Four Leaf Clovers in Clover! (Event/Shirayuki)

Even though Shirayuki had agreed to giving the blonde girl a rest from their travels, that didn’t mean that her icy blue eyes weren’t keeping an eye on her. There was a slight amount of risk for both of them, with the white haired being having revealed her natural form to her student, not to mention the finer details of her work. Work that required the utmost secrecy at all times, lest she find the law breathing down her neck, which was never a pleasant experience for anyone. Of course, she was intelligent enough to evade the dullards but still, it was much easier to keep things close to the chest.

Secured in the knowledge that Aristotle was safe and seemed to be sticking to their agreement, Shirayuki had moved to the outskirts of the town in order to do some business with a few of her more seedier partners. She’d managed to get her hands on a large amount of merchandise during her trip to Minstrel. Yes, it was technically a war but politics had never been something that she’d cared about too much. The Ironheart Pact had offered her a lot of money and all the captives she could grab, just for doing what she’d have done anyway. A bargain in her mind. It had been an easy job and one that she had been praised greatly for.

The negotiations with her associates, however, were not so easy and the usually calm kitsune was soon beginning to become a tad irritated. The buffoons' offer was ridiculously low for what they were asking for and the red haired woman, having shapeshifted to an alternate form, as she tended to, wasn't amused in the slightest. They desired half a dozen of her Minstrel Soldat’s, a group of her own allies that she’d swiped and girls that Shirayuki knew would sell well. With such lovely voices and sweet manners, they made perfect maids when trained and the kidnapper knew that.

“Not good enough for the six.” She coldly stated, folding her arms across her chest.

The three men before her looked rather annoyed too but the look she was giving them seemed to burn into them, green rather than her usual blue while in this form. “This is all we have and we do need the six so…” The leader of the trio started before another of the group tapped him on the shoulder and whispered in his ear. After a few moments of deep discussion, he would sigh and remove a cloth covered item that was strapped to his back and hold it out to Shirayuki, a hand on each end. “Take this too then to sweeten the pot. We acquired it just recently and it truly is a magnificent piece of work.. Accept this along with the jewels and we’ll take the girls out of your hands.”

Shirayuki raised an eyebrow but took the item into her hands. It was fairly heavy and felt like metal. At first she was going to turn it down but after taking a brief peek under the cloth, she had second thoughts. She didn’t need another weapon but… Attaching the large weapon to her back, she’d stick out her hand. “Alright but next time. Bring more jewels.”

With that, their business was concluded and the two parties went their separate ways. As it so happened, her iLac would just go off at this point and after retrieving hers and glancing at the message, a smile crossed her features. It was as if she could hear Aristotle’s voice in her head as she read the message and with her business concluded, she didn’t see why they couldn’t have a little fun together but perhaps…a little change of outfit first?

By the time Shirayuki reentered the town and came across her mentee, she was now a brown haired woman, wearing an almost kimono like getup which gave her a rather old fashioned look. She didn’t mind that though and quite liked the image that she gave off with it. Who’d suspect her of being a criminal dressed like this? The blade was still attached to her back which somehow seemed to fit with her look.

Unable to help herself and recalling the first time they met, Shirayuki would briefly vanish and sneak up on Aristotle from behind, whispering into her ear once she was close enough. “You know that you really should learn to mind your surroundings because you never know when some weirdo might try and grab you.” Considering their first meeting, it was about as dry of a joke as possible.

(768 Words)
(1233/4000 TWC)
(0/3 Eggs)

A brief cringe crossed the brunette's features as Aristotle was caught completely off guard by her sudden appearance. She’d honestly hoped that her mentee would’ve at least been able to detect her through her magic signature but alas it seemed that the blonde was in need of more training but in fairness, if Shirayuki even understood the word, the kitsune was a pro. Nevertheless, she’d have to give her student a talking to later for being so susceptible. Aristotle was in her world now and it was one fraught with danger, from all sides and there was only so much that the usually white haired woman could do to protect her. Still, maybe she’d let her off this once…maybe. “I told you before to mind your surroundings at all times, Aristotle, you never know when someone might be up to something. I could’ve been a ruthless kidnapper for all you knew.” Or not.

Her keen eyes were drawn to the table as the blonde quickly scooped up her equipment and buried them away in her bag. Knowing her mentee’s skills first hand, Shirayuki didn’t need to ask what Aristotle had been doing. She had a gift for drawing and for the briefest moment, the kitsune could just make out the shape of a fluffy tail. An eyebrow rose but for the moment, she didn’t comment about it. She remembered saying that her student could draw her sometime…Had she perhaps done so from memory? It was a possibility and maybe something she’d inquire deeper into later. Despite having to naturally be elusive due to the path she had chosen, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t a streak of vanity behind her usually icy and cold exterior. “I trust that you’ve been having fun with that sketchbook of yours? You’ve certainly been out and about a bit during your stay here.” Her tone was casual enough, warmer due to her different form.

