Spring Festival In Desert Village

-Desert Village, 11:00 A.M.-

Wearing her green, white, and gold outfit with black bike shorts on underneath the skirt, Leona walked towards the outskirts of Desert Village and the first thing she noticed was that Desert Village was laid out in a pattern that brought to mind a crescent moon with some jagged rocks scattered here and there within its borders. The second thing the Wizard Saint noticed was that the entire village was decorated for the Spring Festival being held all around Fiore. While she had traveled through The Forgotten Deserts a few times in the past, this was her first time ever visiting Desert Village. The decorations for the Spring Festival made for a vivid first impression.

There were rectangular cloths of light blue, pink, lavender, green, gold, and other colors associated with spring festooning almost every structure in the village and lending the place a festive look as they fluttered in the wind whenever the wind blew. People were moving about the village and enjoying the various activities that were part of the festival... at first glance there looked to be plenty of activities to choose from. Leona was going to participate in them as soon as Masha Dymonrel, a guildmate of hers and the mother of their son Nathan, arrived at the village.

Minus all the decorations for the festival, the sight of Desert Village sort of reminded Leona of her home village all the way back in Desierto. That was both a good thing and a bad thing. It was good because despite all the time she had spent in Fiore she had not completely forgotten where she had come from. It was bad because there were some parts of her past that she wanted to forget such as her mother constantly pestering her for grandchildren and being "encouraged" to give up her mage career because her mother was firmly convinced that Leona's place was at home raising children.

Leona sidelined those unpleasant memories, if only for today. She was waiting on Masha to get here so that the two of them could participate in a festival together. It had been a long time since the blonde had participated in any festival with Masha and that was something Leona wanted to change. The blonde needed to assure the redhead that the latter was genuinely wanted around Silver Wolf Guild Hall as something other than a guild member and the mother of their son. Leona was not good with words, but maybe they could talk a little more freely in an environment that was outside the guild hall, an environment where rank and status meant little and they could interact as equals.

However, a change of venue was still not going to enable Leona to talk to Masha without difficulty.

Leona had difficulties socializing even with people she knew, a fact that the blonde's longtime friend Samira Nassar could testify to. Masha was one of the most important people Leona needed to learn to communicate with, but the blonde could not just will herself into having good social skills. She would try hard for Masha's sake because Leona owed Masha a serious effort to make the redhead feel like she was genuinely wanted for reasons other than out of obligation.

As Leona waited for Masha the blonde tried to distract herself from her growing apprehension by looking at the pieces of brightly colored cloth fluttering in the wind. Maybe once Masha got here Leona could subdue that apprehension and actually be sociable without having to force herself into it.

[Post Word Count: 593]
[Leona's Word Count: 593/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 593/4,000]

@Masha

Leona was standing and looking at the village when she felt someone touch her arm. The Wizard Saint turned to find the source of the touch and found that the source was Masha Dymonrel. As usual the alluring redhead was dressed in a nice-looking outfit that was color-coordinated and made the Wizard Saint look shabby in comparison. Even with the miracle that was Cloth Make Magic keeping Leona's green, white, and gold outfit looking brand new Masha looked a lot more attractive than the Wizard Saint.

"Hi there, Masha. Thanks for the compliment on how I look. I really appreciate it." Leona said to Masha with minimal pauses in her speech. The blonde did her best to make her speech pattern sound natural for a change. Today Leona was going to try hard to actually talk to Masha in a natural manner to avoid sounding stilted and driving the alluring redhead away.

"You look great too, Masha. I like your hair and I like your outfit. I mean that." Leona made an effort to give the redhead a compliment about her appearance. Masha had dressed up today and the blonde wanted to acknowledge that fact. Leona then thought about the second question she had been asked. It did not take the blonde long to come up with an answer.

"I'm looking at the village, Masha. It kinda reminds me of my home village in Desierto." Leona replied to the redhead's second question. Feeling that she owed the redhead an explanation, Leona decided to elaborate on her answer a little.

