Back to Pandora Part 3

Job Info:

Old plot arc that I am just now getting back to cause I'm lazy. In a time long long ago.... but not too long ago...

The fight to obtain the stolen relic had come to an end at some point. Supposedly. Samira would be the last to know of it. In her reality it was still ongoing. The memories of it flickered in and out, even repeating itself in her subconscious levels of mind. The dream, or rather perhaps a mild nightmare most would call it, had taken over and dominated everything else. Not even that of her spirits were felt or heard. A strange circumstance. With their presence in her mind Samira never dreamed or experienced nightmares. It would have taken a very powerful magic to make that happen. But, somehow, Samira had the intuition that was telling her it was a natural dream. Not one of magical properties.

Fire spread and raged around her, the result of the Aspect of Ra spell going awry and her losing control of it during the fight. It had been burning the building and its outer surroundings in the dream just as it had already occurred in reality. The actions of her spirits replayed in the cycle. The winged serpent going mad, others arguing amongst each other, the one of light trying her best to reclaim and protect the relic from the thief that sought to have it for some unknown reason. The memories of him too played. Samira's actual fight with him. It had become necessary. He had made it so. Through that entire night from when he appeared to when they actually came to blows he had been testing. Teasing. Provoking. Until he had decided to go all the way and make it so there was no other choice to be made except for her to fight him. To reclaim the relic entirely. To reclaim the souls he had taken earlier from those that stood in his way. To ensure he didn't do the same to others before the night was over. Over and over the memory cycle played until it no longer did.

Her mind regained full consciousness and progressed back to reality. A ceiling was what Samira saw when she opened her weary eyes. An unfamiliar one at that. Though, that was a an upgrade over waking up to being surrounded by flames while lying in the dirt. She must have been moved after the fact.

There was a low humming coming from somewhere else in the room. A low cheerful tune of a song that was not recognized by the Wizard Saint. Samira blinked her eyes to clear them of the blurry vision she had upon waking, and then, slowly, tilted her head a bit so she could look at the rest of the room to better figure out where she was, and more importantly, who else was there. From what she could see from that angle was nothing too out of the ordinary. The humming came from an older woman, a bit overweight in frame and wearing an old fashioned maid outfit to symbolize her trade. The long dress of humble design, of course. Not the silly and frilly short skirts of some of the more modern designs. A simple bonnet also covered the woman's head, but still some of the partially golden curls could be seen flowing out of its white boundaries.

The woman that Samira did not recognize was busying herself by folding some laundry. Sheets it seemed like until she walked over towards a closet to put them away. The sound of a door opening interrupted the mostly silent room and a voice, also not recognizable, spoke while walking into the room. "The wash is done." It sounded like the source of the voice was much younger than the other and it was confirmed once she walked into view. "Goodness do you know how hard it was to get all of the stains out?"

"A few days, I imagine. That is when I gave you those clothes to clean. I had a thought that you lost them. Bring them here, dear."

The younger girl, a teenager in the middle years, brought a large basket over that was piled high with clean laundry. She too wore a simple and traditional maid outfit and had similar blonde hair, though obviously stronger in color, as the other. "That took too long I say! I had to specially order a bottle of Mystic's Heavenly Clean."

The older woman stared wide eyed at the girl for a moment. "Mystic's Heavenly Clean?" She waved that thought and surprise away. "Rubbish! Stop with your exaggerations, silly girl." A shake of her head was given as she motioned for the girl to set the basket down on the table beside her.

"But it's true!" The girl stated while placing the basket down. From there the two began carefully pulling things out and neatly folding them. "The master was the one that suggested it. He told me all I had to say was that it would be used to clean the clothes of one of those fancy title mages. When I did the old goat almost lost his eyes! Almost popped out of his head, they did. He must think that a good review from one of them would make the product even more desirable."

"And a good opportunity to up the price too I bet! Greedy old goat indeed! Don't know what all the fuss is about. It isn't even that good! Can't get the stains out of my husband's clothes that's for certain. Magically created products are a waste and no good around here."

"Do you think I could learn magic? Be one of those fancy mages you see in magazines even? Go on adventures. See sights. Learn new spells that would make others respect you when you make an entrance."

"If it's magic you be wanting to learn then you should look into the art of washing clothes without the use of magically created bleach. Doing things the normal way in a world full of spell twirling mages. Hmph. Now that's magic." The older woman pulled out a shirt. Long sleeve in design and colored both black and white. A very familiar shirt indeed. Samira commonly wore one just like it. She held it in the air and spread it out. "Oh, dear. I thought you said you fixed it all?"

"I said I got all the dirt and blood from it. I never said I fixed the burns. It's singed in a lot of places!"

"It'd be a perfect time for you to work some magic with the sewing machine then. You'll be the top of the maid's magic society in no time."

"Oh, stop poking fun. A young girl can dream every now and then."

"Never mind that. No niece of mine is going to start that kind of career. Best put those dreams of yours to better use. Besides, you're either born with those abilities or you're not. There hasn't been a single wizard in our family for generations!" The old woman shook her head as she stared at the shirt. "Well can't give this back without fixing it proper. If that's possible with that sort of condition to work with."

(Word Count: 1190)

The two continued taking out and folding clothes. A pair of black shorts, black tights, undergarments that were more familiar than they should have been... Now a few questions were crossing Samira's mind. One being who was shopping and buying the exact same things as her? Different clothes were also pulled out but were put away in the dresser drawers nearby. A few moments later, glistening golden accessories were also pulled from the basket and set on the table on top of the familiar folded outfit. Last were a pair of knee high boots that contained a heel size that no person should have worn nearly every day.

"How do you think she wears these?" The younger blonde inquired as she held the boots up and stared at them curiously. It was probably a question that had been in her mind ever since she first saw them. And a question that continued to sear her mind as she took the time to clean and polish them. Now she could finally ask the question aloud. "Surely a mage wouldn't be able to move around in them very well to do the things they do."

