On a Wing and a Prayer

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz had little faith in the world and fully expected trouble to come his way soon.  Even though he had ended his last encounter with the Magic Council peacefully, he couldn't shake the feeling that the whole thing had been more complicated than face value.  So now the man had taken up wandering around Fiore, hiding beneath a trench coat with a raised collar, and a pair of sunglasses.  He'd stumbled upon Onibus purely by accident.

The theater in Onibus was somewhat of a legend, and Kaz had walked by just to see its outside.  That's when one of the ushers half dragged him inside, insisting that he see the talented performance of 'The Legendary Legends', which was about to debut in just a few minutes.  At first Kaz had stammered out an apology and tried to weasel his way out of the viewing, but the usher girl was pretty and he couldn't stand to break her heart.

So now Kaz was watching the fat lady sing, quite literally.  He'd never been to a theater before and had no idea what acting was supposed to be like, but... the experience was not one Kaz wanted to repeat.  He could, surprisingly, sing a bit himself – and he considered his own singing better than what these 'professionals' were currently performing.  Then again, what did he know of fine art?  Somehow he couldn't shake the feeling that he was conned, even though he'd been let in without paying a fee... He was one of maybe ten others in the audience.

After the musical ended, the lead singing lady with a peacock feather in her hair, thanked her friends and family (which was the entire audience except Kaz), and then proceeded to invite everyone to the local bar – her treat.  Alcohol was a pretty compelling bribe, and Kaz hoped he might see that cute usher girl again, so he'd tagged along with the group.

Only to be utterly disappointed when all female members bailed for one reason or the other, save the lead actor.  And while Kaz didn't particularly mind the company of men, he found that flirting with some was a quick way to share his drinks alone, or worse, get punched in the face by the more hot-blooded.  So he usually kept his distance until he got some kind of green-light, before testing the waters, and then being more open with men.  Kaz favored many types, male and female, but the lead female actor was not his type, especially when she opened her mouth and started singing in a drunken stupor.

Quickly he beat a hasty retreat to another section of the bar, suddenly not caring if he finished the rest of his drink alone.  At least it would be better than listening to the woman's warbling... although he could still hear her, even from his distance.  He took a long draught from his beer mug, slamming it down on the counter, feeling it seep into his mind.  Sharp pain squeezed against his head, he pinched his nose and felt nothing but the raw sting, not really minding the headache.

But try as he might, he couldn't block out that singing, and mentally cursed his luck.  Please God, if there is a God, please just send one cute girl through the doorway of this bar now, he prayed, looking up without any real hope.

[Shinju Kobayashi]

Shinju Kobayashi wasn't exactly old enough to drink, but Fiore law had nothing against younger people being in bars and ordering a water or something. That said, the blue-haired sixteen year old was in her black tanktop and green cargo pants, with her favorite goggles resting on her head as she entered the small bar full of loud people. Her friend and traveling companion, Light, was injured once again, resting up in the inn room, and she'd just come back from a side job, herself. She pulled her new set of fingerless gloves on tighter before entering  through the bar door, glancing around with a grin on her face. People didn't intimidate Shinju. She didn't understand social cues like some people, but she more than made up for it with the way she could try and make friends with just about anyone without fear. She could have even talked to the drunken singer from the play she hadn't been to.

Seeing an empty seat, Shinju hopped up to the bar, not even having to order since the person knew she couldn't have the alcohol. A water slid towards her and she grabbed it and took a sip. "Ahh," she said mostly to herself before she grinned at the young man beside her. Her grin said they were already friends, if you were fluent in grin. Her long pony tail dangled down behind her, and her feet dangled in front of her. At 5'3" she barely touched the foot handles on the rather tall bar stool. "Hey there! I'm Shinju!" she told him happily. "You looked lonely over here so I thought I'd come say hi."

[Kasimir Sewik]

The bar door opened right on cue, as if in response to Kaz's prayers. He looked up expectantly, wondering if God had really been listening... Well, there was a cute girl, but she looked far too young for anything interesting to happen. Kaz slammed his head against the counter in despair, appearing now half-dead. He regretted his prayer at all, since God surely had a cruel sense of humor... but Kaz probably deserved it for such a lecherous request in the first place.

Even with his lovely view of the granite counter, Kaz could still feel the girl's presence now in the seat next to him, and heard the scrape of a glass which could only be water. When she spoke, he did lift his head, managing a charming smile at her despite the red mark which had appeared across his forehead. "That's awfully sweet of you, Shinju. My name is Kaz. Tell me, do you always frequent bars just to get water and cheer up young men? A flowering beauty like you is going to break more hearts than encourage. You're far too innocent - I'd hate to see that ruined in a seedy place like this."

