Hearts

[Ava Brooks]

Ava felt that today she would go out, she would head to East Fiore, and she would help people. Not in Magnolia though, definitely not Magnolia. No, Ava simply wanted to take a trip, help people, and maybe practice with her magic. Her magic wasn’t like anyone else in her guild. They could all cast spells and fight and generally make quite a show of it. Ava could pull out a key and summon a spirit. That was more than good enough for her. In fact, it wasn’t “good enough,” it was better, for her. Her low blood pressure meant that if she actually got into a physical fight she wouldn’t do well, but with her keys she could actually stand a chance. Well… key, she was on the lookout for another key, but for the time being all she could do was use her Sparkfly.

Ava put on a travelling dress, something a light peach, with brown accents, and white underneath. The young woman put a great deal of energy into her appearance. It was crucial. Her parents had taught her all about that, and she hadn’t lost her superficiality. Ava put on some nice boots for the journey, and packed a bag. Paying for a ride to Clover was a calculated purchase. She knew that without funds from her parents she could not go around buying a lot of things. However she was not someone capable of making a full trek to Clover, so she paid.

[Ava Brooks]

On the ride to Clover Ava’s hands remained primarily near her neck. She wore her key as a necklace right now. If she were to get more keys she supposed she would get a key ring and wear them at her waist. It wasn’t something she really needed to worry about right now though. A problem she would have gladly had, and yet not one she had just yet.

She was near a few other people on the trip, and listened idly to their conversation. A little girl travelling kept talking to her mother about Ava’s dress. Ava pretended not to notice, to be polite, but it reminded her of her sisters. She did miss them. She would have to write to Rolland about them again soon. She wrote to him quite frequently. They got out in Clover and Ava kept her hand up to her necklace for a while, which apparently drew some attention. She rarely thought about her guild stamp. It was on the back of her right hand, and symbolized that she was a competent guild wizard, or really just a guild wizard, but to be in a guild she expected competent was a nice start. Someone else noticed it and came up to her.

[Ava Brooks]

A woman with sea green hair and beautifully blue eyes came up to Ava. Ava was confused about this, but the woman commented on Ava’s hand stamp and Ava supposed this must be a guild matter. She was apparently looking for someone in Blue Pegasus, but she was in such a rush that if Ava would be so kind as to help, she would do. Ava wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of being a Blue Pegasus substitute. They were yet another guild she was sure her parents would have approved of more. It was not that she joined Lamia Scale to spite her parents, but she did join it despite them. Ava didn’t voice any of this now, and simply listened to the woman.

She had a love letter for her boyfriend. Ava smiled at this immediately. It was just so sweet. The idea of exchanging letters with the man she loved. Although, that thought got Ava’s mind buzzing and she blushed despite herself. The woman, named Linda, was far too lost in her story to notice Ava’s slight awkwardness. Fine by Ava. If she could get the letter to Mark, he would give Ava a sum of money that Linda had given him. It was far more important to her to get the letter to Era, than the money. Ava could always use money, so she happily agreed to this woman’s request and took the letter, putting it immediately and safely in her coat.

[Ava Brooks]

Linda’s home was apparently just near where Ava had gotten off. She explained that she’d sent word to Blue Pegasus, but since they hadn’t sent anyone in a few days, she was happy to ask Ava. The pleasantries were nice, but Ava was starting to remember her desire for adventure. She politely reminded Linda that the sooner Ava left, the sooner she could get the letter to this Mark. Linda stopped her gushing and ushered Ava out the door.

Ava felt special with this letter. She reached into her coat frequently, spending more time touching the edges of the envelope than holding onto her key ring. She normally spent a lot more time holding her key. She was proud of it, and knew it was valuable. Apparently some other people thought the silver key looked valuable as well. On her way to Era, walking past some trees, Ava was accosted by two masked men. Being stopped by the two adult males did not look good for Ava. She was a petite teenage girl, still technically a child, and with a strong feeling of self-preservation. These men towered over her. Well… you did want adventure, right Ava? she thought to herself. She had wanted adventure, but not exactly to have some men try to rob her. Hadn’t her parents always told her that she was the perfect target for vagabonds? Never to go out alone? Yeah… too late for that now.

[Ava Brooks]

“Give us all your money. I’m sure you’ve got a lot,” one of the men said. She did look like a walking poster for high living, when she was at the guild, but now she was in a far less flashy ensemble. She crossed her arms, her key hanging just above them.

“And the key. Give us that too,” the other man chimed in from behind his mask.

“Do you even know what this key is?” Ava asked, her defiance clear despite her small stature. She saw one of them narrow his eyes.

“Yeah, it’s a key. And people buy those. I’d be surprised if you even knew how to use it. Now give it here, Princess,” the man said, putting his hand out. Ava shook her head, smirking a bit. She was a smart young woman, but she was even more willful than she was smart. They weren’t about to get anything from her.

One of the men stepped toward Ava and she stepped back, gripping the key and summoning Sparkfly. She felt her magic fluctuate and the gate for her summon opening. The cute little red electrical creature appeared, its electricity crackling around it. One of the bandits swore, something Ava really had no patience for, but then he quickly summoned a spear of Lightning.

Well that’s ironic… Ava thought, realizing they shared an element with her sole summon. Oh well, nothing she could do about it.

[Ava Brooks]

The men’s spells shared an element with the small red floating creature Ava had summoned, but their bodies did not. Sparkfly flew toward the two men, weaving and bouncing as if it were having a good time. One of the men tried to hit the Sparkfly with his spear, but it bounced out of the way and hit the man in the head. He let out a yelp which Ava winced at. She didn’t really want to hurt people, and she didn’t think her Sparkfly did either, but the men had to be hurt to leave her alone apparently. The Sparkfly used both its pulse attack, and as the man jumped back, its shock attack. Both made contact and she man fell to the ground, hardly conscious. He stumbled back as he tried to get up, and the other man saw this and immediately backed off. Ava knew that her summon had just gone all out to avoid prolonging the fight, but these men clearly didn’t know anything about Celestial spirits.

With one last attempt at combat the second bandit moved close, but Sparkfly rushed forward, touching the man’s hand and shocking him. Another shout of pain and both men were running. Ava blinked in surprise. “Well… that worked,” she said, reaching toward her summon and patting it on the head. She knew from experience that it didn’t shock her, only enemies.

[Ava Brooks]

Ava kept walking through the trees, clearly in a hurry. She carried herself with poise and confidence, but that didn’t mean she wanted to stick around for the bandits to make a second attempt. She was stubborn and smart, not stubborn and stupid. So Ava and her Sparkfly wandered along. She kept her friend there because it was good company. It didn’t really talk to her, but they communicated. As she neared Era Ava said goodbye to her summon. She was alone again, on this strange little adventure. Well, no harm in that, right? Adventures were more fun with company, but if she had more adventures, she could find more company, right? That notion helped Ava for the rest of the walk.

Upon arriving in Era Ava went straight to finding the Mark fellow. She still liked the idea of love, and she could have sat all day dreaming about it, but she knew there was another ride that she’d like to catch, one heading back near home. Era wasn’t her home and she wasn’t super keen on spending a lot of time there alone. So Ava found Mark and asked him if he was the Mark she needed to find. Of course he was, and he seemed absolutely giddy. She beamed at him, pleased that she could bring these people that much joy. She still wasn’t sure on her purpose in life, but she wouldn’t say no to it being something like this.

Total Words: 1,657/500

[Sponsored content]