with the guild mistress, and the mentally shivered at the thought of being paralyzed again.

So to forestall that embarrassing debacle Chris turned his attention to the man. And almost fell out of his chair in surprise. Very few were taller than him in his hometown, but this guy towered over them all. He guessed the dark furred….Wait, fur? was close to 10 feet tall, which was 4 feet taller than Chris. The man’s muscles looked like they were stronger than stone, and he had both a chiseled and animalistic form to him. He had never seen someone so….tough, and his family’s men were always boasting about them being too strong to need magic. Well except Chris.

Getting over his startlement Chris extended his hand to the newcomer. ”I’m Chris Seenter. I’m new to the guild and hope I turn into a good addition.” He glanced at the other people in attendance before turning his attention back to the man. ”It seems that this guild has a lot of …. variety.”

After drinking three consecutive cups of red fruit punch, Leona had definitely bitten off more than she could chew. Right now the Wizard Saint was more than a little wired. She felt the sugar coursing through her body. She was so wired that she could probably run from here to Desierto without slowing down and make the return trip without breaking a sweat. The blonde caught herself reaching for the ladle to get herself a fourth cup of the drink and reluctantly set the ladle down.

Did she really need it right now?

Did she really need a fourth cup of the sugary drink that had already put her in a sugar rush?

It was quite tasty. Leona had never had fruit punch like this before. The key to its appealing taste had to be the unknown quantity of sugar that was used in its creation. Maybe once the social was over she would ask for the recipe. In the meantime, she really had to leave the punch alone before she ended up drinking it all and saying or doing something stupid in a sugar-induced moment of idiocy. Leona's fingertips grazed the ladle to pick it up for another serving of that sweet, sweet nectar when she made herself let it go for the sake of the guild and her own image.

Leona left the punch bowl behind and took a few steps towards Chris, who had sat next to Yuudai and was making small talk with the taller mage. Something told her that she really should not interrupt them. However, she wanted to talk to the new guy, who she had met only once before when he first joined the guild. She wanted to make sure that he felt welcome in both the guild and the guild social.

Leona would interrupt them despite her better judgment.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, Yuudai. I won't take too long because I've got to talk to the other guests." Leona apologized to Yuudai for butting into their hitherto private conversation. She then turned to Chris, the new guy who was nervous around beautiful women. To avoid embarrassing him too much she would keep the conversation short and sweet.

"Hey Chris! How are you liking Silver Wolf so far?" Leona asked the new guy.

Song had accepted the invitation, though it was a bit confusing that it had been in braille. The girl could make writing or art out so long as its something written with indentations, different material, or other things. She had never actually gone to anything that could have been considered a party. Celebrations at the orphanage, when they did happen, it required a lot of effort. They only really started to involve more food when her brother had started working, meaning most of the time there celebrations hadn't involved that. Food had been tough to come by when there were so many mouths, most not being old enough to work. This was why the girl tried to look nice, but her short hair was as wild as ever. She thought on what to wear, but couldn't think of anything to make that would be any more or less special than her military style shirt. Still, thick and practical didn't really sound.. party fun? In the end, it was what she wore. The young Talea wasn't really happy with herself, nor the results. She knew how to have fun, right? But are you doing it right when you aren't even dressed for fun? The young girl crept in to the guildhall where the festivities were, dressed and looking the same as ever. Pale yellow eyes looked towards the foods, despite that she was actually 'looking' at things with her other senses.

It didn't tell her things like textures or every visual detail, but it was more than clear where everything and everyone was. Despite having had access to food regularly since leaving her old home, the girl still hadn't learned, nor cared to learn, the names and differences between different edible things. To her? All edible food was good food. Savory, sweet, and spicy were never terms she paid much heed nor mind to. This was why when going towards the tables... she ignored all labels, despite knowing fully well how to read them. Though it would be bad to eat before saying hi, right? "Sorry I forgot to say hi! Food gets me really excited. I donno how to dress for a party, so I wore my my normal stuffy uniform style stuff. There's a lot of people here... and food, so much food. All of it smells really amazing too." Of course this was where she served herself a piece of flan... then proceeded to scoop herself a serving of spicy savory curry. This wouldn't be bad if she had a separate bowl or plate for that, but at the moment it seemed she was intent on putting one on the other.