He'd taken off his sunglasses a while back when he first entered the bar, and was able to get a good look at Shinju. The girl before him was cute in a sort of way, but nothing that he would ever take advantage of. He wondered if she realized just how much of a tease she was right now.

[Shinju Kobayashi]

Shinju did not, in fact, realize how much of a tease she was. But she acted like this around everyone, so she probably 'broke more hearts' than she realized, truth be told. "I get that a lot. I don't really know why though," she told Kaz with a shrug when he told her how innocent she was. In truth, he had no idea exactly how innocent she was. It had caused great discomfort for some people in the past because she hadn't understood some things she should have. She was learning, though.

Shinju leaned forward, towards Kaz a bit, her large grin not leaving her face as she continued to make nice with the young man. Off to the side, the bartender (who had learned who she was the day previously when they came to town) only grinned and shook his head in sympathy for poor Kasimir. "So, what are you here for?" she asked, obviously paying very little mind to his warning about the bar being too seedy for her. It was entirely possible she had taken it as something that actually had to do with seeds and just decided he was weird. Not that she minded weird at all. "There's not a whole lot to do around here and it gets pretty boring. And the theater's no good. I tried that last night. I don't really understand it." She chuckled at the thought and spun in her bar stool, stopping facing Kasimir again. She hadn't even noticed that the terrible singer here was the same woman.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz rose an eyebrow at Shinju's response, and leaned away as she leaned in closer.  She had to be doing this on purpose.  Any girl who complained about being bored was like an open invitation to a better night.  Yet looking into her eyes, Kaz could see nothing except a child-like interest and excitement.  She was a walking embodiment of obliviousness.  He took another long draught of his beer, before setting the near-empty mug down.  Not quite enough to make him drunk, regrettably.

"Yeah I just went to the theater for the first time," he shared her sentiment.  "Can't say I was into it either, but I suppose it was worth the experience.  I'm just passing through town.  I wander here and there and pick up the odd job when I can.  But it seems like Fairy Tail handles most of the work here, so I'm out of luck, and I'll probably head out today or tomorrow." He paused, finishing the last of his drink.  It was all gone too soon.  "You never know when life could get tough, and I'd at least like to die with a drink not too far from my memory."

Before the girl could respond, Kaz broke into laughter.  "I'm joking, by the way," he grinned.  Although maybe, he wasn't too far off from speaking the truth earlier.  "I was invited for a free drink after the performance, and who doesn't like free stuff.  But why are you here, little miss Shinju?  Surely not just to grab a glass of water?" He winked at her.

[Shinju Kobayashi]

At least they seemed to agree on the theater part. She didn't exactly appreciate the fine things in life all that much, but she'd figured a play would be easy to follow. Not at all. They were using strange words she didn't understand... and the singing hurt her ears a lot like the drunken woman off on the other side of the bar. She let out a happy chuckle at the mention of Fairy Tail, but she wasn't able to answer until he was done talking.

She lifted her tank top to show part of her lower left side, which revealed a Fairy Tail guild symbol "I'm from Fairy Tail," she told him proudly. "I haven't been back to Magnolia in awhile. I've been on a bit of a backpacking trip. Though, I did come here just for water... the people are friendly and I like to talk to people. People in bars seem to like to talk more," she told him with a happy grin.

She finished her water, hopping from the chair and landing on the ground. She actually seemed a bit shorter standing up, since she wasn't on the tall stool. She adjusted her goggles absently, a habit she'd never lost even though she didn't wear her goggles as often lately. She rested her hands behind her head, blinking up at kaz. "I'm gonna be Fairy Tail's Ace one day!" she grinned confidently. Innocent as she was, she was an ambitious girl, and worked very hard to meet that goal. Why she said that right then... well it was how she properly introduced herself, even though it seemed random.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz couldn't help but smile back at Shinju's pose and declaration. Well the girl certainly had dreams, he'd give her that. While her youth might limit other activities, it wouldn't limit her strength - perhaps she really would be the strongest in Fairy Tail. In truth he knew little about the guilds, outside of rumored reputations and the odd encounter. His conversation with Shinju was probably the most experience he had with the guilds.

Kaz stood up and stretched a bit. With both of their drinks finished, he supposed it was time for them to get going. He could still hear the lady from before, but his conversation with Shinju had temporarily gotten his mind off such noise. "Fairy Tail huh... You don't seem like the type to give up, so I'm sure you'll get there one day,” he encouraged. It must be nice to have such a simple goal. With all the world's craziness right now, normal work and goals seemed so far off. Kaz would be content to just live out a normal life, working for money with some drinks and company (preferbly those over 18).

