#shadowqueens

[feulise]

dear zilla,

i hope this letter reaches you in a timely manner; with raven tail disbanded, i find myself at a bit of a loss when it comes to getting my correspondence out into the world in a timely manner as i am still somewhat off the grid and cannot rely on fiore’s postal service. i did not realise it at the time, but the spells and the network that used to be at our disposal were very convenient.

before you worry that something might be the matter that i write to you, fret not. there are no emergencies, i am not lighting the beacons so you may sweep in to rescue me. i just found myself having a bit of downtime now that things are settling down here  ( my uncles had a bit of a—mishap, recently, and i have helped them with the aftermath ), and thought it proper to write you a letter to hear how you are doing now that  …  you know.

i would invite you to come here, but everyone is very wary of strangers and far more jumpy than they should be so the timing would not be ideal. 

your friend, 

f.

[wearyworn]

To be in a guild again was---quite something, to say the least. The atmosphere was quite different from what she had experienced before, but dare she say it? She did not miss Master Lucielle's inquisitive glances, shot down from the woman's perch. Her new guildmaster was inquisitive and curious, certainly, but there was a different quality to it. With the wisdom and the knowledge she had now, she would say that it was that Master Ivan was not constantly searching for gaps in people's armour. A fact that she appreciated greatly.

Flipping the last page in the book that Niall had recommended, she hummed to herself for a moment, her foot tapping rapidly against the floor. A cliffhanger? Really? How unfair! Especially since the next volume would not be out for another month. Sighing quietly to herself as she put the book back into her bag, she looked up---directly at the master's daughter.

@shadowqueens

[feulise]

“I’m relieved I left my room tidy.”

'' you are always neat, zilla. ''

flare smiled just a little bit as she leaned against the cavewall, careful not to move her foot too much. twisting and spraining her ankle in the middle of a snowstorm had not been part of flare's own plans for how this mission had been supposed to go, but that was what had happened---and in such a stupid way, too. she could have caused the ice to melt, but she had underestimated its danger. and now, she was paying for this.

still, as things stood right now, she was not too concerned about the snowstorm outside, they had brought plenty of supplies with them and she was fairly good at creating sources of warmth, but what troubled her was that the storm outside made the descent a bad idea, even without her ankle adding a complication.

rubbing her forehead, she pulled her uninjured leg closer to her body, happy to make herself even smaller than she already was to conserve warmth. yes, they had made a fire, but---she hated the way the cold was seeping into her bones. '' and we did tell niall where we were going so i'm not too worried, right now, '' she continued as she reached for her thermos. '' i don't think anyone will have to search your room for information about our route. ''

[feulise]

“I’d enjoy some fine champagne.”

'' i'll get terribly silly from it. ''

it was an honest admission, but it did not stop flare from wanting a glass of her own. a bit of silliness, she decided, was not bad. there was a lot going on at all times lately. to relax for a bit, to enjoy life for a moment---it would be nice. especially in good company.

looking at zilla, she smiled a bit. '' i think it's the bubbles, '' she explained. '' i think the alcohol gets into your blood faster or something. ''

[resolvebound]

The silence continued to stretch out between them, making itself comfortable. This was all fine with Zilla, who was relaxed behind her owl mask. Macbeth was a former criminal but there were some of those in Raven Tail so she didn’t balk much at that. Or at all. Then, an idea popped into her head and she reached into her pockets for her pencil and sketchbook — she always kept them close within her jacket pocket. “Excuse me, Macbeth, but do you mind of I draw you? I wish to draw this moment.”

@shadowqueens

It was surprisingly rare, in his experience, to find someone that didn’t feel the need to fill silences, who didn’t make the air crackle with unspoken emotion, and who didn’t display loud body language or unnecessary movement. Zilla’s presence, he’d decided, was okay by him. She was quiet. Peaceful. In fact, neither of them had spoken a word in quite some time and it was hardly noticeable, certainly not uncomfortable.

