For conviction, justice, and freedom!

Brandy gazed through the window of the green economy magicmobile at the winding mountains and valleys of Fiore. It was a long trip from Cedar, but Brandy finally saw Terra Ignis in the distance. This section of the kingdom was quite different compared to the flat plains surrounding Cedar. It was a welcome change, as Cedar held too many bad memories.

As the magicmobile whizzed closer to her destination, Brandy gawked at the many towering spires that Terra Ignis was famous for. It's as many said: Terra Ignis wasn't a city; it was a castle. Brandy smiled. She was joining Infinity Hydra. She knew a myraid of adventures laid before her, but more importantly, she knew that joining Infinity Hydra was a chance to start over. It was a chance to make new friends and to belong to a family.

The screeching of the tires jogged Brandy from her daydreams. "We're here, my lady. This is Terra Ignis," the magicmobile driver said as he glanced at Brandy through the tiny window that separated the cab from the driver's seat. He was a potbellied man, unkempt and with a patchy beard. He wore a gray shirt covered in holes and a large stain near his stomach. Green pants, white socks, frayed black shoes, and a newsboy cap rounded out the rest of his attire. "I'll be returning to Cedar in three days if you change your mind."

Brandy shook her head. "I won't be going back, sir."

The man shrugged, making his pit stains clearly visible. "Well, suit yourself," he replied in a gruff tone. "But this place ain't got nothing. It's in the middle of nowhere. A lady like you will get bored here."

Brandy giggled. "We'll see about that." She reached in her snow-white purse and pulled out some jewels. She handed the currency to the man and he grabbed it eagerly. "Thank you for agreeing to take me so far."

"Ah, it ain't a big deal. I couldn't ignore a lady in need."

"Well, that's nice of you." Brandy picked up her massive pink suitcase and said, "Thank you for everything."

She turned and walked toward the city. "See ya around!" the man exclaimed while waving farewell.

Brandy's pearl-white high heels made a prominent click against the granite of Terra Ignis's main road. As she walked, the smoky smell of forges filled the air, something Brandy was unaccustomed to. She was used to the smell of nature and spring. After a couple of sneezes, Brandy's nose adjusted.

As Brandy strolled through the city, she continued goggling over the sites and sounds of Terra Ignis. She was stunned. It was like she had traveled to Midi, where samurais ruled the land. The citizens donned cream-colored robes, wore geta, and tied their hair up into a large bun that rested on the tops of their heads. A few men were clad with red samurai armor and they carried katanas. Some of the women wore elegant kimonos popping with colorful floral designs. Brandy grinned. This place was unique, different, and a place to call home.

Brandy stopped once she reached the back of the city. There it was, the red, oriental-styled longhouse that she came all this way for: the Infinity Hydra guildhall. She recalled the flyer she read a few weeks prior. Join Infinity Hydra: a guild of conviction, justice, and freedom. Our duty is aiding the Magic Council by eliminating dark guilds. Lend us your strength and we will make you strong. If you cut one head off, two more will appear in its place. Brandy realized Infinity Hydra was where she belonged. Its stress for freedom meant that the guild members would likely accept her, even if she was a vixen, and she could still live righteously.

She exhaled, mustered her courage, opened the sliding door, and walked into the tavern.

Brandy's heart skipped a beat. She felt as if the man's supernatural eyes peered into her very soul. This was the guildmaster of Infinity Hydra and he looked the part. This man oozed Midi. Brandy's hypersensitive ears twitched as each syllable escaped his lips. He had an accent, but it was subtle. Either he only spent a brief time in Midi, or he has been in Fiore for a long time.

She felt magic energy radiating off him. Brandy realized that she should know who this man was, but she had been sheltered too long by the church in Cedar to keep up with current events. Regardless, this man earned Brandy's respect the moment he walked into the room.

Her heart raced. She was nervous, but after years of performing at the church, she had learned how to feign confidence. She narrowed her eyes and with a commanding tone, she said, "My name is Brandy Martin and I've come to join Infinity Hydra." As she finished, her left eye began twitching ever so slightly. She prayed the guildmaster didn't notice.

The guildmaster's laid-back demeanor relaxed Brandy a bit. He didn't act like the stereotype that Midians were stern, honor-obsessed people whose trust was hard to earn. Brandy was dumbfounded that he let her into the guild without any type of test to prove her worth. He even kindly offered her a refreshment. She sighed in relief and her face defaulted to her natural, chipper expression.

A silly idea popped into Brandy's mind and she blurted out, "I'll take some Brandy!" She rubbed the back of her head, chuckled a bit, and responded before the guildmaster had a chance to. "I'm sorry, that was a bad joke. I had to do it." A craving for something sweet and carbonated danced about her tongue; something with a citrus flavor. "Do you have any Hargeon Lime? I could go for some of that. And to answer your question, I'm from Cedar. The flat plains and the surrounding lakes are quite different than the mountain ranges of Terra Ignis."