Maybe one day he would join a guild... but that wouldn't be very fair to whatever guild he joined. He had a past that would likely come back and bite him one day, and he didn't want for others to be held responsible. He decided to change his train of thought. “So is your 'backpacking trip' part of guild business then? Here to steal the little work out there from people like me?” His grin said he didn't truly mind. After all, he'd be leaving town soon anyway...

[Shinju Kobayashi]

While Shinju had practically inflated with pride at Kasimir's insistence she could achieve her goal, she deflated a bit at his joke about her taking jobs from people he needed them. "No! We're out on our own and Fairy Tail doesn't just give us money... I've had to support myself for nearly two years now..." she told Kasimir honestly. When her grandpa had started to get a little bit too sickly to take care of her properly, a neighbor had promised to look after him, not wanting her to be stuck there since she was so young. She'd taken that opportunity to go and join Fairy Tail and see the world. "I don't actually have very much..." She'd missed his joking smile completely, and felt guilty for taking something he'd said he needed.

From behind Kaz, the singing was joined by even more drunks who had no idea that vocal chords were supposed to sound pleasant when you sang, and Shinju was distracted momentarily. "Can we talk outside?!" she practically shouted over the Cacophony of singers. She practically took off out the doors at that point. The sound hurt her ears, and the stink of alcohol was rather strong. Of course, she'd grabbed Kaz's sleeve and dragged him along as well.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Somehow Kaz felt guilty for his earlier comment, even though he'd said it in jest.  Apparently the girl wasn't very adept at picking up when he was serious.  He started to walk and follow her request of leaving; the singing was getting worse, and it was a good opportunity to leave the bar.  "Yeah sure-" He began, only for Shinju to grab onto his sleeve and pull him along.  The girl was surprisingly strong despite her size, and Kaz stumbled a bit in surprise.

Kaz took a deep breath once they were outside.  The air was refreshing, especially after the dank smells and shrill sounds from the bar.  "I thought the whole point of joining a guild was so that they could take care of you," Kaz continued their earlier conversation.  He casually put his hands in his pockets, leaning back slightly.  The sun was starting to set, and it was probably too late for him to make it to another town at this hour.  So he was in no rush, at least not now.  "Anyway, you're in a magic guild and I'm not, so the line of work we take is completely different.  Don't worry about it," he assured her.  Most of his recent jobs had more along the manual labor side, collecting supplies or carpentry related.  Sure, he could fight, but most of those jobs were restricted to guild mages anyway.  He didn't mind, he was rather tired of fighting, despite the presence of the claymore sword on his back.  His skills were a bit lacking, but he tried to learn whatever job he took, and was enjoying the simple honest work.

[Shinju Kobayashi]

Kasimir thought the whole reason you joined a guild was to be taken care of. It caused Shinju to chuckle slightly. She shook her head, grinning as she clasped her hands behind her back. "You join guilds to have friends and family and work together, not to be given free money and bodyguards, silly," she explained. She showed him her tattoo one more time for emphasis, probably entirely too okay with lifting her shirt to show her belly for her age. "Everyone at Fairy Tail is my friend and ally, whether I like them very much or not. That's what it means to be in a guild. We still all have to live our own lives and earn our own keep."

The blue-haired girl eyed his sword afterword, noting that he talked only about doing boring jobs that didn't pay very much. She gave him a grin. "What if I could get you a job to to then?" she asked. "Maybe we could do something together? You'd get some Jewels, and I could use a few more before we leave town." She seemed to be pleading even though she didn't act very much like she was. Part of her was being generous, but a lot of her just hated being alone, and with Light stuck in bed and her having to earn more money for them to survive, she was stuck by herself more than she liked.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz knew that life in the guild wasn't completely easy, but he thought it was more of a safety in numbers thing.  Community for beneficial reasons and whatnot.  But considering he was talking to Shinju, it sounded more like her personal reason for joining, rather than the entire guild's motives.  Respectfully he cast his gaze away when she lifted her shirt.  She might've been young, but not too young, and it made him feel a bit uncomfortable.  Mainly because she didn't really seem to understand what she was doing.  Shouldn't she be at least a little more mature?

"What if I could get you a job to do then?" she asked. "Maybe we could do something together? You'd get some Jewels, and I could use a few more before we leave town."