A new voice from the side lines, a voice of someone that sounded like they spoke with a viscous mass before their mouth. Cold, heavy, it felt like it carried the weight of much strength behind it. At least to Iris. There was another voice, like little bits of cotton from a dandelion resting barely able to be felt upon the palm of one's hand, already going at the festivities and foodstuffs. Turning her gaze briefly at the masked man, and the girl known as Song, she would quickly turn back to the person who was just speaking to her, and the guild Mistress. Kitalphia was apologizing left and right, and introducing herself to Iris. Iris would, after being greeted properly by Kit, just smile as she looked for a chair to sit down in. "Oh it's fine. I usually have my back to people. It's kind of funny isn't it? People treat me normal when they approach me from behind, so, I've just taken to being greeted from behind by new people. Almost like it's been written by some powers beyond our comprehension, like it was scripted to be."

"That way, they don't focus on this." SHe said while pointing to her eyes. "It's a wonderful thing to make your acquaintanceship Kitalphia. I'd love to work with you some time. You seem very vivacious!" SHe said while beaming a happy look on her face.

She was happy that everyone welcomed her. SHe was cautious, worried, concerned that she wouldn't be truly welcome,t hat she would be viewed as different, or be kicked out if she didn't pull her weight through sickness and health. But thankfully, everyone seemed kind enough to make her feel wanted.

"Well, that's a wonderful story. I don't know who Leila is, but, I'm happy to know you found your way back. As for me, where I'm from I am not wanted by anyone that looks to hire anyone. I cannot handle higher end jobs, and I have a clumsy streak to top off my blindness when it comes to things like cafeterias, restaurants, simple things like that. I've never held a job for more than two weeks because of that, and, haven't been getting much money."

"I want to be able to afford to find something to cure this curse I have, but, it's hard to earn money when No one will take me for more than face value. When I heard about guilds, and this one in particular, I spent every thing I had to come here. And here I am, hoping to not be thrown out of one more place, and given the chance to find a cure for it myself." SHe said, unaware she was tearing up a little even through she smiled through it all.

Yuudai just glanced at the smaller and younger male before he finished his first beer in two swigs before he tossed the bottle away and started on the next one. With his tolerance these were basically bottled water to him.”theres a quick way to get over that you just suck it up and go say hi” he said blutly before he suddenly grinned revealing gleaming fangs.” Or I could pick you up by your scruff and make you say hi to everyone” he said his grin mischievous and his tone held the same fox like slyness to it as well. when the youth turned and looked at him the Hybrid laughed at the reaction he got for his size and appearance before the younger male introduced himself as Chris and a newcomer in the guild before mentioning that it seemed like there was plenty of variety in the guild from what he had seen.

“” he commented before he finished his second beer before sighing and chucking the empty bottle behind him again.”Ever heard of the West Fiore Trading company? My wifes a vice president there though you should see the two CEOs ones a little kid who only comes up to my knee but the other one is white as snow but both have insane strength levels enough that it makes most look like a joke” he added knowing that he had the occasional spar with Sol Detholusin and every time the Deathless had put him into the dirt solidly with almost no effort. As Leona spoke Yuudai shrugged.”its fine Mistress though I gotta say though so far the alcohols pretty weak I almost think your afraid im gonna get sloshed and cause a drunkin brawl. Hey that actually sounds like a fun idea” he joked as he got up and got 5 more bottles of beer before he sat back down while they were talking.

Opening his mouth to reply to the large man Chris felt a chill run down the back of his spine as he heard a familiar sound coming up behind them. It took him a moment to realize it was the same sound of someone who had authority in their step, and he guessed who it was before she even spoke. And even though he knew without looking he still choked as he tried to get a response to her question. Coughing to cover it up he croaked ”I’m e-enjoying it.”

The large man laughed and mentioned getting more beer. As he stood up Chris prayed desperately that he wouldn’t go, or at least hurry back before he completely froze up in the presence of the guild mistress. Taking a deep breath he focused intently on the pattern of the wood on the table; doing his best to clear everything out of his mind.