"It reminds me of my home village in terms of the aesthetic. The layout's very different, but the aesthetic is largely the same. That's oddly comforting to me for a reason I can't explain." Leona elaborated a little. The Wizard Saint decided to keep the negative parts of the story to herself unless Masha specifically asked about them. Leona then paused for a moment to get her thoughts together before continuing. When she spoke again she went from an explanation to a sort-of explanation mixed with observations.

"It's kinda funny how things turn out, Masha. When I was eight years old I couldn't wait to find any excuse I could to leave my home village. I always wondered what was beyond the horizon but could never get to see what was out there. Now that I've been to a lot of different places and seen a lot of different things the desert aesthetic is comforting to me." Leona mused to the redhead. The Wizard Saint then went silent to give Masha a chance to speak.

[Post Word Count: 434]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,027/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 1,285/4,000]

@Masha

Leona listened in silence to Masha talk about the latter's lack of a place to call home and the feelings that came with said place. Despite the somewhat pleasant way she had phrased her description of how the aesthetic of Desert Village made her feel, Leona had mixed emotions about her actual home village. While there had been some good moments there, there had also been a lot of bad times in that place.

Bandit raids, slaver raids, witnessing a dwindling population as more and more villagers were either killed or carted off into slavery, being able to see the horizon but never getting to go beyond it, and her mother Sophia's constant "requests" for grandchildren combined to make Leona dislike her home village. While her opinion towards it had improved a little, there were still plenty of bad memories there. Chief among them was memories of her mother halfheartedly training her to use magic and halfheartedly training her to use a sword. It felt like her mother had only done so under duress and would not have trained Leona in either skill if she could have found a way to get out of doing it.

"Yeah. There's something to be said for having a place to call home. It's hard to put into words, but there's something about it." Leona said to Masha in a way that was not very helpful since the blonde could not quite put it into words. The Wizard Saint listened to Masha's request, which was to one day visit Leona's home village.

"We can do that, Masha. We can go to my home village in Desierto one day. I've gotta warn you that bandits or slavers might attack at any time during our visit, so be ready to fight." Leona agreed to the request but warned the redhead that the village might come under attack during their visit. After their talk in Silver Wolf Guild Hall some time ago Leona no longer feared the questions of her mother, which were bound to be plentiful once Leona arrived with Masha, who might also be carrying their son Nathan. Masha had provided a very good answer to how Nathan came to be and that answer was also true, so the blonde's biggest concern had been addressed. The only real problem that remained was trying to time their visit so that they did not get caught up in a bandit or slaver attack.

Leona listened to Masha's next request, which was to participate in the festival together. The blonde had no problem with that. She owed it to the redhead to put in some effort to make their relationship work and this was a good time to try to get to know Masha.

"Sure thing, Masha. Let's participate in the festival together." Leona said to the redhead, taking the hand that had been offered to her. The blonde was not quite as worried about appearances as she had been months ago. She wanted to try and build a relationship with someone that was not work-related. She had already let too many opportunities to get to know other people pass her by and she was determined to try harder to meaningfully interact with Masha.

[Post Word Count: 536]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,563/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 2,374/4,000]

@Masha

"They tend to attack in groups so big I can't take them all out, but any enemy that I can get to has a very short lifespan. And with you around they stand even less of a chance of getting away without taking big losses." Leona said to Masha. It had been years since they had last fought together, so long that it might as well have been a lifetime ago, but Masha had done a good job of taking the fight to the angels when the two mages had fought them that time. The redhead could easily tear through bandits or slavers like wet tissue paper if she had a reason to do so, so Leona readily believed Masha's firm assertion that she would eliminate anyone who threatened their son.

Masha soon moved on from that topic and expressed her gratitude to Leona for being allowed to join the latter for the Spring Festival. Leona made eye contact with Masha and spoke.