He was completely taken aback by her kindness.  Help him get a job?  That wasn't a light offer; that wasn't something someone offered to do for a complete stranger.  Exchanging a few words at a bar hardly warranted someone to help him get a job.  Especially since he was guildless, and it would be through Fairy Tail!  It would undoubtedly pay a lot better than the odd jobs he'd been picking up.  "I-I don't know..." He began doubtfully.  Already he could see multiple problems with her proposed solution.  "Aren't Fairy Tail missions pretty tough?  I can't use any magic, so I probably wouldn't be very useful," he halfway lied.  It was more like he was trying to keep the fact that he had magic a secret, especially since he'd already admitted to her about being guildless.  Even if Shinju didn't mind that Kaz was a mage and guildless, there were people in the world who would.  People that Shinju would probably innocently talk to, and his name would get out.  "Besides, your missions are restricted, right?  I wouldn't want you to get in trouble because you took me along on one," he sighed.  The truth was, he was indeed interested in trying out a guild mission... especially without being affiliated to a guild.  But... Shinju was too innocent.  If he got her in trouble for something so stupid, it wouldn't be worth it.

[Shinju Kobayashi]

Shinju shook her head. “It’s not a big deal,” she told him honestly. “Back before all of the weird Magic Council stuff we had guildless people do jobs for us all the time too. Because everyone needs to learn a living, right?” she reasoned with a slight shrug.  “I bet Fairy Tail wouldn’t mind you helping. They aren’t the kind to turn people away. Plus… we won’t even be going there. I’m not ready to go back there just yet even though I miss everyone. It’s just do stuff and get paid by the employer. So it’s a little riskier, but no one has tried to be too mean to me yet,” she smiled, her hands clasped behind her back.
 
“Besides,” she said as she turned around and stretched before starting to walk off towards the job board in the center of the small town, “I’d rather do the job myself and give you the money before I let you go hungry. It’s just who I was raised to be.” Shinju meant it too. She was cute and innocent for her age, but she had high moral standards which, while confusing at times when she didn’t know what the right and wrong thing actually were by society, made her very likely to follow her conscience and help someone even if everyone else frowned upon it.

[Kasimir Sewik]

"Hey, it's not like I'm a starving stray dog, I'm not that desperate," Kaz frowned.  He honestly resented some of that, mainly because it was Shinju of all people.  He did have some pride, and wasn't about to let some young girl give him pity money... Even if Kaz had no jewels to his name at the moment.  At the very least, Shinju seemed convinced that a joint job wouldn't bring them harm.  Considering that Fairy Tail was all the way in Magnolia, he figured she had a point... as long as they didn't draw too much attention to themselves. He started to follow her as Shinju began walking towards the job board.

"Alright, you've convinced me.  I'll follow your lead on whatever mission you take.  How about you take a ten percent finders fee, and we'll split the reward sixty-forty?" He wanted to clear that up right away, more because he was worried Shinju would try to give him more than what he was worth.  Considering that she was the one finding the job, and he wouldn't be using any magic, even forty percent was probably too much.  "And please... don't pick anything too extreme.  I don't know what to expect really, and would rather be on the safer side."  He hoped that she had the common sense to pick something not overly dangerous... whacking things with his sword would only get them so far.

[Shinju Kobayashi]

"Oh, don't be so worried," Shinju waved off as she trotted to the job board. She had only shrugged at his sixty/fourty offer, making it seem like she didn't want to argue. She didn't actually say what she was going to do though, instead simply continuing her new mission of finding them a mission. She finally stopped at the job board, her eyes scanning the papers quickly. If Kasimir watched her eyes, he would probably wonder if she was even seriously looking at all of them. She wasn't. That wasn't how she worked.

Suddenly, a large grin crossed the blue-haired girl's face as she spun around and slapped a finger down on a job request to her right. "This one's perfect!" she said with a large grin on her face. The job she was pointing at talked about problems with a gang of wizards nearby. It wasn't anywhere near as simple as Kaz had likely hoped for, but Shinju seemed practically excited to find it. "People need our help so no one gets hurt, and we get paid, and everyone's happy!" she exclaimed as if it were that simple. She was either really dumb, or really confident in either hers or Kaz's abilities if they were going to take a job like this.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz glared at the back of Shinju's head, watching her search through the jobs.  He knew payment was going to be an issue later, which was why he'd try to deal with it now.  At the prospect of a job, however, and Shinju's excited declaration, the issue temporarily slipped his mind.  He leaned in closer to check out the posting that she'd pointed out.  Wait... an entire gang of wizards that had been troubling East Fiore... and their base was supposed to be around Onibus?!

"That's not perfect at all!" Kaz paled and shouted, disbelief coloring both his face and voice.  The reward jewel count was high - too high; that definitely meant it was dangerous.  Dealing with an entire gang of wizards... was not what Kaz wanted to do.  That was just looking for both trouble and attention.  Frantically he scanned the board for other options.  Leaving Shinju in charge was clearly not a good idea.