It took effort to push all of the distractions away, but once Chris was confident he was ignoring the fact that there was a beautiful woman of power behind him he spoke. His voice came out in a monotone, but it was better than intense stuttering. ”I’m doing well guild mistress. The party appears to be doing well.” By that time the large man had returned and Chris couldn’t keep his focus as the man sat down. He could feel the telltale signs of his body beginning to freeze up despite his best efforts to relax.

Leona made eye contact and listened to Yuudai speak about his wife and two of the West Fiore Trading Company's CEOs. She listened intently to his description of the two people; one of them was "a little kid" who only came up to Yuudai's knee and the other was "as white as snow." The blonde put two and two together and deduced that the tall fellow was talking about Ruvel and Sol.

"I believe I know who you're talking about, Yuudai. The short person is Ruvel and the pale guy is Sol. I've met both of them before at West Fiore Trading Company functions... they're powerful mages and interesting people to know. I'm afraid I don't know who your wife is, though." Leona said to the taller mage. She had worked with Ruvel for a couple of festivals alongside Samira Nassar, the Sabertooth mage and the Goddess of Humility. She had met Sol on his personal estate, sparred with him using first sword and then hand-to-hand combat, and even drank plum wine with him in his personal hot spring. Aside from Aven Alveron of Fairy Tail, Sol was one of a few mages who had ever given the blonde a hard time in combat. Sol only went easy on her because their guilds were allies and he had an interest in her... if he wanted her dead he could have easily made it happen with his power and skill.

She heard Yuudai comment about the strength of the alcohol being weak because she was afraid that he might start a drunken brawl with some of the other members.

"I didn't know the individual preferences of each guild member, so I guessed the best I could and purchased several different types to try and satisfy everyone." Leona explained to Yuudai, who had voiced a preference for stronger brews. Leona did not want an incident that would bring the Rune Knights to her door and leave her struggling for an explanation. She hoped Yuudai was joking about the whole bar brawl thing.

Turning from Yuudai to Chris, Leona engaged him in conversation next because she did not want him to feel left out. He was one of the newer members and might need someone to help him get into a festive mood. However, she remembered the conversation between him, her, and Iris and remembered that going slow with Chris was the key to success. An icebreaker question was in order, so she picked something simple for him to answer.

"I'm glad you like the social so far. Is there any food or drink on the tables that you like?" Leona asked Chris something simple to try and get a conversation going.

Haley was one of the harder ones to give the invitation to. Oh the poor redhead, having to find the more elusive guild member that was one of the oldest members. Somehow however, the invitation reached her. Who would have guessed that Haley was in the forest, feeding crows nearby, and all of them who were not munching on feed were staring with big beady eyes that shine like the backs of beetles. Haley read through the invitation, gave the red head a wave goodbye, and realized, the party started hours ago. So, with the swiftness of a lazy person who just fed birds, she heads to the destination.

Haley was not the one for the most formal attire. After all, formal attire meant she had to look rich, and being rich was never much of a motivation yet alone a point of view. However, she was glad she could come to this social in her usual attire, albeit modified. Instead of the sweater, she wore a jacket over a plain shirt with a raven on it. Her three raven feathers and bandanna remained on her head still. Surveying the area, she did not expect much of a greeting, but instead made a beeline towards the food. How can you not indulge in of it? Haley was no glutton, but she would stuff herself. After grabbing a considerable amount of food, she walks around, munching on her goodies and probably come into eye contact with another guild member she recognizes best.

Inkormine had been easy to find solely because he'd been coming back from a long job at the River villages, not initially much of a job but, the town leader had been kind enough to fill out a job form during the event as official recognition of the spider-man's help. Between that and the nice springs visit this was easily one of the best jobs Inky had 'taken', and a nice vibe to return too. Of course, being confronted by a dark-silver haired young man as he was shaking off the snow from his abdomen was a bit of a surprise. He had been here for a while, but most of the Silver Wolf members that weren't their mainline mages tended not to volunteer themselves to interact with him much. Oh they were polite and pleasant to speak too, not at all bad people, just... well, nobody ever came to him and asked him casual questions. Maybe for a second opinion on a bit of stellar motion, a question on dance theory, but he'd never even been invited to sit with someone while eating or the like.

