Kirahunters B ==> A Exam

Today would forever be remembered as a long hard uphill battle.

From the bargaining it was doomed to fail "Simon Baggon. I need to have a word with you. Please come to my office." Simon who was presently attempting to eat 5 tacos in one bite(which ended in a terrible mess) instantly grit his teeth as he heard it. The phoenix mage pushed his chair out from the table he was eating at to stand up, several other mages who heard Chikane calling instantly knew what was up. Those same people instantly pitied the poor girl who had just accidentally stepped on a psychological land mine. The phoenix mage was smiling and bouncing on his feet as he walked across the Fairy Tail guild hall he exchanged optimistic and pointless chatter with his guild members as he passed and everything appeared right in the world. But for those who knew what was going down they were taking cover because this was just the quiet before the storm. Simon reached the open doors to the guild master's office that Chikane had hijacked and walked in like nothing in the world was wrong with a big grin on his face.

Seeing her behind the guild master's desk Simon struggled to keep up his optimistic facade, anyone without the extensive training in lies and acting would have been easy to see through, but not Simon. He stood in front of the desk with his arms at his side "Yo! What's up Noriko-Kun?" In all reality the boy was trying to be friendly and accepting and kind like he had been raised to be. But she really wasn't making this easy on him. If only-one long emotion explaining story later- This wouldn't be a problem. But it did happen like that. So yeah. Simon rocked on his heels waiting for her to reply. He really hoped she would get straight to the point and not beat around the bush, he had places to be, cities to save, damsels in distress to rescue, giant monsters to kick. He could only pray that this wouldn't have anything to do with feelings. He was not in a good mood for feelings.

Chikane was startled at how kind Simon was acting to her. It set off all sorts of warning bells in her head, and she knew to keep herself slightly on guard, but she ignored them in favor of giving him a friendly smile as she looked back towards the paper with his profile on it. Clearing her throat, Chikane looked back with the smile gone. It was replaced with a slightly serious look. "Yes. Well you seem to have other things on your mind, so Ah'll get right to it." Chikane lifted the paper with his records on it, showing his immense abilities and how the people viewed the rising star. "You have made quite the name for yourself, and have shown an extreme amount of talent. Plain and simple, there aren't many mages with the caliber of skill you have showcased. This is why Ah want to announce your A-rank exam to you." Chikane placed the paper down and stood up, thinking about what she wanted to do before going around the desk and towards a corner of the room. There, she picked up her blade again and took a look at it before sighing heavily.

'Ah really hope this works.' Chikane thought, before turning back to Simon and smiling softly. "If you would follow me, we're going to take a trip." While it wasn't too obvious, the flame mage had been speaking with respect in her voice. She had to admit that Simon was probably one of the most respected mages in Fairy Tail, and she still had a mountain to climb in order to get on the same level of respect as him. Chikane was never one to quit however, so being the stubborn idiot she was Chikane decided to put something big on the line to test how far Simon's dislike of her went. She walked out of the door with her blade in her right hand, clenched tightly though her face didn't show it.

The exam was going to be something to remember, but which way was dependent on Simon and Simon alone.

Simon did his best to not enjoy the praise he was getting, he failed. But then She was going to give him his A-Rank exam? That was an honor that he had hoped would fall to Leonard, the one man he had ever honestly called Guildmaster. Heero taking over the guild was irritating, Ebony was a blow, Mari was dirt in his eye, Chikane was just- Ugh. Being nice, she was the last person he wanted to be giving his exam. Simon was on the verge of what could only be described as a diva tantrum. But then a moment passed, then another and after another moment Simon trusted himself to talk again. The boy followed her without complaint "So where are we going Noriko-Kun? I hate to sound rude but can we hurry? Being able to run at the speed of sound doesn't foster patience." Did I say without complaint? I meant with complaint. That was without a doubt, a complaint. Seeing Noriko grab her sword Simon slipped his hands into his jacket pocket and slipped on a jeweled gold ring on each hand, something was up. He half hoped his exam was just fighting her and half hoped it was more then that.