"Aha!" He lit up upon finding a better alternative.  "How about this one: it's finding a lost cat," he declared, pointing at said posting.  "'Please find my missing Fluffy.  Black cat with white paws and nose.  She's a scaredy cat and will run from most people.  Please make sure to bring her back unharmed.'  This looks much better," he turned to grin at Shinju.  There was absolutely no way he was going to agree on her other mission!

[Shinju Kobayashi]

Shinju’s excited face turned to one that was less amused by Kaz’s insistence that they should go after a lost cat instead. “I know finding a lost cat sounds important…” she said as if she was about to agree, “But anyone can find a cat if it’s around here, you know. And it doesn’t pay very much at all…” She made a face like she’d like to do both. “Besides! What if the bad guys took the nice person’s cat?! Then it *would* take someone with skills like ours to save them! You’ve got a sword I bet you can use pretty well, and I’ve got my magic, right?”

Now, Shinju didn’t exactly do puppy dog faces. But she did have a pretty good pleading face in her own right. It wasn’t even purposefully manipulative. It just betrayed exactly how much the strangely innocent sixteen year old wanted to help the people around here with a big problem they were having. “If you want to find the cat… we could split up you know. I’ll go find the bad guys while you find fluffy.” It actually sounded like she was giving in, rather than like she was trying to convince him otherwise. She’d seen the request, and now the part of her that enjoyed using her powers to be a hero was definitely going to do the job. With or without Kaz.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz was possibly even more horrified by Shinju's suggestion to split up.  She wanted to take on a group of wizards alone?  Fairy Tail guild member or not, that was far too dangerous.  That would be dangerous even for a seasoned wizard.  "No... I... ah..." He sighed, rubbing his hair in frustration.  Shinju's logic did make a little sense, in its weird kind of nonsensical way.  "The whole point of this was to do a mission together, right?  If you're going after those wizards anyway..." ...he couldn't believe he was actually saying this... "...then I guess I'll come along too."  Keeping Shinju alive was a higher priority than hiding his magic.  But ideally, he'd like to have both.

Reluctantly Kaz followed Shinju.  This was just his luck.  Why did his life always turn out something like this?  All he'd done was pray to god once for a girl, and now he was on some quest he didn't want to be on with an underaged girl.  They followed the directions of the mission; heading to where the lawless band of wizards supposedly had a hideout.  At the specified location, they found the ruins of an ancient building.  Kaz was honestly surprised to see such a structure - the rubble, while old, was still somewhat recognizable.  Perhaps this had been an old theater of sorts before the one in Onibus took root...?

"Hey! Little boy and girl!" A condescending voice hailed them from above.  Kaz looked up.  At the top of a half-crumbling wall, a man glared down at them.  "This here's the turf of the Mystic Vanguard.  Get lost, before you get hurt."

Kaz froze.  From some other corners of the ruins, he could see two others emerge.  And two more.  Five total?  If it came to a fight, they were going to be at a severe disadvantage... not to mention, who knows how many more could be in hiding.

[Shinju Kobayashi]

Shinju’s hands turned into balled fists as the Mystic Vanguard spokesman announced their presence. Her stance said she was a rather practiced wizard for her age. The wind suddenly picking up around her only proved the point.  Her eyes flicked between the men who appeared around them. Only five? Maybe they would be strong. Though if they weren’t even attacking anywhere important then they probably weren’t… oh well… “Give up right now!” she told the thugs, seeming rather confident for the small girl she was. “We don’t have to fight if you just pack up and go somewhere else and stop bothering people!”

Of course the gang wouldn’t listen. Not to a teenage girl and her sword-wielding friend. “Tell your boyfriend to take you home before you get hurt, little girl.” The man who had originally spoken sneered. “You aren’t the only one with magic, pipsqueak.” He told her as his own body began to shimmer slightly. He was about to cast a spell.

As he raised his hands to fire off a beam of deadly light, Shinju mad a motion with her hands as she ducked slightly lower to the ground, and the winds around her suddenly focused as if going the same direction to push her along, and she easily avoided the beam of light with superhuman speed. Before anyone knew it, she’d sliced the one of the bandits’ faces with a dagger made entirely of focused wind magic, and he recoiled backwards with a yell, blood flying off of his face. She kicked off of him mid-jump, flipping and landing several feet away. “You have to move faster than that, boys,” she said, the grin on her face indicating she was already enjoying herself.