"Will you stop gawking at things that aren't yours and-" the older blonde stopped mid-sentence, now getting a good look at the boots since the shirt was no longer blocking her view. "Oh. Well." She was stumped. Wearing that sort of footwear? Preposterous! What a weird style for anyone that wanted to get anywhere. "I guess you can wear anything on your feet if all you do is stand there and let the magic do all the work. Now put that away with the rest."

As the ladies had their little conversation it was apparent that they hadn't taken notice that Samira was awake and listening to them. And watching them. And now realizing that the clothes didn't belong to someone that just so happened to have the same wardrobe as her. Those were HER clothes. But if they were over there, then what was she left wearing?

Samira quickly sat up, the question in her mind giving her the energy and rush to accomplish it at such a speed that the two ladies shouted and jumped in alarm from the swift unexpected movement. Not that Samira noticed. Her gaze had gone downward towards her chest to see that she was wearing a familiar set of pajamas that had been worn a total of one time in the past. It was a pink long sleeved and pant set that had images of cartoon kittens scattered all over it and fluffy white material stitched around the neckline and the ends of the sleeves and pants. The set was comfortable and the material soft but... It was not something that she would ever publicly announce that she wore or owned. The one time she wore the pajama set was at a sleepover and she didn't even want to wear it then. No, if she recalled correctly she stayed hidden in the bathroom until she was convinced to come out. Then that sleepover turned into wearing those pajamas while being transported to another dimension to fight angels in a battle arena. That night was weird. The pajamas were cursed. And now for the second time the set had found its way onto her body.

The only good thing about it was that only her spirits knew where to get them. They were involved and this wasn't an incident of someone strangely going through her closet and taking off with her clothes while leaving her with silly pajamas. She kept that set separate from her normal closet. Locked away in her celestial vault for no one to find or see them. Until now, she supposed. They should have been destroyed but eh, there was sentimental value even with a cursed outfit.

With that curiosity figured out and sated, Samira looked up to stare at the two maids. She blinked and admittedly the embarrassment was now starting to kick in and show. "Hello," she greeted, trying to act as if everything was as it should be and perfectly normal. It wasn't, of course. There were too many abnormal circumstances and unanswered questions for comfort.

(Word Count: 702
Total So Far: 1892)

The younger maid waved timidly at first. The exaggerated heart attack was starting to pass but not quite gone yet. "Hello..."

The older one snapped out of it completely and looked at the younger sternly as she swatted the shirt at her. "Don't just stand there, girl! Go let Master Easton know she's awake."

"Yes ma'am! Right away." The girl quickly moved towards the door and left the room. "And check in on Darcy! That girl's cooking nearly killed us all the last time I left her alone in the kitchen for too long!" The other called after her. Another "yes ma'am" could be heard as the door closed.

"Master Easton?" Samira repeated questioningly. Her ears and attention had perked up at the familiar name. Both he and Jacobs had called her to Era in the first place to discuss the relic before things took a turn and ended with a thief attempting to take it. Both had been forgotten between that chaos and waking up in an unfamiliar house, and so they were not close enough to the forefront of her mind until the older maid mentioned one of them. "This is his house then?"

"The family estate, yes." The maid answered while picking up the things that had fallen onto the floor from the shock. "It was left to him decades ago as part of his inheritance. Not that anyone would be shocked by that. Being the only child and all it was expected for him to inherit everything. Not that those distant relatives didn't try to claim some of the money and assets for themselves. But that's been history for years now."

"Oh. I see. I did not know he was born into this lifestyle." Or that he had it at all. It was never mentioned in the past. He most certainly never seemed the broke type, of course, but to say that she expected him to have come from a wealthy family, had an estate, and servants was a bit of a stretch of the imagination. "He is all right, correct?" Samira asked with concern. The last time she saw him she had told him to lock himself up in one of the offices to keep himself safe. After asking though it dawned on her about the extent of everything that went on. The fires and the building being heavily damaged wasn't the only thing that was a threat to others. The thief had taken more than just the relic. With a strange power at his disposal he had managed to take the souls of those that had been unfortunate enough to cross his path as well. Her concern and worries increased and Samira was now feeling nauseated from it. If she had passed out and let the thief get away then that would mean they were all doomed and she had failed. "Was anyone else harmed? What about the ones that were-"

"Good heaven's, child! One question at a time! Master Easton is fine. He stayed locked in that room until someone found him and told him to get out. Was probably sitting there reading a book in the dark and hardly noticed how bad things got until he was forced out. Damn fool he is at times. I told him to be wary of all that magic business when he was young. But do you think he listened to me? No! Of course not. And then I'm left hearing the complaints while serving afternoon tea. Hmph. As for the rest of the questions you can ask the master yourself."

Samira opened her mouth to reply but the woman thought that another wave of questions was coming and reacted quickly to prevent it. "Shush shush shush." Her hands placed themselves on her hips as she stared in annoyance at the mage. "The name is Nancy Bellows, Head maid of The Easton country estate. If you are looking for Nancy Bellows, the all knowing human book with all the answers of the world then you best get on with learning a spell to poof into a different reality." The woman that introduced herself as Nancy picked up the basket and moved towards the door. "I suggest you get out of that bed now and make yourself proper. You've been in there for three days! I had in mind to assume you were in one of those comas that would last for months or forever." Nancy opened the door and moved in front of it to keep it open with her body when it moved to close. The basket was shifted to be held at her side and she pointed to a bag near the bathroom. "That was left for you by one of those spirit beings you control. It has some clothes in it. Those pajamas you are wearing also came from them. Good thing too. Your other outfit is still in terrible shape. Probably best to toss it out really. We're not miracle workers. But I suppose we will do what we can to fix it if you like."

"That is not necessary." Samira said with a shake of her head. "I have a spirit that can fix it." That and Samira had several duplicates of the outfit in both her closet and celestial storage. "Thank you for trying nonetheless."