Now was a bad time for her to be a stubborn idiot. For Simon was the most stubborn idiot of them all. Ask anyone, Faust, Leonard, Ebony, 6 different Vulcans, Mari, Lance, Ikuto, that one treasure hunter from that one time, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lycan, Aniki, Assop, The Phoenix. They would all give the same answer. Simon wasn't sure what that answer was, but they would all give it. Simon was trying to sort out what he wanted this exam to be and what he didn't want it to be, because he wasn't sure. Part of him wanted to lay the smack down on Noriko another part of him wanted something more original. As he continued to follow her he decided that if it was going to be a fight -spoilers- If everything played out just like that he would Chikane's new best friend. It's a good thing she couldn't read his thoughts, that would be beyond weird.

"We're just going to the East Forest. It'll be a nice time away from anyone else and we can enjoy your exam to our fullest." Chikane's smile didn't fade, but her grip tightened as she began to walk down the stairs and towards the exit. Many guild members looked at the two, but Chikane simply waved their worries off. "Don't wait up for us. We'll be busy almost all of today." Chikane opened the large doors and began her trek out towards the East Forest of Magnolia. Her heart was beating fast because she was going to put something on the line that she had sworn to keep away from danger, but the situation called for something extra. She would never get the respect of Simon, nor anyone if she didn't risk what she did have.

Only time could truly tell, but this was going to be the defining moment of Chikane's time as Fairy Tail guild master.

Simon groaned at the mention of "all day." He scratched the back of his head and asked "Busy? All day? Like a solid 24 hours?" The phoenix mage bit his tongue and mentally scolded himself. "Er I mean it's not like I am lazy or anything. Sure I do work and all but does it really have to take an entire day? Times the one thing I can't get back in this world. Energy and effort I can recover, but not time." As they walked through the town he threw in "So is there like a way to cut down on the time with effort and hard work? That seems waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more efficient to me." Simon knew he was probably sounding childish but he didn't care he was a child. He was still just a kid right? He was 11 when he joined the guild and that was like a year ago or something? So that made him 12. Maybe. "Uh.... Noriko-Kun what year is it?"

Simon was now suddenly very concerned. What worried him more was the possibility that Chikane would see this as weakness and try to trick him or something weird.... Or worse.... she herself didn't know. This whole thing was really suddenly scary. He hadn't looked at a calendar in so long. He didn't even know how old he was. It was a bad time for a Mid(?)-life crisis but Simon was never great with timing anyway. Regardless he followed Noriko to the east forest trying to not have a total mental break down over his lack of identity.


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OOC: btws while Simon is an ungrateful prick who doesn't want you to give the rank up exam. OOC I am very grateful for taking time out of your day to help me rank up. As a gm I know these things aren't always that fun.

Chikane listened to Simon's worries, and figured that she would throw him a small bone and tell him she didn't seriously mean all day. But then, he asked a question about what year it was. This would have the hamster in Chikane's head running at full speed, since she was completely oblivious to anything having to do with time that wasn't "Day" or "Night". Chikane started to break into a cold sweat, not wanting to look like a complete idiot in front of Simon. "Well uh....Simon if Ah had to say the year is.....it is...Well..." Chikane started to rub the back of her head and sweat even more, knowing that he full well looked like an idiot. "Ah honestly have no idea! Hahaha.....ha......yeah I really don't remember." Chikane lowered her hand and hung her head, ashamed of her failure to properly remember something. This was not the time for that type of idiocy, as she could ruin her best laid plans if she truly wasn't careful.

"But you don't have to worry about what Ah said to the guild earlier." The normally cheerful guild master went back into her serious mode once again. "That's just so they don't come an mess with us while your exam is going on." Chikane looked out as they began nearing the East Forest, wondering exactly how this exam would play out.

Hopefully progress would at least be made.

Simon was borderline terrified now. Not even she knew what year it was. Which means he could be anywhere between 11 and 111 years old! The uncertainty was scary. His entire life could have passed without him really noticing. He flicked his forehead and grit his teeth "Tch. Guess it doesn't really matter. Day or night, now or then, this year or next, today or tomorrow they are just words. Words aren't anything to get worked up over Noriko-Kun." After a second he wondered if she would answer his other question. They he again scolded himself for questioning trivial things, of course she was going to answer... and if she didn't? She would so we don't even need to go there.

"That's just so they don't come an mess with us while your exam is going on." Simon rolled his eyes "Couldn't you have just said..." Simon's head twitched and then he resumed talking... "Ah don't want anyone gettin' in the way of this exam so stay away." with another twitch of his head "I think that avoiding the point is a bit well pointless Noriko-Kun." Simon laughed as they entered the East Forest. He lazily stretched his legs and smiled "Come on let's get down to business. I'm revving at full throttle ready to go."