MP 175/200:

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz's hand inched towards the hilt of his sword, ready for the inevitable fight that would break out. He glanced at Shinju to make sure she really still wanted to do this. Only for her to shout for them to give up. Silently Kaz resigned himself to his fate. When the mage fired off a beam of light, Kaz prepared to move Shinju in case she didn't dodge. "Lookout-" He began, but she'd already disappeared. Before he could register what happened, he dove out of the way. The light crashed into the ground next to him, sending a spray of rocks and dirt. He sputtered a bit, shielding his nose and mouth with his elbow. Squinting, he looked up at the mage who had fired the shot.

Only to see Shinju already there, staring him down. Kaz's eyes widened, watching as Shinju mercilessly struck the wizard's face. It wasn't what he had expected from her. Sure, he'd believed that she could fight. But somehow he'd expected to fight more... innocently. She could really kill them, painfully at that, and somehow it just felt strange. He thought she enjoyed the idea of protecting someone more than the fight itself. Maybe he didn't know her quite as well as what he'd seen just through a first impression.

A different wizard from the ruins dashed towards Kaz. Lightning formed in his fists, as he wielded them like nun-chucks. Kaz whipped out his own sword. He hoped the blade could withstand the other's magic-!

His blade clashed against the lightning, the two temporarily locked together. Frowning, Kaz pushed harder against the lightning rods. His superior strength was beginning to push the other mage's weapon down... Magic or not...

"Whoa!" The lock was abruptly lost. A tidal wave swept him off his feet. He struggled to swim against the flow, while holding onto his sword. But eventually he was sent rolling a few feet away, the water dying down. He coughed up some water from his lungs, shakily rising to his feet. He was more disgusted than harmed, truth be told. His clothes and hair were a sloppy mess now, and he stood dripping unhappily at the turn of events. He glared at the offending water wizard, who stood a good feet away. She watched him impassively.

Before Kaz could react to the water mage, his attention was forcefully returned to the lightning wizard. The nun-chuck lighting wizard dashed the distance they'd lost, raising his fists to attack again...

Kaz lifted his own sword, ready to meet his foe head-on again... when he realized the problem. He barely had enough time to twist out of the way, the nun-chucks barely missing his form. Water still dripped down his clothes and sword. If he made contact now... it wouldn't be a repeat of last time. The lightning mage was fast, each strike carefully precise to continue an onslaught of strikes. He was using the time to think... think of another way out of this without using magic. He couldn't just keep dodging forever.

[Shinju Kobayashi]

The man Shinju had slashed then kicked picked himself back up, looking at the sixteen year old with rage. That was going to be a scar! "Idiot girl!" he screamed, charging her. He seemed to want to pummel her himself instead of using his magic, probably due to his anger and humiliation. It was a mistake. Shinju deftly dodged a few of his punches before slashing him again. Her daggers never did any more than cut gashes. He was in more danger of bleeding to death than being stabbed to death if that was all she was going to do. He recoiled from the pain, though, and as he did she kicked him down again.

She turned around in time to see Kasimir under attack from a pair of mages – lightning and water. Shinju wasn’t the smartest person around – far from it. But she was a bit of a savant. She knew magic better than just about anything else in the world, and knew that the two mages were trying to cook Kasimir with the combination of their magic. She was still enhanced from her wind magic, and took off to help her temporary partner. “Look out!” she said, holding out her hand like a gun, firing a bullet of concentrated wind at the lightning mage as he prepared to strike. He was hit with the force of the wind bullet, flying back and landing on the ground with a heavy thud. Shinju stopped in front of Kasimir, separating him from the lightning user. “I’ve got this guy,” she told Kasimir, turning partially around and giving him a grin and a thumbs up. “No need to get you all toasty.”

MP 152/200 - Sustain Speed Boost:

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz doubted he could keep dodging the speedy lightning mage's strikes for much longer.  He barely heard Shinju's voice, and leapt away without thinking.  Just in time.  The wind bowled his opponent over.  "Thanks," his instincts took over.  He might've been a bit out of practice recently, but he'd still spent a lifetime worth of fighting.  Whipping around, he dashed towards the water mage, knowing that Shinju could take the lightning wizard without a problem.

Kaz was regrettably not very fast, and the gap between them was substantial.  The blue-haired wizard lifted a hand, summoning another tidal wave.  But Kaz was ready this time.  Barely he managed to dodge, rolling off to the side.  Dirt clung to his still-wet clothes as he hit the earth.  Ugh, he was making mud essentially.  He'd need to wash that off later, preferably not with the help of his opponent.