Nancy nodded. "Take your time then. Master Easton will want to speak with you, I'm sure. When you're ready just ring that bell over on the wall over there. It'll lead down to the maid quarters. Either Charlotte or myself will come to tend to you or take you to his office in the estate. I'd say it's best to wait until after dinner but the whole magic business will probably be labeled as more urgent. It always is over basic needs. Shame really. But oh well. It is what it is, I suppose." The head maid walked out of the doorway fully and let the door close with a gentle click. Now Samira was alone in the room.

(Word Count: 1004
Total So Far: 2896)

Samira waited a few moments silently afterwards, just staring at the door. It dawned on her that it was too quiet. The voices of her spirits were absent from her mind. Her head felt lighter even and less crowded. The feeling was rare. Most often she had to force it by cutting the link between them herself. This time the cut was done on their end. Strange. They despised the mental and magic link being severed even if only for just a few moments. Understandable of course. Being a guardian was difficult if there was a great distance and what was going on was kept from them. They weren't the type of spirits that liked waiting to be called on for a surprise conflict. The information needed to be there for them to access as it happened. They considered the more passive spirits of others to be useless in that regard. One could say they felt Samira was safe enough where she was and so took the day off. Even that thought wasn't accurate though. At least one always remained. Sagittarius also couldn't be felt, and he didn't necessarily follow the same rules as the others. Neither did Apophis. For even him to be gone the mystery was all the more ambiguous. Well, there wasn't much to do about it now.

Finally, After convincing herself that her head would soon once again be filled with a crowd of voices and presences, she removed the blankets that covered her and got out of the bed. Her steps took her over towards the bathroom that was connected to the room, but before entering it she knelt down and grabbed the straps of the familiar leather knapsack that sat on the carpet floor and against the floor. The bag was old and one that hadn't gotten much use ever since her magic got to the point it currently was. It was so much easier to put things in a celestial vault that could be taken out at any time and not have to worry about the weight. Seeing and feeling the material of the bag brought the feeling of nostalgia.

Samira didn't take too long processing it, however. Her eyes went to stare into the open bag to look over its contents. Clothes had been placed in there, one of her journals, some other small odds and ends, her ilac, a pouch containing jewels, and that was about it. Interesting. Shrugging her shoulders and letting the thoughts that came from the observation pass on by, Samira looked up and took steps towards the dark bathroom.

Before she fully entered, a low growling from the bathroom stopped her. The light of the room did not spread to illuminate the entirety of bathroom. Seeing anything past the door was impossible without the light of the bathroom itself being on. Curious, Samira stepped closer still and put her free hand on the doorway as she peaked in. It was then a massive figure swiftly moved to the doorway with another but louder growl. When that happened, rather than act defensively with a spell or tactic that a Goddess of Ishgar should have done, Samira cried out and took several clumsy steps back and fell backwards to land on her back. The hold on the bag faltered and it flew up in the air, turning upside down and allowing gravity to empty it's contents onto the floor and the summoner as well before the bag too joined in by landing on her head and bouncing off. Not a great start to her day.

"No one mentioned that the bathroom was off limits." The woman rubbed the spot on her head that the bag hit and looked up into the doorway. What she saw was a familiar creature yet entirely unexpected. "What are you doing in there?" The monster in the bathroom was no monster at all. Technically anyway. It was Anhur. A spirit that took the form of a lion in humanoid shape. He was different than the others in that he lived in the mortal plane of existence mostly instead of the realm her other spirits stayed in. There was a long history there as to why, but Samira was unaware of a lot of it. He wasn't the talkative type with the desire to tell stories or give explanations. The others were also useless in that area due to their loss of memory from that period of time. Aside from Ra, who wasn't going to tell her much of anything unless there was a need for it, and Apophis, who wasn't going to tell her a damn thing unless he could amuse himself by doing so.

Anhur growled and huffed. What a dumb question. He would roll his eyes if he wasn't too busy giving her his natural glare. Her tumbling over like that was nothing short of embarrassing. "Waiting for you to awaken. Both literally and metaphorically. The latter will likely never come to pass at the rate you progress."

Samira's eyes narrowed at that comment. Did he always have to be so negative and rude? "At the very least you are kind enough to keep waiting." There was another thought on her mind as well and she couldn't help but ask after giving the bathroom another glance. "How long have you been in there? HOW did you even get in?" An interesting question. He couldn't exactly just waltz through the entrance of the estate, get to the room she was in, and hang out in the bathroom without being seen and causing a few heart attacks among the workers and others that may have lived there. The fact he was in the bathroom in the dark at all was enough evidence to theorize that no one knew he was there.

"Two days. The portal master brought me here."

"Does this have anything to do with why I do not sense the others?"

Anhur nodded. "We will discuss this after you stand and..." He arched a brow while looking at the stylized pajamas. "Get into something less embarrassing. That is not the clothing of one of your status."

"I would say more about that, but you do have a point." Samira replied while collecting the items that had fallen out of the bag and put them back in. She stood up and motioned for Anhur to move out of the way so that she could enter the bathroom. "Excuse me." The Lion spirit didn't budge, and he hesitated while looking over towards the door of the room. "If you are worried about anyone coming into the room you can always hide in the closet, I suppose. Though no one should be coming unless I call for it by ringing the bell."

"Fine." He moved out of the way and allowed her to pass into the bathroom, where she closed the door behind her. Anhur chose not to hide in the closet for now, though he felt uncomfortable. It would only get worse if one of those maids came in unexpectedly and saw him. From what he observed the last two days they wouldn't hesitate to scream and run off. "Being a messenger is not what I pictured my life to be..." He growled in disapproval and waited.

(Word Count: 1213
Total So Far: 4109)

After some time had passed, Samira exited the bathroom, now showered and wearing a proper set of clothes that were not those silly pink and fluffy pajamas. It wasn't her usual outfit though. For some reason one of the many duplicates were not packed in the bag. She was given a normal looking outfit consisting of denim jeans and a casual solid blue colored v neck shirt. It felt weird wearing them, but they had gone on smoothly and fit just right as if they were made for her. Strange since she didn't even recall owning them. The spirits must have been shopping for her again.