He rested with his arms folded and his eyes closed, mind playing a familiar game of visualising his surroundings as he enjoyed the light breeze around them. Raven Tail. An interesting guild. While he wasn’t entirely sure why the council had placed him there for the time being, he found it made a rather nice change from the usual guild he was forced to integrate himself with, Sabertooth. He contemplated their differences, and the potential meanings behind his presence here now, but such thoughts paused as his current companion spoke up.

Draw him? He opened one eye in curiosity, noting the sketchbook and pencil in Zilla’s hands. He turned the request over in his mind for a moment as he closed his eye again, then gave a small nod in response. “You have to show me once it’s finished,” he stipulated. He had quite an interest in drawing too, after all.

[varietales]

Zilla looked back and forth and then back at Kagura. There was a mischievous glint in the younger girl’s dark purple eyes that wasn’t too common. “I have something to show you, Kagura. Look!” There was a giddiness there that expressed itself in a little wiggle from Zilla. As she opened the door to her bedroom more and extended an arm. Scurrying around the purple curtains of her room, was a wild squirrel. “ I named him Jeb.” A pause. “Don’t tell dad.” - adoption au

While part of her education up until that had point had included a certain degree of ‘expect the unexpected’, Kagura did not expect to see a squirrel in her sister’s room. Eyes wide for a moment, she then quickly moved inside the room with Zilla and shut the door behind them. Excitement skipped in her chest, eyes sparking as they found the fluffy little creature. How adorable.

At Zilla’s words, their eyes met, and a frown passed over Kagura’s features, hesitation. Their father would unlikely be impressed by them having a wild animal in the house…Kagura sure hated having any inkling of disappointment aimed her way, and even worse – the idea of little Zilla getting into trouble.

She chewed her lip in thought, the answer coming to her as she found herself caught in the younger girl’s pleading eyes.

“Okay…I won’t tell,” she agreed solemnly. A smile slowly spread as she added, “We should train him to do tricks! Then Dad will have to let us keep him!”

[wearyworn]

“you wanna hear about it?”

THE GOOD WITCH SENTENCE STARTERS

Curiosity, her mother used to say, was the beginning of all wisdom. Questions needed to be asked. Conclusions needed to be drawn. And all this---the blazing flame of knowledge---could only be sparked by curiosity. That being said, Jade understood the difference between scientific interest and interest in her fellow living beings. Boundaries were important for both, she thought, but unlike the research topics her mother had poked and prodded at, people could express their boundaries and say when things were getting uncomfortable for them.

She was curious about what had led Zilla to arrive later than anyone had expected, covered in blue paint but smiling her little smile that, as Jade had come to understand, meant that she was currently feeling very happy and cheerful.

Tapping her forefingers together, Jade smiled a little. '' I am curious, '' she admitted as she poured herself a second and Zilla a first cup of tea. '' I think I heard that Flare wanted to remodel her room and give it a fresh coat of paint? ''

That, she guessed, would make a little bit of sense? Flare and Zilla were close, so if the redhead would want to redo her room, she would probably ask the shadow mage for any assistance she might require. It was likely not the full story, but she could wait for Zilla's answer.

[thousandflame]

there she was again. her life seemed to be rather . . . cyclic in nature, as of late, and cymbeline could not say that she cared for that, very much. magnolia forest. it had been a place she had liked, once. happy memories had used the forest as their stage, a long time ago. she had followed her uncle like a duckling followed its mother, always minding her steps as they made their way from the city to the little cottage where his friend lived. it was a strange thought, to think that porlyusica was still there while her uncle was gone.

but just like then, she minded her steps as she wandered through the forest. she had---a bit of time before her next train would come, before she would be able to leave magnolia in the past, where it belonged. this was all just to soothe the curiosity she could never win against. she just wanted to see if it was still the way she remembered it all.

starter for shadowqueens