He continued his sprint.  Raising his sword, he swung in an arc against the girl.  She teetered a few steps back, the sword slicing her stomach.  She let out a quiet gasp, and Kaz paused instead of continuing his assault.  "I-I hate fighting girls..." He was legitimately torn between his next course of action.  Fighting men was one thing, girls were another.  Even if it was in self-defense, he especially couldn't bear to see a girl hurt.

His opponent had no such qualms.  "You'll regret looking down on me," she hissed, taking advantage of his hesitation.  Tendrils of water snaked around his arms and legs, growing and expanding until they overtook his entire body.  He was covered in a sheet of water. Flinching, he kept his mouth firmly shut, holding his breath.  He tried moving, but it literally was moving underwater, and he hardly made much progress.

His opponent smirked at his dilemma.  Caught in a bubble, Kaz's strength was hardly threatening. Raising her fingers, she snapped.  Immediately the water constricted around his chest.  It squeezes the air from his lungs; involuntarily his mouth opened.  A stream of bubbles escaped from his mouth as water took its place.  Damn, if he didn't do something fast...!

His foot shifted against the ground lightly, the only indication that he was using magic.  The earth  trembled violently, the earthquake affecting all those around Kaz.  The lightning mage, Shinju, and most importantly, the water mage - anyone within the radius around him would feel the quake.  That was okay.  Even if Shinju got hit, it wouldn't hurt her.

The water mage let out a cry of surprise, as she lost her balance and collapsed.  The bubble around him lost its form, seeping into the ground.  Gone were his earlier reservations.  Still coughing up water from the effects, he raised his two handed sword against the fallen woman - only to slam its hilt into her forehead.  She fell back completely on the ground, eyes rolling up as she fell unconscious.  But there were still other wizards lurking around... He turned to find his next opponent, or help Shinju.

MP 140/150:

[Shinju Kobayashi]

Shinju dodged the strikes of lightning flying at her, getting grazed a few times by the burning heat of the electricity, but never taking anything substantial as far as damage went. With expert ease, she slammed the blade of her dagger into the man, though the shaped wind was not yet as powerful as a real dagger. A gash appeared where a regular stab would have, and he cried out in pain. She kicked him with her surprisingly strong legs, and he fell down with a screech of pain. Shinju nearly jumped on him again to knock him out when the light beam user slammed into her with a beam of light energy just as the ground shook and unbalanced her, and she went rolling.

“You made a mistake coming without reinforcements!” the beam user yelled, wearing a toothy grin. “We don’t usually kill kids, but I think I’ll make an exception for you. And of course your friend over there.  Jayne is going to want payback for hitting her head so hard, if she lives.” Shinju slowly got back up. The beam had hurt more than she thought it would, and she winced in pain. She gripped around where the hilt of her wind daggers would be even tighter, and the winds swirled around faster. That had really hurt! She was going to have to stop him if she didn’t want either of them getting hurt worse.


MP 144/200 - sustain Speed Boost

[Kasimir Sewik]

"Shinju!" Kaz yelled as the beam slammed into his friend.  Frantically he raced to her side.  He was used to pain, so he could take a hit or two... but Shinju looked so petite, he doubted she possessed the same constitution.  He knelt beside her to check on her condition.  Thankfully the girl seemed okay, and was already rising without his help.

In the corner of his eye, he saw a light flicker.  Looking up, Kaz saw the beam user condensing an inordinate amount of magical energy.  His hands were above his head, a ball of energy growing quickly, the magic's power whining as it charged.  Kaz rose slowly, eyes locked on the user.  Whatever that spell was... it was something high-ranked, and could possibly kill them.

"It's over, kids.  Say goodbye," the beam user grinned.  He released the spell.  A flood of white energy released, screaming as it raced towards them.  The spell was too large, there was no way Kaz would be able to get out in time... and even with Shinju's speed, he doubted she could completely avoid it, either.  Without thinking he grabbed the back of Shinju's shirt, flinging her behind him.  His left hand moved, twisting the earth beneath them.

The land rumbled again, a wall of earth rising between them and the incoming beam.  Just barely in time.  Even with the shield between them, the exploding light was intense.  It was practically blinding, Kaz closing his eyes.  The entire world shook between the two clashing powers, the explosion unable to penetrate through Kaz's shield.  Finally it ended.

Kaz opened his eyes as the light faded.  The earthen wall remained in front of him and Shinju, but his secret was pretty much blown.  The earthquake might've been too subtle to pinpoint him as the source.  But the earthen wall between them pretty much spoke of his own abilities.  He turned his head around to Shinju, grinning ruefully.  "Wow, good thing this wall just happened to come up and block that attack, huh?  Pretty convenient..." He laughed nervously.  There wasn't much reason to deny it anymore, so even he wasn't sure what he was saying.