"It's no problem, Masha." Leona gave a simple answer so that she did not run the risk of saying something that alienated the redhead. The blonde owed Masha a genuine effort to interact with her so that it did not look like Leona was stringing Masha along to avoid being alone or only tolerating her out of obligation to Nathan. The Spring Festival was a good place to spend time with Masha, so today Leona was going to give socializing with the redhead a genuine effort. Leona had missed too many potential interactions with other people because she was afraid of what they would think if they saw the "real" Leona who was prone to forgetting things or saying stupid things, so this was a chance to build up her social skills so that in the future she could start socializing with other people a little better.

The energetic redhead started moving towards something that was clearly of interest to her, prompting Leona to move quickly to keep pace with Masha. Leona quickly followed her companion and heard the redhead propose their first festival activity be participating in a relay race together. Moments after making the suggestion Masha swiftly reconsidered and proposed that they postpone it until later, something Leona was not opposed to doing.

"We'll do the relay race later today then, Masha." Leona assured the alluring redhead that they would come back to do that activity later. That was a promise that the blonde intended to keep. The event looked like it could be fun.

[Post Word Count: 420]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,983/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 3,108/4,000]

@Masha

After declaring her promise to do the relay race with Masha later in the day Leona felt her hand be squeezed by the redhead. Moments later the two were in the area for the Easter Egg Painting Activity and they decided to sit next to each other because the stars aligned and there were two seats right next to each other. Leona heard the redhead comment about her limited art skills and was tempted to let it pass without comment but then decided to speak anyway in an effort to reassure the redhead.

"My art skills aren't all that great either, Masha. Don't worry too much." Leona assured the redhead that she was in the same boat as Masha. Leona did not have very many talents outside of fighting and even then she was not the best fighter to ever exist. She had little formal training in any formal style of fighting and still tended to hold back too much because she wanted to save magical power for a later stage of the fight instead of using what she needed to take tough opponents out during the opening stages. She also tended to lose situational awareness too easily and as a result frequently took hits that she could have avoided.

Leona sat down at her station and paid close attention to a detailed description of the rules that participants had to follow for the Easter Egg Painting activity. Once the activity started Leona picked up a thin-bristled paintbrush, dipped it in black paint, and began carefully painting the outline of the Silver Wolf emblem on her egg. Because this was her first time ever painting anything the outline was wobbly in places, the tips of the ears were flat rather than pointed, and the wolf's muzzle was a bit... pointed. In some places the lines were so straight that the lines of the muzzle looked more like the beginnings of a bird's beak than a wolf's muzzle. Once the outline had been more or less finished Leona looked for silver paint and did not find any, but she did find blue paint and that was good enough... she had wanted to paint the inside of the wolf silver, but blue was good since the color would match the color of her guild tattoo.

First she needed to add a few details like the fur around the neck.

Once Leona did that to the best of her ability she cleaned out her paintbrush, dipped the end in blue paint, and began to paint the inside of the outline blue, being careful not to go too far outside the lines. She went outside the lines anyway, but once all the painting was done the end result was decent enough. Leona put the paintbrush down and showed the end result to Masha.

"Here's what I did, Masha. It's my first time painting anything, so it's not very good." Leona said to the redhead while looking at Masha's painted egg, which had the colors of the rainbow on it. Leona's green eyes made contact with Masha's blue eyes and the blonde could not help but to notice that Masha's eyes were not on the egg being shown to her. For some reason Leona's discomfort was not as high as it used to be, probably because Masha liked her for more than just her looks... that mild discomfort manifested as Leona blushing lightly instead of blushing furiously like she used to do whenever someone seemed attracted to her.

Leona was still surprised that Masha found her attractive despite her flaws such as terrible social skills.

Leona gave the alluring redhead a small smile.

[Post Word Count: 608]
[Leona's Word Count: 2,591/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 4,106/4,000]

@Masha

Leona heard Masha assert that the blonde was the better artist between the two. The Wizard Saint considered her words carefully before speaking to the redhead. She did not want to downplay her achievement, but she wanted to make it clear that she was no amazing painter.