Brandy sat at one of the red, spinning bar stools as the orange-eyed man grabbed two, plump limes, sliced them, and squeezed them into a red-cedar mixer filled with ice, syrup, and carbonated water. Brandy listened intently to his gnome comment. She recalled hearing of the particular instance when those foul-mouthed creatures infested the town and that a heroic swordsman with a mastery of fire drove them off, but she was too preoccupied with her singing job at the church to take notice.

The guildmaster finished mixing the Hargeon Lime, poured it into a small, golden ornate glass, and slid it over to her. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung agape when she finally realized who her guildmaster was. "Wait, you're Fire King Ardere?" Still recovering from the initial shock, she grabbed it and took a small sip. "I knew I should've recognized you when I saw you," she babbled. "I mean, you're a guild master and from the moment I saw you, I could feel magic energy oozing off of you. I knew you had to be famous. The townsfolk in Cedar still talk about how you saved them from that gnome incident."  She rotated the glass in her clawed, left hand, admiring the artisanship. She was surprised that an isolated guild had such exquisite luxuries like expensive glasses and a full-functioning bar. She tasted the Hargeon Lime a second time, its rich flavors dancing along her tongue like an entire ballet company. "This is great!" she exclaimed. "Thank you."

A newcomer with an obvious fascination of the color blue plonked down on the bar stool next to Brandy. His attire, with the exception of his shoes, was blue, matching his hair and eyes. His unique piece of attire was a sky-blue scarf that tied around his neck. Brandy snickered at his reactionary salute and the mammoth of a title that he gave Ardere.

"Just Ardere will do it, or Kirei if you honestly can't help yourself. Goof." The young guild member seemed to pester Ardere, but in a healthy, little brother kind of way.

"Another new guild mate?" the scarfed man inquired.

"Rowan, meet Brandy."

Her tail wagged. Brandy was thrilled to get the chance to meet someone new. She rotated her bar stool to face Rowan and extended her right hand. With a friendly smile, she greeted, "Hi Rowan. I'm Brandy. It's nice to meet you."

Rowan shook Brandy's hand in a friendly manner until he glanced at the fizzing soda sitting on the fancy, wooden bar. Rowan let go of Brandy's hand and touched his cheek, his face contorting into an angry expression.

Brandy's chest tightened. Oh no! Did I do something to offend him? she thought. Does he hate me because I'm a fox like some others do? But he was so nice to me.

The next second felt like an eternity for Brandy. She noticed Rowan's lips began pursing, indicating that he was about to speak, and Brandy's entire body tensed as she braced herself for an onslaught of hateful words. “But…. why aren’t you drinking BRANDY!!!??”

Stunned, Brandy immediately relaxed and released the heartiest laugh she had had in months. Ardere's laughter harmonized with Brandy's. "I'm afraid she already turned that down, but nice try bud. Keep working on them and maybe we'll have an open mic night you can rock."

After several seconds, Brandy's laughter finally ceased and she wiped away a lone tear from her left eye with one of her digits. "Oh, I don't know why I found that so funny," she spoke in a singsong tone. "I guess it's because there's someone just as corny as me."

"I hope you enjoy your stay Brandy, if you need anything just lemme know." Ardere interjected.

Brandy grinned and nodded. "I will. Thank you Ardere."

Brandy's ears twitched as Rowan's glass clinked against the polished bar. She glanced in Rowan's direction and noticed he faced her again. “So! What brings you to Infinity Hydra? Are you going to stay?” he inquired.

Brandy smiled warmly. "Of course I'm going to stay," she replied. She stretched out her arms in an attempt to bring the entirety of the guildhall to Rowan's attention. "This is my home now. This is my family." Suddenly, Brandy's uplifting visage transformed into gloomy scowl, accompanied by her drooping ears. "As for why I'm here, let's just say that I'm no longer welcome in Cedar."

Rowan smiled as Brandy began her response, delighted to have another permanent member of Infinity Hydra. The plasma mage arched an eyebrow as her demeanor quickly declined, and it was at this point Rowan finished his drink.

He hadn't always been to good at the sentimental sort of things, and honestly he was terrible at consoling others, and so Rowan took this moment to make his leave. Standing up with a small amount of finality, Rowan nodded once to Brandy, and to Ardere before stretching lazily. "Welp! You're welcome here Brandy, so you don't have to worry about Cedar... in the mean time, I think I better get working on some jobs... so take care you crazy kids!" With that, Rowan spun on his heel before leisurely strolling away, humming a cheery tune.

((This is my exit post, unless someone stops Rowan.))