Wham! Pain flared in his chest, and he shouted involuntarily.  The impact knocked him completely off his feet, rolling gracelessly on the ground.  The enemy wizard pulled the metal ball away.  It was huge, in diameter, practically a wrecking ball, attached to a chain and rod.  Yet he wielded it without any trouble.  Apparently he had been waiting for the right time to intervene, taking an opportunistic strike when Kaz thought they were safe.

Kaz landed face first into the ground, the blow sending him a few meters away from his original standing point.  He lost his grip on his sword somewhere along the way, the blade tumbling uselessly on the grass, a few inches from his hand.  He was still alive... the pain in his chest clearly told him that.  But he wasn't quite sure if he'd broken anything.  His hand twitched as he tried to pull himself together... but he couldn't manage to lift more than his face.  Shinju was still in danger...

The man with the chain and ball smirked.  He twirled the weapon effortlessly, laughing at Shinju.  "You're next, little girl," he sneered.  His companion, the beam user, was still around too... albeit panting a bit after using so much energy for an attack.

MP 120/150:

[Shinju Kobayashi]

Shinju let out a slightly pained yelp as her friend grabbed her and tossed her behind him, summoning a wall of earth to protect them from an intense blast of white light. She slowly stood up, shielding her eyes from the blast. It was intense, and as hot as fire. "Wow, good thing this wall just happened to come up and block that attack, huh?  Pretty convenient..." he chuckled. Shinju knew it was him, and would have made a comment had a metal wrecking ball not three seconds later.  He rolled on the ground like a ragdoll for several feet before skidding to a stop. He was still breathing, but she wasn’t sure he would be getting up.


Shinju didn’t hear the threats of the wrecking ball man. She was angry, and afraid for Kasimir’s life. She stared at him for a long moment, turning back to the man with the wrecking ball and his beam-using friend. Her magic had changed somehow, fundamentally. When had it happened? It was probably during the split second between her shift in her gaze. The wind around her seemed more visible somehow. It was darker, the air around her seeming to have an almost purple tint. Her eyes had changed from their innocent blue to a crimson red. Everything seemed different. Even the thugs had noticed.

“No more,” she told them simply, the frown on her face indicating her displeasure. “You won’t hurt anyone ever again.” Shinju gripped her wind dagger tighter, and they seemed to focus into a tighter, more controlled blade edge. She leapt forward. She’d lost her speed boost when she’d been struck the first time, but she’d held onto the dagger. The wrecking ball guy tried to plow the wrecking ball into Shinju, but she easily dodged it since she was aware of it.  Her dagger plowed into the man’s arm, and he cried out in pain. The wrecking ball disappeared, and he fell to his knees as she shoved the wind dagger deeper into his arm.  She’d completely lost whatever was left of Shinju by now, and was grinning wildly at the sight of the blood spilling out of the man’s arm wound. “But I can make you hurt for what seems like an eternity. That sounds nice and fun.”


MP - 139/400 Sustain wind daggers

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz could still hear the sounds of combat continue without him.  Pain wracked his entire chest; breathing was unnecessarily difficult.  But that was okay.  This was... nothing.  He'd been in plenty of bad situations in the past, and nothing had killed him yet.  What would make this time any different?  He wasn't on the other side yet, and that meant he couldn't afford to just lie here like this...

His fist clenched tightly as he gathered his willpower.  Trying to push away the pain, he rose his body shakily.  If Shinju got in trouble because he was sleeping on the job, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself... Another regret that could be added to a long checklist.  Still on his hands and knees, Kaz looked up towards the sound of combat...

He froze.  Everything about Shinju had changed.  Or maybe the world itself had transformed.  The air felt denser and more oppressive.  Or it could have been just the pain in his chest still.  Shinju had cornered her opponent... the words seeming unlike her, as if she planned to play with his life.  "Sh... Shinju..." Kaz tried to speak out, to warn her.  But it hurt to breathe, let alone speak, and his voice was hardly strong enough to carry the distance it needed.  Especially over the man's screams.

He had to stop her.  Mustering as much strength as he could, Kaz rose to his feet.  He nearly lost his balance and fell over, but at the last moment caught himself.  Slowly he put one foot in front of the other.  He passed his fallen sword, doubting that he had the strength to even bend down and pick it up.  But he didn't need it, anyway.  He knew it was naive of him, but he didn't want to see anyone die or suffer again, whether they were his friend or enemy.  Slowly he stumbled forward, panting heavily, and not really knowing what he could accomplish.  But he had to do something...

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