The guild master sighed as they entered the forest, reaching into her jacket and rummaging around for a bit. She made an 'Ah' sound when the item she was looking for, a small pendant with nothing magical or of any value in it. She kissed the pendant briefly before turning and looking at Simon again. "Well, it is no small secret about how you feel about how i came to be guild master. So we're going to have a spar today." Chikane then wiggled the pendant in her hand, to bring the Phoenix mage's attention to it. "Only this will have a small twist. You're job is to not defeat me, but to take this pendant from me without any harm coming to it." Chikane once again put the pendant in her jacket, but made sure to make a show of faking which exact side of her jacket she put it in. "Fail to do so and you shall fail the exam. Any questions?" There was a bit more to this pendant that met the eye, and the guild master hoped Simon took the warning she gave to not destroy it or bring any harm to it.

Otherwise she really would fail him. Despite the skills he had shown, there was more to being an A-ranked mage than just power and strategic ability. And while Fairy Tail wasn't known to not destroy something during a mission, she at least hoped the destruction wouldn't be massive.

A little game of keep away? This bi- lady had no idea who she was talking to. Simon threw his head back laughing at the challenge "I was born and raised in the slums of Ca=Elum! Stealing was everything I had! Everything I owned was someone else's first. I was raised by the master of metal working I can tell a brass ring from an identical copper ring just by touch. I was trained by one of the fastest men alive, studied the arts of slight of hand and deception for years under the king of liars himself. I've stolen a piece of sushi from Heero's mouth before he could even taste it." Simon wiped tears from his eyes and took a deep breath before looking back to Chikane. "Sorry. But you just asked a cobbler to make a shoe, a silver smith to make a spoon. I really hope you got something up your sleeve because otherwise this will be really boring." Simon sat down and smiled at Chikane.

From his spot sitting on the grass he added "Run while you can." Just like that Simon was gone. From sitting down to out of sight he vanished without showing any signs of movement. At the moment the half pint mage was in the trees above Chikane. He stood perfectly still, made not a sound and suppressed his magic aura. He couldn't see his target but he could smell the metal now that he had seen it there was no where on the continent where it could hide from the child of a metal demon. Regardless of the fact that Simon had denounced his demon slayer magic, he kept the less then magical skills. This was his game beginning to end even if Noriko pulled every dirty trick in the book. She had just walked into the devil's den and asked him to dance and he was ready for a waltz.

The target was moving. Slowly. Chikane was walking. 5 meters... 6... 7... 8... Simon's jump range was twenty meters. With hawk like eyes he caught a glimpse of his target through the leaves he was hiding behind. This would be his signal to move. Without a sound he jumped off the tree trunk he was hiding against and sailed through the leaves, into the open, almost straight at Chikane. In truth he was out to the side aiming for the pendant. He payed no attention to the flame she made, if it him so be it as long as he got his target. As he passed Noriko he would snatch at the dangling piece of jewelry. There were only two possible hiccups and Simon planned for both. First in the case that he grabbed the pendant and Chikane's grip was too strong and the chain broke, in that case Simon just had to mend the chain. Something that was an easy feat for someone who could shoot fire out of his everywhere and had extensive training in metal working if all the original metal could be gathered he could fix it. After all what was the harm in damaging something that you could and would fix? The other risk was that his target was really fast in which case he would just go again.

Should his dangling target escape his grasp he would just turn around mid-air. Then using his god leg magic he would jump off the air for an instant 180 spin. This would allow him a second attempt to snatch the pendant instantly after his first attempt. Simon was counting on the speed of his rebound to catch Chikane off ground. If even then he was unable to seize the pendant it was on to plan B. The ex-itsuwaribito was really hoping for it to come to plan B. If it was going to be as easy as a simple mid-air pick pocket he was going to be disappointed. He had enough thieving tactics to fill the entire day. One might question his up bringing, morality and why he had all these skills. The only answer is that you can take the boy out the street, but you can never take the street out of the boy.