So it's a surprise when he's brushing off his waist-cloak and he turns to make sure he doesn't get snow on the nice rug (People say its there for that but there is a fine pile of snow right outside the door and it's only a little bone-chillingly cold breeze) and sees someone standing right next to him, apperantly crept up on him, leaving Inky to a bit of a start, some snow spilling onto the rug and a couple of his legs. "Ah! O-oh, hello! I didn't notice you coming - Oh now it's everywhere - Ah, sorry, I'm Inkormine!" Inky says, a little flustered and all over as he's brushing the snow off his legs and trying to greet the person and might be trying to push the snow off the throw rug with a couple other legs, a couple of 'clacks' sounding as he steps a bit more to turn more towards the obsidian-black haired person, who seems a little nervous as the large spider turns towards him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you, Inkormine!" The guy says hastily as Inky jumps and starts rambling for a moment, looking down at the snow powder on the rug and the spiders legs then hastily back up as Inky actually introduces himself, leading to a moments awkward pause. "A-ah, i'm Ve'Karn. Actually I know your name, I've seen you around the guild sometimes."

Inky looks a little closer at the person, trying to place why they seem slightly familiar. They weren't one of the one's he regularly spoke too, but they seemed too familiar to be just someone he'd seen in passing... Oh well, it'd come to him later! "Nice to meet you, Ve'Karn..." Okay yes, he'd said that right, he thought. "I tend to make an impression it seems." Inky says with a small, kind of forced chuckle. It was true, everyone knew him here, odd even in a guild with many unusual sorts. Kind of wished he could see someone here who didn't already know him at least by reputation. Closest he'd gotten was during the big spring clean with Rinni only knowing him as unusual spider person without the name. "Did you need help with something?" Inky asked, trying to be polite as he took off the now snow free waist-cloak and got the last of the snow from his legs. The man seemed a little nervous as he responded to Inky's query. "Well, you just got back and im sure you must be hungry after the trip, so I wanted to invite you to the Gui-"

"Inkormine?" Came a voice, interrupting Ve'Karn mid-sentence, causing his mouth to shut wwith an almost audible click of teeth as the neatly coiffed red-haired woman who tended to be one of the guild leader's assistants came walking up. "Yes, that's me?" Inky responded, a little surprised. Normally if multiple people needed him for something, just one came over? The woman offered him a small folded piece of paper, some kind of thick, almost parchment but more firm? He remembered something about 'cards' in Magnolia that felt like this. "An invitation for you." The woman said, turning to go as Inky opened it up, noting that the man seemed a little put out as he opened the card to glance inside. Guild Social, in the banquet hall? Wait, they have a banquet hall? Oh right, that was one of the big rooms they used for research sometimes when a bunch of people were working on a topic together. He looked up at the guy after his quick glance as he closed the card. Apparently there's some kind of big guild meal going on." He said, gesturing with the card vaguely. "What was it you were about to say?" He asked, then frowned at the kind of downcast expression on Ve'Karn's face. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked, stepping silently forward a step towards the man, who hastily fixed his expression. "Oh nothing that you don't know now, I was going to let you know about the Social Mistress Jarnefeldt had arranged, and... ah, I can show you there if you want..?" The man asked, gesturing towards the stairs, seeming to cheer up a bit as Inky smiles. "I'd appreciate that. But-"  Inky looks down at the cloak in his hands. "I seem to be a bit underdressed for any event other then a snowstorm, and I couldn't inconvenience you for the time it would take me to change, if your busy?" Inky asked. A place like this took a lot to run, he didn't know if the guy had the time available? The guy seemed to waver for a moment. "I don't want to keep you from-" He started before the guy cut him off a little. "Oh don't worry about it, I can afford a little time away! Thank you for the concern though..." And there was that slightly downtrodden expression again, had Inky done something wrong?