"I'd say it's beginner's luck, Masha. Like I said earlier, this is the first time I ever painted anything. I appreciate the compliment, though." Leona asserted to Masha while making it a point to accept the compliment so that it did not seem like the blonde was putting on a front of false modesty or ignoring the compliment entirely. She did not regularly participate in artistic endeavors, so she was not going to pretend she was some amazing artist who was hiding their talent to make Masha feel better. The Wizard Saint was not terribly imaginative, so she had fallen back on what she knew best, which was the Silver Wolf emblem. She was also terrible at making curved lines that were somewhat smooth.

Leona received her small plastic egg and rose from her seat shortly after Masha did. She heard Masha voice mild disappointment about the lack of a dance activity. Leona was silently grateful for that missing activity because she had danced only once before and that was with Samira Nassar at the Urban Nights Event some time ago. It was a minor miracle that she had managed to pull out a draw during the dance competition and she was not keen on another dance competition, but if Masha wanted to participate in one she would do so. Masha had better not have high expectations, though.

Leona took Masha's hand and listened to the redhead suggest the sequence of activities that came next. The Wizard Saint did not have to take very long to think about her decision.

"Sure, Masha. We can do the relay race first, then check out the feast." Leona consented to the order in which Masha wanted to do the activities. Leona had no problem with the order and had promised to do the relay race with Masha whenever the redhead wanted to participate in it. Leona then listened to Masha talk further and learned that the redhead was trying to take the blonde's dislike of social gatherings into account before they plunged into more festival activities. The Wizard Saint felt a little bad about Masha having to plan things around her, but she also appreciated that concern.

"I'm fine right now, Masha. Thanks for considering how I feel." Leona sincerely thanked Masha for being considerate of her feelings before blushing again when she heard the redhead's next words.

"This is the first time I've been on a date with you, Masha. I'm a bit nervous too." Leona confessed to the alluring redhead. The blonde had no problem admitting that she was nervous because she knew where Masha stood and knew that the redhead would not put her down for admitting that weakness. That made talking with Masha easier... the only other person Leona felt confident enough to talk to about issues of a personal nature was Samira Nassar because Samira did not put Leona down whenever the latter was less than perfect, which was a lot.

[Post Word Count: 540]
[Leona's Word Count: 3,131/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 5,139/4,000]

@Masha

"I don't mind you being interested in me, Masha. I'm just not used to anyone being really interested in me and I don't know how to express that." Leona said to her companion. It was a bit difficult for Leona to listen to Masha talk about the lukewarm romantic side of the relationship and feel like she was not stringing the redhead along at least a little. Masha had asserted that that was something she could live with, but the blonde still felt a little bad about it. The last time someone had been really interested in Leona bad things had happened... back in her home village Leona beat up the village chief's son when he had gotten handsy with her one night and she ended up getting exiled from her home village. There was still lingering negativity around anyone taking an interest in her and it affected her relationship with Masha, which was unfair to the redhead because she liked Leona for more than just looks.

Looking for a diversion from her feelings, Leona got that wish when Masha's great enthusiasm for the relay race caused her to set out for the registration area at a brisk walk. Leona hurried to catch up and got there after the pair had already been signed up and met up with Masha, who was holding two yellow ribbons that she showed to the blonde upon the latter's arrival.

"I think a yellow ribbon looks good on you, Masha." Leona said with sincerity before her hand was grabbed and she hurried over to the yellow team area with some "guidance" from Masha. When they got there Leona listened to her teammates talk and learned that Masha was the team's first runner, which prompted the Wizard Saint to ask about her own place in the lineup. She would be going last... she had been given the honor of being the last runner since the person who was to be third confessed that they would get nervous and possibly make a mistake if the team's hopes were pinned on them.

After getting her place assignment Leona then walked to the place where the last runner went and stood exactly parallel to the other last runners on the other teams. She watched Masha suit up for the race and waited for the relay race to start. When it started the blonde watched her companion get off to a good start and when she reached the second runner take the head and suit off quickly, then pass it off to the second person. Leona watched as the second person suited up without any trouble before taking off down the track. When they reached the third runner the head and suit were passed off to the third person, who quickly got dressed without any mishaps and ran towards Leona with everything they had.