The odd thing about stealing from someone is that they should be surprised as all hell when you manage to take something from them. This was not the case when Simon grabbed onto the pendant, because instead of being shocked or surprised Chikane smirked and simply let go of the item. Because immediately, as soon as she let go of it, the entire thing vanished in a purple flame out of Simon's hand. Chikane continued to hum, and just continued to stroll merrily through the forest like it wasn't a big deal.

"You're going to have to do better than that to get the pendant from me." Chikane stated while continuing to just stroll along, placing her blade on her back. The pendant didn't reappear on her person, but she seemed to continue walking as if she still had it. Which, she totally did. Simon was going to have to think harder than that in order to retrieve the pendant. Chikane created a dancing flame in the palms of both of her hands, and watched it while she continued walking. Simon better have noted that when she said no harm, she meant the pendant couldn't be harmed at all. Meaning that if it broke or was scorched at any moment, it was game over.

Meanwhile, it appeared something was danging out of the bottom of her jacket. Was it the pendant? It was a question that Simon would have to try and figure out, or risk not getting the pendant again.

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OOC: There is a method to my madness. The pendant isn't magical, but there is something keeping you from getting it. Once you figure it out, things might get interesting.

Simon grinned as he acquired the pendant. He examined the piece of jewelery for a moment before it vanished. "Oi! What the!" Simon flipped mid-air and landed  a couple meters in front of Chikane. "So it's that type of thing huh?" Simon pointed at Chikane and threw his head back "I don't care if you can teleport that back to you infinity. I won't back down, I will be taking that pendant! He crossed his arms over his chest and blue flames shot across them "I will play by your game plan. But in the shadow I conspire by my own light. So mind your head. Phoenix Mega-Flare!" The blue fire glew brilliantly and Simon threw his arms wide. A blast of massive flames shot from him, growing expanding into a blast big enough to swallow Chikane 3 times over.

Was he worried that he would damage the pendant? Of course not. He chose what his flame burned down to the most precise detail. He could launch a fire ball that engulfs a whole town and only burn a single hair on a single head. This was the power of his phoenix law. He had not problem letting the fire roast Chikane alive but he made a conscious effort to allow not an ember touch the pendant. The plan was simple Chikane would have to dodge or counter and in some way that would distract her. Instantly as she did so Simon would charge and once again snag the pendant. He could already smell it's general location and after the fire he hoped it would be in plain sight, or what counted as plain sight for the sharpest eyes in the world. Why did he expect this to be different from the first time? He didn't. He planned to snag the pendant and allow for Chikane to teleport it away again. But this time he was ready for it and was going to do everything he could to try and analyze the fire that swept it away. He was also hoping to rough her up a bit.

Simon frustrated but not surprised by his attacks lack of effectiveness. "Looks like the MC makes their lapdogs out of some pretty stern stuff. Huh Noriko-kun?" While some may consider it rude to call a person a lap dog Simon thought it was far more rude for someone to walk into your house and declare that the government had taken it and given it to them. So as far as Simon was concerned the scales of karma were still stacked against Chikane. He casually walked along behind Chikane, keeping a bit of a distance as he layed out his next attack. He was done with his dash and swipe techniques he was going to advance his plans to the next phase. You see a person who steals with stealth is called a burglar, a person who steals with words is a swindler and a person who steals with force is called a mugger. Simon was a person who had mastered all 3 sides of theft so he would be known as an itsuwaribito. He had tried to stealth side of things(yes the mega-flare was stealth tactic, don't question it.) Now he would attempt to work the swindler angle.

So Simon got to talking. "So what is that pendant?" He would start with some simple questions to set the stage. "Like what is it's made out of, what is it's significance, where did you get it, how are you doing the flame thingy." Simon already knew the answer to the first question but that wasn't the point. He slid his hands into his pokets and swayed as he walked without a care in the world. An outsider might mistake the two for two normal people on a normal walk. As if.

Simon's low blow by calling Chikane a lap dog did not go unnoticed by the flame mage. She lowered her head and clenched her fists tight. No matter how hard she tried to show that she was no lapdog of the magic council, and fought to keep the magic council off of the backs of Fairy Tail members, people still considered her to be their little chew toy. Like she would even run back to them for help when her guild members got out of hand for herself. But she would rather die to protect them, than allow the magic council to control them. She had an intricate plan in place for the worst case scenario of them trying to gain control, but it mattered little compared to how she was placed in power. Always going to be the lap dog of the magic council, even if she were to stand against them.