With that niggling at his brain, Inky went to his room (A whole room just for him!) and went in while Ve'Karn excused himself and said he'd be back shortly to show Inkormine to the hall. Inky put up his clothing from traveling, a quick brushdown and a bit of magic to get the road dust off, then he was able to dress quickly for this little event. It helped when your only real trouble was deciding on which of two tops and whether this warranted the leg bangles to get your whole outfit done. This seemed like the kind of thing to dress up a bit more for, so bangles it is, the slim copper fitting neatly over his front leg pair's uppermost bend, the small amber gem and quartz beaded bracelets folding over his wrists easily, the mid-sized amber chunk on leather cord going over his head, before going to the only accessories he'd kept from assorted nobles that didn't want to pay for his services in simple Jewels, a chain link band of silver metal of exquisite thinness that went through his hair, helping support it as he tied it into a neat ponytail with two thick sections of hair going forward over his shoulder, hanging down as the rest of the chain went over each ear nestling against his head with the faintest glimpse of silver leading down to the dangling small diamond gemstones, one hanging from each ear, almost glowing with an inner radiance that resonated with Inky's core of magic, gems not native to this world itself. And then the vest of dark blue, glimmering in places with a lighter purples and greens as the tiny flecks of amethyst and malachite polished and woven into the threads caught the light to add the tiniest amount of glimmer to the dark background of the vest itself, almost like a sky of unusual colors. He'd been told the vest was meant to be worn alone without any underpiece, and he didn't have anything that would fit that anyway, but still, it felt a little odd sometimes if he thought about it too much, kinda showy.

Inky stepped out to see Ve'Karn coming back, having added a nice vest and jacket to his ensemble, looking much more elegant as he escorted the spider to the banquet hall, maybe sticking a little closer then strictly necessary, and staying by his side a little longer then might be normal for just someone showing a guest into a party hall, before slipping off as Inkormine approached the food table with a growl from his stomach that made him apologize to the people immediately around him that turned to look. As he approached the food table, a distinct red caught his eye and there was Song, a sweet gelatin treat in one hand, and a spoonful of what he could smell from here was some pretty strong curry, the two approaching with an intent that came perilously close to a culinary war crime. Inky stepped forward with a plate he retrieved, making sure his leg made noise on the floor as he stopped next to her. She knew he was there by then, but it's polite, and he wanted her attention anyway. "Song, I wouldn't mix those two if I were you. It would be unusual. They will taste far better seperate, maybe with that spoon of curry with some of that jasmine rice next to it?"

Song paused her motions before putting the serving spoon back, not a bit of curry spilling onto the sweet and jiggly flan in the process. The young girl looked up at her sibling with confusion in her expression. Why physically look at someone when you can't see them? Who knows, but it was a habit the youth always had and tended to keep. But that wasn't what was confusing her though. "Not all foods go together?" It was a strange thought, but she trusted him. It was still weird to think about though. In any case she grabbed a bowl before proceeding to put a pile of rice on it, then some home fries, the type of potatoes chopped into chunks and fried. If rice went well with the sauce, than potatoes would too, right? It was after that she spooned a large portion of spicy curry sauce on top of the rice and potatoes.

Was this right? What would go with the flan? But then again rice had a mild taste, the sauce had an intense taste. Maybe it wasn't that simple? Why was it complicated? Maybe because she never had to think of it before now. "What goes well with jiggle sweet things? More sweet things? Oh! Big brother!" In a little amount of time it seemed she had gone from one topic to the next. She couldn't see the finery her sibling had on, though that wasn't what she was going to poke about. Her spider legs wiggled with excitement over the thought of her brother meeting someone new through her. Well, she was mostly sure they hadn't met before. "Meet Yuudai! He's tall tall, very tall! Like you're tall, only a little more, and with only two legs. Yuudai! I don' wanna move from this spot til i have my food figured out but meet my big brother! He's almost as tall as you and he has his colors cus hes older and he's my big brother! Oh oh oh! Inky, I did a job with him. We were supposed to pick pumpkins but got to kill things first."

The girl wanted to master her food first! Since apparently just dumping it all there wasn't always the answer. Why wasn't it always the answer? It would be so much easier that way.