Samira was busying herself with towel drying parts of her soaked hair as she made her exit from the bathroom. While doing that she glanced around to find Anhur. He was found standing near one of the bookshelves and holding an open book to read. "Found something to entertain yourself?" Anhur gruffed a reply. Samira continued with an additional comment. "I did not know that you liked to read."

"It is not a book of many words. They're what people in this age call photographs. I recognize the one called Easton even if these are of his youth. The labels indicate your grandfather is in these as well." Anhur explained, confirming that he was looking at a photo album and not just any random book on the shelf. Though there were was a pretty big variety of books on that shelf that had caught his interest. To say he spent literally two days just in the bathroom was an exaggeration. There was no one wandering the halls at night or checking in the room at random intervals. It gave him time to sneak out and view the collection. If not for that he might have lost his mind during those long boring days. The original plan discussed didn't exactly cover Samira being out cold for three days in total. They had expected her to awake on the second day, the day he had been ported in. The expectation was that he would be waiting a few hours at most. He was one very unlucky soul it seemed, and it always just got worse day by day.

"Well if I recall they had known each other for a long time. I am sure even Jacobs is in there somewhere." There was some interest in looking over the collection of photos from decades prior, but at that moment she had other things on her mind. All of her previous thoughts for sure, along with getting those thick teal colored locks of her brushed. Three days of bed hair did not exactly have good results. "You mentioned you had something to discuss? I am a little curious as to why everyone else took off, including Apophis. Getting him to agree on something like that seems a bit off in my opinion. Something more interesting than annoying and torturing all of us must have popped up, but what would fit that category I could not imagine accurately. I imagine obliterating a random world was off the table, and that is the only guess I have." While saying this, Samira had set the damp towel on the back of a chair to dry and keep off the floor. Then she had went on to rummage through the bag until she found one of the random odds and ends that had been packed in it; a simple green colored brush with black detangling bristles. Her entire arsenal of hair care products and tools were not packed. Unfortunate, but true, and thus she had to just make do with what she got. A single brush. Disappointing really.

"Not by choice," Anhur stated before closing the photo album and putting it back on the shelf. "There is a problem. One that was brought about by your stupidity and lack of control with the powers granted to you."

Samira, who had taken a seat on another empty chair at the room's table, stopped mid-brush and glanced over towards the lion spirit. It sounded serious, but it lost its weight when he had mentioned her stupidity. "Must you always insult me?" Samira asked with a sigh and continued brushing her hair.

"Only when it's true and necessary. With you this happens often. The descendants of the Nassar lineage are disappointing. Your ancestors must be crying out from their graves in shame."

"Yes, yes, I am a terrible summoner, an awful mage, and it is luck that I am where I am today. Or rather awful luck to be among the highest ranking mages and therefore will one day meet my doom by not being as prepared for the challenges that is expected of me to overcome with a simple snap of my fingers. You are free to take your pick on the last two." Samira humored the lion, saying everything with little amount of care. She had heard it all before. There was even truth to it. If not for the aid of others she probably wouldn't even be alive that day, let alone have the power that she could wield. "There. We can now check off 'pick on Samira' from the list you have surely made while being trapped in the bathroom for two days. Moving on."

"Hmph," Anhur folded his arms over his chest and glared her way. "Fine. The others are gone because of what happened three nights ago." The lion stopped speaking and remained silent. That was it. The entire explanation that he had intended on giving.

(Word Count: 927
Total So Far: 5036)

Samira frowned and looked at the lion as if he were crazy to think that small amount of information sufficed. That could have meant several things! She set the brush down on the table, her hair brushing now complete for now. "I am afraid I am going to need more than that as an explanation, Anhur."

Anhur sighed. Of course she'd need a full detailed explanation with pictures, graphs, and a professional level presentation. She would have to settle for a lot less than that, but at least more than what he had originally given. "You used up all of your magic power that night, and the Aspect of Ra backfired. That power damaged you in a way that transcends physical injuries. Your ability to use magic weakened as a consequence to your lackluster abilities to control it. If you try to use your magic, no matter how small of a spell, you may experience something more than just a three day coma. It's going to require more recovery time. An amount of time that we can't predict. Because of this, the others have left your mindspace and cut off their ties with you just in case it does more harm than good. Even though the connection is something stronger than mere magic elements, there is still some magic involved. Even the dark serpent realizes this and he needs you alive, not dead or in a permanent state of a human plant. How long he will remain cut off is undetermined, but the others will not return until you have fully recovered and there is no expectation of harm with their presence. I doubt they would answer your calls even if you could muster the magical strength to summon them."

"Oh..." Samira tapped her cheek. "Well that is more serious than I expected it to be. That is a bit of a problem." Samira didn't go into a panic over it. Yes, it was alarming if she couldn't use her magic for who knew how long, but well... at least she wasn't dying slowly or something. It could have been a lot worse! Still, alarming. Troubling. Worrisome. And now that awful feeling in her stomach hit and her nerves began to go on edge. If she was doing nothing but research and such like she often did then it would not have been a problem at all. Unfortunately, she still needed to get to Pandora and deal with things there. And if the events of three nights ago had ended that badly then there was still a mess to clean up there as well. To do all of that without magic? That was going to be impossible. At the very least she had Anhur at her side, but knowing him he'd probably tie her down and lock her in the room before allowing her to leave on a mission that would no doubt require magic, and not just random minor magic, but big and powerful spells. Samira placed her hands on the table and pushed herself up. "I need to speak with Easton right away. I need to know the full details of what happened and the current events."

"And what do you intend to do once you know? You can't act on anything. They will have to find another mage to fill in. You know this already."

"I do not know..." Samira answered quietly, looking down at the table. Honestly, she'd probably just try and do it anyway. It wouldn't be the first time she tried to do something that she had no business trying to do. But it was her mess to clean up now, if that was what it was. She wasn't sure. That's why she needed to ask and find out. Living without knowing would drive her crazy and only serve to make her feel even worse about it all. The summoner had a hunch that Anhur at least knew the full details of the results of that night, but there was no point in asking him. His reaction told her that much. He'd probably gloss over it or not say a damn thing she needed to know. "But I have to at least know what happened. You stay here and hide in the bathroom or something."