The third runner soon got to the Wizard Saint and removed the head and suit, then handed both items off to Leona. The Wizard Saint hurriedly put on the suit and zipped it up, then put the head on and made sure that both it and the suit were secure before turning around and running for the finish line. Recalling the earlier discussion of the activity rules and recalling that the use of magic was forbidden, Leona relied on her natural speed, which was more than sufficient to give her a good chance of winning if nothing bad happened to her. Leona ran for the finish line like her life depended on it and reached it well ahead of the other runners, crossing over it and getting the win for the yellow team.

Leona had done it. She had not made any stupid mistakes that cost her team the win like tripping over her feet in the middle of the track, failing to secure the head with the hat and the suit before starting off for the finish line, or accidentally using magic. It was a victory won with remarkable ease, but the Wizard Saint would gladly take an easy win. Not every victory had to be won through blood, sweat, and tears to be a satisfying one. Leona stood absolutely still and refrained from making any gestures that could be construed as showboating... this was a friendly competition, after all.

[Post Word Count: 716]
[Leona's Word Count: 3,847/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 6,413/4,000]

@Masha

Leona continued to stand where she was after the race was over... she was feeling pretty good because the race had went her way. She had not made any stupid mistakes that could have ruined her team's chance of winning like tripping over her own feet, forgetting to put on the entire costume before running, or not securing the costume properly before setting out for the finish line. As a result of her luck holding out Leona had brought home the win, but she had not done it alone. She had been put in a place to win thanks to the efforts of Masha and her other teammates.

Leona took off the costume, then neatly folded the suit and carefully stacked the head on top before the announcer gave the blonde and the redhead an unexpected prize, which was a nice-looking trophy with two small eggs that had been carefully placed on top of it. Once she got the trophy Leona handed the costume suit and costume head to the announcer. Then she basked in the praise of her teammates while blushing a little. She did not like being the center of attention but did her best to handle the situation without showing any signs of discomfort or distress.

"Thanks, guys. You were great too." Leona said, making it a point to praise her teammates for putting her in the place to win with their good running speed and their seamlessly handing off of the costume to the next runner. Without them doing their part it did not matter how fast Leona was if she did not have the costume to put on before she ran for the finish line. She was just glad that nothing bad had happened at the last moment to cost her team the victory.

Leona felt her free hand be grabbed by Masha and she wondered what was going on. She soon got her answer. Moments later Masha launched them into the air and they had went airborne!

Why was this happening to her?

Leona remained silent with fear as she made the terrible mistake of looking down in mid-flight and seeing nothing but tan below her before Masha brought the Wizard Saint close to her and thus cut off Leona's view of the ground below. If Masha looked at her it would be clear from the blonde's pale face that the Wizard Saint hated and feared heights. Leona was well aware of the irony of a Wind mage being afraid of heights, but some cosmic entity had a strange sense of humor. When they finally landed at their destination and Leona was released her face regained its color. She had not been so glad to be back on solid ground since the time she had summoned her Harpy Sisters summons and had flown around Serene Cliff thanks to them.

That had been almost four years ago.

"I'm ready to eat something whenever you are, Masha." Leona said to her companion, putting her discomfort from the unexpected flight behind her. Leona then faced towards the redhead and took Masha's hand.

[Post Word Count: 516]
[Leona's Word Count: 4,363/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 7,373/4,000]

@Masha

After a bit of walking the pair reached a table and Leona silently sat beside her redheaded companion, then listened to the redhead speak to her. Leona was not sure what she wanted yet, so she remained silent and watched as Masha prepared her plate, grabbing a variety of food for herself. Leona's appetite was briefly suppressed by the lingering effects of her fear of heights, so food was the last thing on her mind right now. She listened to Masha talk about the Leprechaun Relay Race for a few moments, specifically the part when Leona was running towards the finish line after having put on the complete costume.