Taking a seat beside her student, Shirayuki would briefly glance at the people walking to and fro in front of them, her mind briefly drifting to the thought of perhaps snatching one or two. All she could see were jewel values above their heads, sizing up and calculating each person’s worth in little more than a moment. It was sorely tempting and there was a part of her that thought that perhaps she should use the festivities as a cover to grab more stock. It wouldn’t have been the first time she’d done such a thing and doubted it would be the last. Eventually, she shook the feeling off the time being though, realising that this was a chance to get to know her lovely blonde student a little better and in truth, an opportunity to unwind for her. She’d been on the go for a long time, such was the demand for her services.

Turning her brown eyes upon her student, a smile would cross her features. “We have been running rather ragged lately, haven’t we? I confess that I don’t know an awful lot about this festival, so you’ll have to fill me in on the details. I’d hate to embarrass myself in front of all these people.” There was a touch of teasing to her voice, gently mocking her student for her reaction to being grabbed.

(549 Words)
(2424 TWC)
(0/3 Eggs)

The gaze of the shapeshifter would briefly watch her student as she replied to her scolding but she said no more about the topic. The world that Aristotle had agreed to step into was indeed one of immense danger and Shirayuki’s warnings weren’t overblown in the slightest but she supposed that she shouldn’t be too firm with her student. The kitsune didn’t wish to break the sweet spirit of the woman, only harden her to the ways of the world. It would take time and truthfully, the blonde was doing rather well so far. She was becoming stronger by the job and Shirayuki had little doubt that Aristotle would make a fine mage and acquire the strength that she would need to achieve her goals. There was a long way to go but Aristotle had so much potential and the currently brown haired woman had the patience to teach her for as long as she needed to. The kitsune was actually becoming rather used to having the deaf woman around and she had mixed feelings about what would happen when the time came for the blonde to step out on her own.

A smile crossed her features though as Aristotle spoke about her artwork, detecting a touch of pride in her students voice. Her student was truly gifted when it came to drawing and Shirayuki briefly pondered as to why the young woman would choose a more dangerous path in life, when she could no doubt make an absolute fortune and aid her cause through her artwork instead? Still, that was not a question that she desired to ask her mentee aloud and certainly not in such an open spot. The brunette wasn’t going to pry and if the blonde wished to speak to her about anything then she’d leave the ball in Aristotle’s court. There was much that the two had yet to speak about with one another and although Shirayuki was uncharacteristically interested in her mentee, the relationship between them needed more time to develop. To be honest, the kidnapper was still coming to terms with actually teaching a student in some ways. Her life had been so solitary that having someone else around constantly was somewhat of a new experience for her. “I don’t like dogs. If they catch my scent then they chase me for miles. Must be for the vixen in me.” She commented with a slight laugh. “I have a fondness for cats though. I find the fact that they live their lives at their own pace quite refreshing.”

Her light and cheerful demeanour didn’t change as Aristotle spoke about their recent travels, appreciating the chance to let her hair down for once. To hear her student speak so casually about being captured would’ve probably sounded odd to most but if Shirayuki had learned anything about her young mentee so far it was that she was incredibly adaptable and seemed to just roll with whatever life had in store for her. She had taken to her new life so well. “You have a gift for getting out of ropes, one that I’m sure will only grow as we spend more time on the road but I trust that you’ll learn to avoid ending up in them in the first place as well.” Shirayuki’s tone was teasing but it was meant as a compliment, even though it might have seemed a tad backhanded. “By the time your training is through, you’ll be a pro at not only escaping rope but using it too. Of that I have no doubt.”


(594 Words)
(3577 TWC)

The kitsune didn’t say anything at first and her gaze was also directed towards the crowd that were walking in front of their table. Naturally, the calculator of a mind that she possessed was totaling up the possible prices of those who she caught glimpses of. Was it a habit? No, it’d become more than that after so many years. It was an obsession. Her work was all she truly had in her life, at least up until she’d come across her mentee and Shirayuki just couldn’t escape the kidnapper mindset, no matter where she was or what she was doing. Some might say she was completely warped, or worse, a creature that was morally devoid. She couldn’t even remember how long it had been since she’d started on the road to becoming a criminal. Years? Decades? Centuries? It was difficult to tell.