"Actually I am leaving this oversized living space. The message was delivered. You can find me outside in the woods near here. Just don't try to mentally communicate with me. That might count as magic usage even with me."

Samira looked at him curiously. "And just how do you intend on getting out of here?"

"Unlike you I am still unfortunately connected with the others. The task is done so I am allowed to leave and the portal master is allowed to use his magic to move me. Basically, the same way I got in." Just as he finished speaking, the lion spirit disappeared, having been teleported out by a blue portal that appeared and swallowed him up before disappearing.

(Word Count: 831
Total So Far: 5867)

"A better plan than making his own exit, at least." Now she was alone again, but wouldn't be for long. Where Easton's office was in that estate she didn't know. Even though she wanted to just walk out and find it herself it wouldn't be wise to do so. And probably also just a bit rude to do so without escort after having been told to ring the bell when she was ready. She walked over to the wall and rang the bell. Then she waited for one of the two previous maids to come to her room. After about ten minutes or so, giving Samira time to get those boots of hers on her feet, a knock was heard at the door. "Excuse me, ma'am. You rang the bell, yes?" The voice of the younger maid, Charlotte, was heard on the other side of the door. Samira went over and opened the door to confirm the identity. "Yes, I did. Nancy mentioned that one of you could take me to talk with Easton once I was ready to do so. I would like to do that now if possible."

"Of course, ma'am! He just got done with a meeting so he should be free. He's been awfully busy these past few days." Charlotte stepped out of the way so Samira could leave the room and then she closed the door behind her. "Just follow me. These hallways can be a bit tricky if you don't know them, but I know them all! You're in good hands with me as your guide! I even know the secret ones. Just don't tell my auntie that. She'd scold me for sure!"

"I do not think that will ever come up, so you do not have to worry about your secret adventures in the walls becoming known to her by me."

"Oh, it's more than just hiding behind the walls! There are secret rooms and tunnels connected all over the place! A lot of them are locked though. One time I even got lost for hours! Had to come up with a big lie to explain where I was, I did. But enough about that before someone hears. Lets get going now." And with that said, the young servant started to walk down the quiet hall, leading Samira to another part of the large house.

The young blonde turned out to be a talented chatterbox. As the two walked the halls of the estate Charlotte's mouth kept moving. Nonstop. Samira wasn't entirely sure if the maid had taken a single breath since leaving her room. It was astonishing. It was something that should have been admired even! Yet, it was also very annoying. She tried her best to hide her inner thoughts and seem as if she were interested in the various topics. A small smile and simple phrases as replies was all it took to satisfy the maid in that regard. Still, it was annoying all the same. The topics were of little interest to someone that had heavy thoughts on their mind as well problems that needed solving. They seemed so minor in comparison, especially when they came at her one after another. She wasn't exactly used to dealing or being around the living chatty cathys of the world. Even the Sabertooth ace Imai, with all of his hyperactive energy, didn't hold a candle to Charlotte. He at least stopped to breathe!

As the maid talked about the random topics that surrounded her job, herself, her family, her auntie's best friend's pet fish, and everything else Samira unfortunately put into memory despite her trying to tune it out, Samira looked at everything they passed by. The walls of the halls were decorated with sophisticated and old fashioned design. Old paintings that looked to be valuable lined the walls as well as pedestals that contained various artifacts behind protective glass casings. Gold plaques were at the center of each pedestal and below the artifact itself. In black letters the name and description of each one was engraved, but Samira didn't have time to view and read them all. Charlotte barely even noticed the few times the mage had stopped and just kept walking and chattering away, as if having a conversation with the air. Samira had to pick up her pace to catch up multiple times, with each one barely making it there before Charlotte turned around to ask her a question or make a comment that would be given an innocent smile with the reply.

They passed some of the other staff along the way, each one giving a friendly greeting before moving along to continue their work. Those that were further out of the way murmured comments to each other and looked towards Samira. Or maybe it was Charlotte. It was hard to say since they were both in the same general direction. It couldn't have been a discussion about a Wizard Saint being in the house. That had to be old news by then.

(Word Count: 836
Total So Far: 6703)

Eventually the two would begin walking down a long corridor with an even more fancily designed carpet walkway on the wooden flooring than the rest of the estate. This hallway also, instead of being decorated with cased relics, solely had paintings along its walls. Very large paintings with expensive golden frames around them. All of them being the portrait of someone she did not recognize. Reading the plagues below them told Samira that they were all past and present relatives of Easton. That area of the house was even quieter than the part she had been lodged in. The many closed doors they passed along the way must have led to empty rooms.

"There are not too many people that reside here, are there?" Samira inquired as her gaze moved to another door she was passing along the way.

"Some of the members of the family come every now and then to stay. Mostly on holidays or the odd random vacation. But it is mostly staff that stay here these days. The master is kind enough to give us all rooms in the main house instead of making us stay at a separate area of the estate, or even off the property. I guess he doesn't like seeing an empty house. If you mean this part of the estate then you are right, I suppose. He keeps his work area and meetings here. It's pretty quiet and no one really comes this way. Though most of the time he isn't even here at all. I think he only came back to check in because you needed a place to stay for a bit. I think a hospital would have been more appropriate for someone knocked out for three days straight but he insisted that you didn't need that kind of care. I bet it was because of those fancy spirits you have telling him not to bother. I happened to see one talking to him when you first arrived."

"Really? Which one was it?"

"It was one that looked entirely human actually. I thought he was just a normal guest until he disappeared right in front of my eyes! Gave me quite the fright. I thought he had been cursed and turned into a sparkly dust cloud! Master Easton explained to me that wasn't the case. I felt clueless about it all, but I was glad there was no one cursed in the house! To answer your question though the spirit was in the form of a tall man. Carried a sword, wore a hat, foreign features. I thought he was some traveler from Midi at first." Charlotte giggled. "Of course I was wrong though! I got my hopes up thinking I could get him to tell me stories from that part of the world. It would take cornering him to ask, of course. But that would have been easy for a normal human. I haven't really thought about how to corner a spirit and ask for stories. Oh! They must have some very fun tales to listen to!"