"I didn't know anyone was gaining on me because I kept my eyes focused forward. I didn't look back because I didn't want to look like I was showboating and I didn't want to trip and ruin our chances of winning." Leona told Masha that she had been unaware of the position of runners from other teams during the race. When she had the suit's head on her peripheral vision was reduced to nil and she had no idea what was going on around her. That was probably for the best because the confining nature of the suit's head made her focus only on what she was doing, not what other people were doing.

After explaining her side of the race Leona listened to Masha explain why the pair had made an abrupt departure from the small victory celebration after the race. The Wizard Saint was a bit surprised by it, but she did not know very much about Masha before their meeting at Silver Wolf Guild Hall some time ago. Learning about Masha was what this day was for, after all.

"I'm fine right now, Masha. I'm still a little surprised by how suddenly we left and how we left, but I'm fine." Leona said to her. She did not anticipate leaving the small post-race celebration in the fashion that the pair had left in. She also did not mind leaving too much, but she would have preferred an exit that did not involve flight, especially sudden flight. However, the motives for their sudden departure surprised Leona. No one had ever been jealous of her before.

"I'll let you know if you ever become overbearing, Masha. And I'll be calm about it." Leona reassured the redhead in a calm voice that she hoped did not come across as condescending. When it came to being overbearing Masha would have to work very hard to catch up with Sophia Jarnefeldt, who had nagged Leona to leave Fiore behind and return to her home village for the past few years. If Masha ever reached the point where she rivaled Sophia the Wizard Saint would be sure to let Masha know, but Leona would not scream at Masha or call her out in public.

Leona looked down at the table for a moment, then made eye contact with Masha.

"Would you mind passing me a plate of couscous, Masha?" Leona asked her red-haired companion. The Wizard Saint ate a lot of it when she was a child and she had developed a liking for it. Now she wanted some so that Masha did not feel awkward by being the only one of the pair eating anything.

[Post Word Count: 552]
[Leona's Word Count: 4,915/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 8,137/4,000]

@Masha

"It's no big deal, Masha. I just didn't expect to suddenly go flying, that's all." Leona said to Masha to try and console her after the latter had apologized and explained the reasoning behind their abrupt departure. Leona was still surprised that Masha was so intensely interested in her that she would behave in such a way. The blonde had never had anyone that interested in her before, but in time she would get used to it. In the meantime, the redhead had raised a valid point about the nature of the Wizard Saint's summons, one that Leona felt compelled to address.

"You're right, Masha. I use summons that fly, but the one I use the most, Winged Lion, has the special ability to keep me from being afraid of heights while I'm riding on his back as he flies. If I fly on any other summon my fear of heights isn't suppressed, so I have to fly low to keep from panicking. I've been afraid of heights since I was eight years old." Leona explained to Masha, letting the redhead in on a secret that only a few people knew. Winged Lion's ability was a crutch for Leona so that she did not have to confront her acrophobia. Leona was aware of that and would have to confront her fear of heights somewhere down the road, hopefully before it could be used against her by an enemy. Leona was about to speak on the subject further when she noticed Masha have a strong reaction to something the blonde had said.

Leona was not sure what had been said to make Masha do that and she was not sure what to say to the redhead to make the latter feel better. She needed to say something, but the blonde did not want to say just anything because she had an uncanny ability to put her foot in her mouth by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Her close friend Samira Nassar was a witness to several of those unfortunate occasions. Not wanting to alienate Masha by saying something to make things worse, Leona decided to let the matter drop for the time being.

Leona instead focused on Masha's question about couscous and how it tasted. That was a question that Leona could answer without much difficulty. The blonde faced Masha and took the plate of couscous into both hands before speaking to the redhead.

"In my opinion couscous is pretty good. By itself it's not bad, but it gets better when you add vegetables to it. You can also add meat to it too. But I'm a bit biased because I grew up eating it... to form your own opinion you'll have to try some for yourself." Leona told Masha her stance on the taste of couscous. The Wizard Saint looked down at the plate Masha had gotten for her and saw that it was plain couscous. Leona was pleased by this. This was the perfect opportunity to introduce her companion to the dish.

