A Snake that's Shy?? ; Open, Introduction

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

"Bienvenue!~" The musician's cheerful voice pipped up in the distance, waving a hand to the two beings further away, her usual bright grin upon her features as she pushed her way through the thick bushes and branches that grew in such abundance around the area. Though maybe a little late, the ace had still managed to make it without too much of a hassle. Maybe a few cuts and bruises where she had let a couple branches smack her on the back, but nothing too serious.
It had been hard to find them, seeing as how Kaisto's rather vague letter had just stated the two mages would 'be at the edge of the forest' with no specific details, so she had to rely on her senses to find them. A little difficult with a bunch of phoenixes flying around her, messing up her power sensing, but nonetheless she had still made it... Somehow. Kaisto was hard to miss. You'd have to be both blind and deaf not to notice the eccentric man.
Once through Astrid came to a stop once she was in front of them, crimson optics watching Kaisto carefully for a while before falling down to who she assumed was Shizuka. Kaisto's... Daughter? Or something. She wasn't quite sure. All she really knew from his letter was that she was a former slave and he had adopted her. And now she was going to stay in Golden Phoenix... For some reason. Sweet yes, but she didn't really get why he had to drop her off here. Not that she wouldn't like the child to be around, but if he adopted her, Astrid thought she should stay with him in Black Rose...
Was she questioning too much? Maybe. Kaisto was sure to have his reasons. And she trusted he did.
Bending down to the child's height the slayer placed her hands upon her knees, staring at the girl with soft, warm eyes.
"This is Shizuka, i assume?" The ace questioned. She looked a little upset. Of course she would. She was leaving her... Father... Behind. The light mage was reminded of herself when she had to leave her parents to live with her grandfather. She too had been a sobbing mess. But once there in Peace Village, after a while, she mostly got over it. The same would probably be so for Shizuka.
"Don't cry, little one. I promise i'll take good care of you. Everyone else in the guild will be happy to have you around." She spoke gently in hopes of comforting the girl.

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And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

Repeat herself?
The slayer tilted her head to the side curiously at the girl's request, blinking. Maybe the stress was getting to her and blocking some of the sounds out. She too did that sometimes when things got a little too hectic. "I said everyone in the guild will be happy to have you around. We could do with some more younger members."
Reaching out a hand the ace would pet the small girl's head gently, trying her best to calm her at least enough so she wouldn't be sobbing by the time she had to separate from Kaisto.

Removing her soft gaze from Shizuka it moved up to her fellow dragon slayer.
"Not at all. You don't owe me anything, i'm happy to do it. I end up doing this a lot due to the phoenixes."
At least a couple times a week, she would say she had to do this. From new members to visitors and more, her and the other members had to travel down here regularly and help people get to the guild. It was a little inconvenient, but she supposed it was getting to be overly precocious with their defenses than to be left out in the open with absolutely nothing to protect them.
Hearing the girl introduce herself Astrid looked back down to her, taking hold of the girl's smaller her in her own.
"I'm Astrid. One of the big, bad aces of Golden Phoenix. Ugabooga~" she laughed after making some spooky ghost noises, wiggling her hands up and down as to imitate some sort of terrifying ghost.

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♛

Words: -- | @tagged | Notes: late intro post is late

ulla

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

At the pull of the young girl's hands molding her face into different positions, though hurting slightly, the ace grinned through the entire thing, small tears of pain comically lacing the edges of her eyes.
After a while of pulling through the pain, Shizuka finally let go, allowing the slayer's face to rest back in its regular position. Astrid patted her cheeks softly with her hands, trying to get the lingering pain to subside.

Did they want her? The question was brought to the young ace's attention. Of course they wanted her. It was always nice to have more people in the guild to interact and learn from. It appeared Shizuka thought power was all that the guild cared about... Why the child thought so, well, she didn't know. But it wasn't the truth.
"Of course we want you. Guilds aren't about what kind of magic you have or how well you can use it. They're about coming together and forming unbreakable bonds. Friends, family... Those kinds of bonds are more powerful than any kind of magic." The slayer grinned brightly.

Then, a familiar voice rose up. Astrid turned her head, crimson gaze brightening at the sign of her fellow guild mate.
"Oh mon dieu, Madame Summer you are too flattering." A small blush sprinkled over the girl's pale face, covering part of it with a hand as if too hide her embarrassment. She didn't really think of herself as that lovely or good of an ace. She thought she could be doing so much more... So to have the firework mage blurt out such a thing, she wasn't sure how to reply.

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