"Some more interesting than others, I suppose." Samira looked at the girl with a very concerned expression. "You... probably should not try to corner one though. You might not end up with good results, even if your intention is harmless." Samira smiled awkwardly as she said that. With the enthusiasm Charlotte had displayed so far she did fully believe that the young woman would actually attempt it. At least one that looked sort of normal. It was a good thing that it was Susano that she had seen. He might have had an attitude at times and expressed a great deal of sarcasm, but he still looked like a normal human being and acted like it. Some of the others... did not have that sort of appearance or attitudes. They might have been mistaken as monsters or evil apparitions actually. If she was frightened by just a spirit disappearing then she probably would have outright fainted at the sight of some of the others such as Kukulkan, Camazotz, or even Hades.

There had been a wandering thought that silently crossed her mind as to what Susano had to say to Easton, but the summoner quickly made a few guesses at it. He was one of the few spirits that was capable of taking charge when needed so he probably had to make sure she was safe where she was, leave the few things, and probably give Easton the updates on her current magic crisis. That or he had been forced to do so by either Ama, Ra, or even the upper spirits of the pantheon such as Vishnu and An Dagda. Being informed by her spirits was already something that she was starting to miss.

Charlotte giggled again, her cheerful smile widening. "You're probably right. That could end up with me getting more than a small scolding, huh? But it is still a conversation I would like to have! I never even thought I'd get to see a spirit that up close. I've always wondered if they were like the ghostly spirits from scary stories. That one didn't look it. Well, not what I pictured one to look anyway. I guess that's why they call them celestial spirits and not ghosts or spectres."

"Indeed. They are not the same as the type that come from the tales of hauntings and paranormal phenomenon. Technically mine are not the same as typical celestial spirits either. Those are based around the constellations normally. The only one I have in that category would be the Zodiac, Sagittarius."

"Oh my!" Charlotte turned around to stare at Samira with wide blue eyes. "A Zodiac?! I have heard little tidbits about them. But I guess nearly everybody knows about those. Only twelve in the world they say!" The maid slowed her steps so that she was now side by side with Samira instead of taking the lead. Her hand raised to be in front of her chest and a finger lifted with each Zodiac name she could remember while audibly listing them. "Lets see, there's Sagittarius, of course, you just said that one. Um, Virgo, Cancer, Aries, Capricore.. no! Corn! That's it! Capricorn! Pisces. Err... eh..." Her voice faded and her eyes looked upwards, as if she was going to see the list floating in the air. It didn't work. "I guess I forgot the rest! Haha! I was never good at memorizing the entire list. I really only remember Aries most of the time since that's my horoscope sign!"

(Word Count: 1092
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Samira gave an understanding nod. She didn't judge. If she were not a summoner she probably wouldn't have known them all either. It would have been unnecessary information. "The full list is Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. There is technically another one. Ophiuchus is the thirteenth. I have never heard of anyone owning an official version that is within the same category as the first twelve, though. Lesser versions, perhaps, but that is all. Whether a real one even exists in the same way as the others I do not know. Though, it would be an interesting find if I were to ever hear rumors of it."

"Ophiuchus, huh? Never heard of that one. Say, you own a Zodiac key. Do you know of any others that have one? I imagine it would be like a secret little club!"

"Erm," Samira blinked and was a bit caught off guard that Charlotte had labeled ownership of Zodiac keys with such a simple and yet outrageous word. "A club?"

"Yeah! Where you all get together for meetings, hang outs, and maybe even team up for some big important mission!"

"We do not really do that... at all."

"Oh. That is disappointing."

Samira didn't comment on Charlotte's opinion on it being disappointing. If the Zodiac keyholders were getting together to "hang out" as if they were going to have a slumber party she wouldn't be a part of it. It'd be weird, and uncomfortable for her. Plus, maybe they really did do that sort of thing but they never bothered to send the invite. If so, Samira was grateful for it. "Many of the current keyholders of the Zodiac I do not even know. There are some that I do, both in the past and the present."

"Oh?" Charlotte became interested again. Her face brightening up with that same smile as if it had never left in the presence of the disappointment that had been there mere seconds ago.

Samira nodded. "I used to know the holders of Aquarius and Libra. If you follow Wizard Saints you might recognize their names. Kaori Leraci once held Aquarius, and Leila Vergious held Libra. Who has them now I do not know."

"Oh, right! I seem to vaguely recall the name of the first one. The second one I think was in an issue of the magazine once. Maybe twice. She was never featured on the cover but I do remember the interview that had her and her mission partner. I never knew that she was a Zodiac key holder. Wow. They really should have mentioned that."

"That would have been irrelevant to the interview. I know nothing of running magazines, though. Or interviews. Mostly I just get asked questions. Other than that I stay away from that sort of public spotlight."

"Yeah, now that I think about it that's true. I see a lot of lovely and handsome looking mages modeling for the magazine, but I haven't really seen you there once. Well, unless you count that being Spotted page where you have that cute little grumpy version of yourself on the page next to the two cheerful blondes."

Upon the mentioning of that chibi group collage, Samira's mood darkened and she stared at the ground as she walked, her bangs covering her eyes and a dark shadow being left there instead. Charlotte could have sworn there was a bit of a chill in the air and she shivered in response. "I do not speak of that image." Cute? Yes. Maybe. But that tiny version of herself looked like a stuck up little grumpy snob. That was the very opposite of how she wanted to be perceived, and yet that was how many viewed her. Even Leona had a habit of acting as if she thought Samira were going to judge her harshly.

"Oh.. um... heh... heh." Charlotte was at a loss for words right then. She wanted to say again that it was cute, and that was a good thing! Buuuutttt, she also got the impression the Goddess of Ishgar didn't really care for that label combination.