Chikane lifted her head up when Simon began to question her. "The pendant is a family heirloom. Its just something you could really buy anywhere, and Ah have nothin' to do with it vanishing. If Ah did, Ah'd have honestly told you about it." One might think Chikane was lying, but it was the truth. Personally, she had nothing to do with why it was vanishing away from his grip when it left her hands. Also, she couldn't lie to Simon, he had good training and knew how to spot lies. So whenever he discovered something, she would have tell the honest truth.

And tell the truth she would. He just needed to figure things out.

Simon had a large arsenal of tools and tricks at his disposal. However he decided that now would probably be a good opportunity for some out side the box thinking. There were a million ways he could take the pendant from her but if it kept teleporting that didn't matter. So he was going to try at least one odd ball idea before going on an onslaught of devious and extravagant ploys and plans. "Well if it's a family heirloom you really can't just buy it anywhere. After all you can't buy happy memories. So even a cheap trinket could be incredibly valuable if it has meaning." He started walking faster so that after moment he was walking next to Noriko. He looked up to her and using the one form of training he didn't brag about often asked as politely as he was able "Miss Hitsugaya. May I please see that pendant of yours? I only want to hold it for a little while. I promise to give it back unharmed when I am done. If you would let me I would be so very grateful." His voice didn't change at all like when he had imitated her earlier but at the same time it sounded like it was coming from a completely different person. Which it kind of was. He did his best to not only sound sincere but to be sincere in his request, if he was going to take this approach he was going to do it right and honest.

Chikane smirked when Simon began to put the pieces together. He was getting closer to the overall goal of the exam, which Chikane knew when the time came her trust in him would be tested, and his trust in her. Thus, when he asked if she would give him the pendant, the guild master smiled and nodded. "Sure. Ah'll give ya the pendant. On one condition." Chikane's smile turned into a neutral look, one that didn't normally form on her face. She stopped and looked at Simon seriously. He was a wildcard, but she needed to know something. This could make or break the exam. She needed the truth, no matter how much it would hurt. "Do you trust me? Do you think Ah fit as a leader of Fairy Tail? Or would you rather see me burn? Go ahead and answer me truthfully. Ah will take whatever answer you have, with no complaints." Chikane was serious, and she would give him the pendant to start the second phase of his exam afterwards no matter the answer. In fact, her hand was moving to grab it as she spoke.

All that was left was for the brutal honesty of Simon to come at her full force.

Simon put his hands behind his head and grinned "Well Noriko-Kun. I don't wish any ill will on any person. However I wouldn't mind one bit if you walked out one day and never returned. That is the most honest and accurate summation of my opinion of you that I can give." Simon was a trained and pro-class liar and he was raised in a dishonest environment that would turn anyone else to a life of lies and theft. But Simon learned that the real purpose of learning how to lie was to learn when to lie. Now was a time when he knew he needed to be honest. Regardless of how his words effected Noriko.

Simon took the pendant with his right hand and inspected it. The thing had a fair share of runes on it. He was glad he didn't attempt his next little ploy to make a duplicate pendant with the scrap metal in his pocket because he didn't get a good enough look last time to perfectly mimic the runes. Looking over the various magic symbols Simon asked "So it's like a 'you can only be separate from it if you do so willingly' type thing?" He really couldn't think of any other way to explain the behavior of the magic on the piece of jewelry.

Chikane nodded and placed her hands on her hips. "It's mostly like that yes. The pendant will only leave my hands willingly, and that's only if either the person receiving it has my family's blood or my own trust. If they didn't the pendant would automatically come back to me. As you can see, the pendant still is in your hands." Chikane nodded again, showing that yes, she did indeed trust Simon even if he didn't like her. He had proven to be a valuable Fairy Tail member, and someone that if she could eventually call friend if they got onto better terms. "Regardless, I think it's time for the second phase. This will be brief, and require only so much effort on your part. Just keep the pendant away from me, without using any magic." This was the part where Chikane felt like it was her own turn to dish out a little revenge. Simon was a good mage and had great skills using magic, but it was time for her to do her own little test of his skills. Thus, she launched a Fire Baseball at him to kick things off.

Just hoped he could dodge.


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MP: 105%

Spells:
Fire Baseball: 2 post cooldown