Eventually the currently brown haired woman replied, her tone rather neutral for the time being. “No. My overall goal is not to have you follow in my footsteps, unless that is what you wish. The reason for having you accompany me on my missions is just to give you a glimpse into the world that you’re walking into. You’re an incredibly sweet woman, Aristotle but when push comes to shove, sweet isn’t going to cut it when you’re faced with a difficult situation. I simply wished to give you a taste of the kind of scum that you’re likely to encounter and the situations that you might deal with during your journey as a mage. I needed to know that you could keep a cool head and the resolve to complete your objectives. Without those, you’ll never be able to control your magic and those spirits of yours might just end up dooming you. Now that I have seen your resolve and just how quickly you’ve adapted to being with me, I’m satisfied that we can move on and work on getting these spirits of yours trained and following your commands.”

She paused at that point, pondering a little more about what she’d heard her mentee utter to herself. With her enhanced hearing, it’d not escaped Shirayuki’s notice. Moments ago, she’d been intent on minding her own business regarding her mentee’s more private thoughts but given what the kitsune had just said about Aristotle mastering her abilities, the brown eyed woman changed tact. Such fear would not help her sweet mentee in any shape or form.

“It’s your mother, isn’t it? She’s the reason why you feel your stomach is in knots. I recall what you told me of her before and I remember promising you that you’d not become what she has. If she somehow finds you then you’ll be more than ready to face her. As I stated, we will speed up your training from this point on and you will be strong enough to do what you have to do. I understand if you don’t quite trust my words yet, given the length of time that we’ve been together but I confess that another reason for going slow with your training was to build up a rapport between us.”

The kitsune was about to speak more but a slight tingling at that point caused her to pause. It was an odd sensation, starting from her back and shooting through her body. She was uncertain as to just what it was for a moment but after a few seconds, a smile crossed her features, before she’d move one arm behind her so that she could remove the cloth covered item from her back and then hold it delicately with one hand on each end.

“I was just given this as payment for our last job and I think that it’ll look far fairer in your hands than mine. Consider it a backup plan for those times where your spirits decide to mess around. Its history and powers are completely unknown to me but what I do know is that it has no love for me. I think that perhaps it was meant to be wielded by a far purer soul than mine.”

It was only then that she offered it to her mentee.

“Take it.”

(700 Words)
(4958 TWC)

Truth be told, Shirayuki hadn’t expected her mentee to open up quite that much but she was hardly unhappy with the result. It gave the brunette a window into the girl’s past and it was certainly one that the kitsune wouldn’t have wanted to experience herself. Aristotle had been through more than the vixen had thought and it briefly caused the centuries old being to ponder. In all honesty, she could understand the rage that Aristotle had towards her mother all too well. Shirayuki herself despised her own mother and the two of them had not spoken for god knows how long. Anora had tried to force her way of life upon her daughter and Shirayuki had rebelled in the most insulting of ways. She had spat in the face of her own family and the resulting hatred had never left either mother or daughter, a fire that burned as strongly now, as it had all those years ago. What would occur if they met again? It wouldn’t be for the faint of heart. That was for sure.

Shirayuki remained silent during Aristotle's tale and waited until she had finished before replying, her brown eyes meeting her mentee’s. Her gaze was naturally cold but it wasn’t meant to scare her pupil, it would appear as though she was just trying to get a read on her student. She doubted that anything Aristotle had said was a deception anyway and after a few moments, that was the conclusion she came to with her ability to read faces. Why would her mentee lie to her when she knew what would happen if she did? Shirayuki was a deceiving old bitch but that didn’t mean she’d tolerate it from her mentee, as Aristotle knew well already.

Gently, she placed a hand over the cloth which covered the sword, resulting in the material pulling itself away delicately and folding up neatly, leaving the lovely blade for them both to see.

“I’m afraid that if you’re expecting remorse or regret over my choice of work from me then you have another thing coming, Aristotle. I feel no shame over the actions that I’ve taken in order to become the woman I am today and if I had to do it all again, I would. The path that you decided to turn away from was one that I have followed for centuries although I confess that I don't consider good or evil to truly mean anything other than nonsense. One person’s hero is another person’s villain.”

Pausing for a moment, she’d then glance down at the blade,

“If you want to protect what means most to you then I believe that you could do far worse than using this. Use it to show your mother just how different you are from her. As I said, it knows what it wants and it’s certainly not to be wielded by me. Bloody thing gave me an electric shock when I first touched it. Call it a gift or a sign that you’re ready to move forward but take it, Aristotle. You’ve earned it and I’m certain that it’ll aid you in the tough times to come….”

Shirayuki’s hand moved forwards at that point, grasping one of Aristotle’s hands, her head rising again to look at her mentee’s scarred wrist, before looking her in the face.

“I’d better not see any fresh scars during our journeys or I’ll make your previous encounters in my bindings seem like child’s play, we clear? If you feel like you’re starting to walk down that road again, I’ll pull you back and tie you to the nearest lamp post.”

It was probably about as sweet as she could be.

(616 Words)
(6247 TWC)