Suddenly, the chill vanished and the darkness of Samira's bangs covering her eyes left as she looked up and smiled softly. All evil intent over mentioning that group image was now gone. Hopefully forever if no one brought it up again. "But that is getting a bit off topic now. Where was I?" Samira went into thought to piece together where she left off.

(Word Count: 755
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"Eh... heh... I think it was about the Zodiacs you knew?" After that creepy chill even she almost forgot where the conversation was before it wandered.

"Oh, yes. The Zodiac keyholders I know. That is correct." Samira shrugged her shoulders. The list wasn't very long. "The only other current holder I know aside from myself is that of Leo, held by a Fairy Tail mage by the name of Zachary Sirius. It is not uncommon for the keys to change hands several times in a short amount of time. I do not even know who held Sagittarius before me, but thus far I have managed to hold claim to his key without much incident. If there are truly those that would kill for the Zodiac keys I have yet to meet them. Though, I would also assume the supposed status and power people expect me to have drives away the more common of deadly collectors. They likely prey on the weaker keyholders. That is probably why they change hands so often. There was a time when I wanted to meet each individual holder. Not for a club invitation so you can put that excited grin away, if you do not mind. It was more just for the experience and knowledge that would be gained from it. This was before I obtained the key to Sagittarius. Many things have changed since that time, and I am more aware of the impossible feat it would be to lay claim to having met every keyholder. Even saying I have seen every Zodiac spirit would be amusing. Many of them change with each holder that claims them. They really are unique and special in their own way. I do not think they are worth killing over, but I suppose owning something as powerful as people claim them to be is very tempting."

Charlotte seemed shocked by that bit of information. Her smile faded and was replaced with disbelief. "I can't imagine the spirits wanting to serve anyone that would kill over them. Or even someone more evil than that."

"I suppose they do not necessarily have to if they do not want to. They would have their limits. But I think for the most part they are very neutral. Legal mage. Dark mage. Good. Evil. Those are just labels that do not mean much to them, I suppose. They have their own laws and rules. The politics of their realm and of normal celestial spirits is not something I ever inquired about. The few times I met their king there were more urgent matters to discuss and deal with, and my own spirits do not follow their code or laws. There are some ancient stipulations to ensure they don't cause absolute chaos in his realm and of the normal celestial spirits, but that is about it. Even my own set of spirits would have followed and obeyed me if I were someone infamous enough to be a Warlord of Fiore. Many would dislike it, but it would be no different than my darker spirits disliking the fact that I am a Goddess of Ishgar. They still remain connected with me regardless."

"Hmmm, you said earlier that your spirits are not the same type as the ones that follow the constellations, and now you say that they don't even follow the same laws. What makes them so different anyway? They're still called celestial. I remember that in another magazine issue."

"The name is a technicality in a sense. People assume they are normal celestial spirits because of them being connected to keys. Even though really many celestials are connected to other items instead of just keys. There are many unknown ones out there, but not many consider that when they hear the term. When one sees the word 'celestial' in the dictionary, what does one see?"

"I guess something to do with stars and astronomy."

Samira nodded. "That is one basic definition, yes. It would be a reference to something positioned or relating to the sky or outer space as one would consider in terms of astronomy. However, there is also another one. This one is simplified as belonging to or relating to heaven. This can be categorized as divine beings, angelic, ethereal, even god-like. When one thinks of a god they think of them as living in the skies above, watching over the world and completely aware of everything while also ready to deliver judgement on those deserving of it. This, of course, differs among various cultures, and even among different gods as told in their legendary tales and myths. But, the concept is the same regardless. Celestial, in the case of my own keys, is more the implication that they are tied to godly deities. Not so much the stars and constellations. Though, I suppose, many do have their own constellations as well. That is more of a coincidence for me."

"So... you summon gods? I'm sorry, I know you and many other mages are pretty powerful, but to say you can actually have one at your beck and call is almost unbelievable."

"Technically, if one follows the rankings of the Magic Council myself and some others already have the power of gods. It would not be too farfetched or even surprise me if one of them could summon a powerful god even if I could not. Even then though, gods themselves vary in power. I could believe a normal mid-tier mage could gain the control of a weaker god. But no, I do not summon actual gods. I have no need for that kind of power at this time. The ones I summon I suppose you could say are very advanced copies of those mythical beings. They are the creations of a god, and even have the essence of the gods they were copied from, but they are not fully gods or goddesses. A good thing too. I would fear what would happen if a ten year old child could summon an actual god while also have zero experience with magic control."

(Word Count: 1010
Total So Far: 9560)

"You were ten? That seems so young!"

"Many in this world have magic much earlier. I could not use any magic or showed signs of being able to until that late age. Not until the chest containing these keys was found and then later on given to me. From what I have been told, my line is born with a connection to a set of keys automatically. Most of the sets are just passed down the ancestral chain. For some reason the ones meant for me were lost, and were not recovered for centuries. I can only imagine how many before me went magicless because of it. Or maybe no one else was meant to have them. It is hard to say with that gap in history. Even the spirits of those keys do not know. Their memory of the time before me is not completely intact."

"That sounds a bit mysterious. I still can't get over mages having magic at such a young age though! I had thought even as adults it would be hard work and dangerous to use that sort of power and even work for a guild."

"I do not think every child works for guilds at that age... I suppose it would be up to whoever their guardian is. Most I know just dabble with their magics while living the normal child life, or are trained by someone so they know what they are doing later in life should they choose to make full use of their abilities. Really many of the children of Fiore have it easy. I have seen in other countries where they are already treated and act like little adults. More disciplined than even some adults here I have met actually."

"Aw, make sure you don't mention that to Auntie Nancy. She'll use that against me for sure!"

"I guess you spend more time wandering the secret hallways than working?"

"AH! Shush! I told you not to talk about that anymore!" Charlotte looked around the hall suspiciously, making sure no one was listening or heard that even though no one was in sight. They were seemingly alone in that long corridor still. "But yea, that's one way to put it. I like helping out here, but my mind tends to wander for something a bit more exciting. It makes me wish I had some magic. Even just a little. I'd pull silly pranks to get back at Beth for her always teasing me. She's a real bully sometimes! That or I would go on some jobs and have adventures. Probably the easy going ones though. I couldn't imagine myself going on the super dangerous and deadly ones. I'd probably trip and fall off a cliff while running away from a dangerous monster! Oh, now that'd be embarrassing. I already get told that one day I'll trip over a bucket and break my neck while mopping. I don't think that's actually possible, but they do say that!" The young maid continued to ramble on until she finally stopped to ask a question, making Samira force herself to tune back into the conversation to answer it before she was accused of ignoring her. "What's it like being a mage anyway? Do you like it or regret getting any magic after going for as long as you have without it when you were little?"

"Um..." Well that was an interesting question. At present, she pretty much couldn't use her magic. It wasn't really something she wanted to admit, and god help her if Charlotte asked her to demonstrate some spells. It was kind of amazing that the maid hadn't even thought of that yet. At least she could easily make a good excuse that was believable if it came to that. Still, the thought of not being able to use her magic, and thus far not having any connection with her spirits magically, was kind of unbearable. It was the realization that she had become very reliant on it. Moreso than when she first started her mage career officially within the ranks of Lamia Scale. Take the magic away and she was at a loss on how to proceed. Not even her former weaker self was... well that weak. It was such an obvious weakness that many mages before her likely also ended up in that same trap.

"Well it is like you implied a while ago. It can be dangerous. Though the likelihood of that being the case increases depending on the mission you claim or even the guild you have decided to join. Each one does have its own unique goal set in mind so that could be a clue as to what sort of challenges you would have to face often before deciding to join one of them. But I suppose none would really judge if you stuck with the simple and easier jobs. That would still be helping out the community and help represent the guild in a positive light. Either way, the level of danger is hardly present if all you are doing is using your magic to clean a room or used take down living gingerbread cookies that had escaped a nearby bakery. Yes, that is something that is quite capable of happening. I speak from experience. Thankfully it was a singular cookie and not several." Charlotte laughed as she imagined that kind of ridiculous scene.

"Other than the difficulty of the tasks involved, people do seem to expect more from mages than the average individual, even more so the higher in rank and status you are, but I can understand why and grant them credibility for it even if on a technical level mages are no different than a magicless person. They might have what some could claim as an advantage, but what they fail to understand is that while some tasks and challenges could seem easy for magic users and daily life, in the eyes of a normal person, seems trivial, at the same time that same power could be considered a curse as well. There are some naturals out there that have zero issue with maintaining and using their vast amount of raw power, but for others it is very difficult to master. The advantage could quickly turn into a disadvantage if not be the cause of a serious mess or catastrophe itself. And, the so called simple daily life is anything but. I have yet to meet a mage that I would say had all of their problems solved just because they had magic. I would say their lives were made worse and more complicated because of it. That would even include my own. From day one I have had issues that would not have come about if I had remained magicless. Each time I gained more power the problems increased, and I gained that power very quickly. The problems stacked onto each other, and more often than not merged into a chaotic scenario that someone else had to help me fix. Would I say I regret it all though? Absolutely not. I can think about the what ifs along the path I have taken, but in the end I am who I turned out to be because of what I went through. I am satisfied and content with the result. Besides, understanding and increasing the levels of my magic was always a goal of mine. I did not really consider the implications or consequences that could arise from it, but I would think that it is just a simple example of the phrase 'be careful what you wish for.'" Samira paused, allowing for all of that to be absorbed by Charlotte's brain and allowing for herself to take a moment to breathe. "Each mage you ask would likely give you a different answer. I am sure many would regret having their abilities for their own reasons."

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"Hmmmm," Charlotte had been listening intently with a very focused expression. When Samira finished though her eyes lit up and widened. "So then if I were to get magic somehow it wouldn't be too late! I'm still pretty young. Maybe older than ten but still younger than you!" Samira was taken aback by that comment. Was the young maid trying to imply that she was old? That was a first. The summoner cleared her throat and refused to comment about that. "It is theoretically never too late. Though in your case, I had assumed that you had no signs of being able to use magic at all."

"Not yet! But that's where you come in! I need advice on how to be magical! Maybe you can even train me!" Charlotte's excitement over the idea she must have thought to be genius was obvious. It was powerful enough that anyone near the girl would have shared the same excitement as it jumped from her and took over their body. Samira had to burst that bubble quickly and bring her back down to reality.

"I do not think that is a good idea at all..." For many reasons that concerned the Wizard Saint and Goddess of Ishgar. For one, it seemed pretty clear that Charlotte's aunt did not want her having adventures or using magic. For two, Samira didn't think that she was in a proper place in her life or mind to even consider training anyone, let alone a magicless newbie. "I will say that if you are interested in testing the waters of magic use without having the natural affinity for it, you can always try purchasing an item with magical properties. Just please do not pick something dangerous. It would be best to try something small like a protective charm. There are shops in the city that have many to choose from."

Charlotte whined, disappointed that even the tip was lacking the awesomeness she had wanted. Protective charms sounded so boring and simple! She wanted to throw fireballs! Shoot lasers from her eyes! Fly! Everything that any person growing up imagined their superpowered heroes and heroines to be capable of! Granted, all of those things were highly over excessive for the simple mage missions she had wanted to set herself at, but that didn't mean she didn't want them to show off a little! Samira noticed the disappointment but ignored it. There was another way in the form of lacrima, but she opted to not mention it. They were rare and quite frankly, too dangerous for someone that didn't fully understand mage life and thought it to be as easy as reading a comic.

The conversation would come to an abrupt end as they reached the double wooden doors of Easton's home office. What Samira didn't realize at that time was that Charlotte would play a part in another chapter of her life. Magic related even. But, for now, their chat was over, and it would be a long time before they crossed paths again.

(Word Count: 506
Total So Far: 11,379)

11,000 used for 100Y Freeform
New Total for next Freeform: 379