"Say, would you like some couscous?" Leona asked Masha, raising the plate of food towards the alluring redhead. It was entirely up to Masha whether she took Leona up on the offer or not.

[Post Word Count: 540]
[Leona's Word Count: 5,445/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 8,977/4,000]

@Masha

"I learned Wind magic because my mother taught it to me when I was ten years old. I'm not sure if she knows any other magic and if she does, she certainly hasn't told me about it." Leona said in a tone free of sarcasm. She did not take offense to Masha's question because she was aware of the irony of a Wind mage being afraid of heights and found that irony amusing... except when she was actually looking down at the ground from a high place. Then it stopped being funny and became utterly terrifying.

"It took my older brother speaking on my behalf multiple times before my mother agreed to teach me magic. Even then I don't think she was fully committed to teaching me. My older brother got the full course and I got a good bit of training, but not as much as Leonidas did. For whatever reason my mother didn't think I needed to learn magic. I guess she didn't anticipate me leaving the village." Leona explained a little more about the circumstances that led to her acquiring her magic. Wind Strike Magic had served Leona well over the course of the last four years. While it left much to be desired in terms of crowd control ability and had no defensive spells to protect her from the spells of other mages, it was well-suited to one-on-one fights and had a good mix of close-range techniques and long-distance spells so that Leona could fight reasonably well at either range.

"Winged Lion's ability to suppress my fear of heights is magical, Masha. None of my other summons have that ability. Not even my Harpy Sisters, the very first summons I ever summoned, can do what Winged Lion does." Leona answered the question about the summon that was practically a trademark of hers. Winged Lion alone had the ability to suppress her fear of heights and allow her to fly high in the air. Leona did not know the exact reason for that ability, but it was a welcome one because otherwise she would either have to fly low or not fly at all.

After answering the questions about her magic and her summons Leona watched Masha take a small portion of the couscous that had been offered to her. The blonde was pleased that the redhead liked it because she did not want to offer Masha anything she did not like. She was also pleased because the offering was meant to be a gesture of friendship and an attempt to open the door to reconciliation after making the redhead feel bad earlier. The good feelings were put on hold when a mysterious and formally dressed woman with horns on her head appeared behind Masha. Leona looked closer at the new arrival and noticed something that looked like... scales?

Who was she?

What was going on here?

The woman made eye contact with the Wizard Saint. Then she issued a warning to the blonde, a warning that was sort of vague. Leona did not get its full meaning right away, but it had something to do with something called a "succubus". The blonde had no idea what that was. She needed to look up what that was once she got back to Silver Wolf Guild Hall and had some free time on her hands.

"Uh, Masha, what's going on here?" Leona asked Masha.

[Post Word Count: 566]
[Leona's Word Count: 6011]
[Total Word Count: 9,982/4,000]

@Masha

"Yeah, I have an older brother. He's roughly four years older than me and his name's Leonidas. You might get to meet him at some point, but there's no telling when." Leona told Masha about her older brother before realizing something important.

He would need to be told of how Giovanni came to exist without a man in the picture.

Thankfully Masha had given her a gift-wrapped explanation that was both scientifically accurate and true. Leonidas had a more open mind than their mother, so he would not be quite as hard to convince of the story. Leona just worried what his reaction would be when he finally met their son.

Leona did not know why she felt that way... it was not like she was making a special effort to curry favor with Leonidas after their clash a year or two back. Leonidas had made her aware of his jealousy of her freedom and Leona had yet to properly address the issue. He had gotten much more magic training and many more swordsmanship lessons from their mother than she had, so in her own way the Wizard Saint was jealous of him. Leona would need to deal with the sibling rivalry later because Masha needed her to pay attention now.

Leona paid attention to the alluring redhead and the well-dressed woman with horns on her head as they talked. After the two discussed something that sounded like a sensitive subject an agreement was reached and the redhead and the dark-haired woman began to speak to Leona. They took turns talking to the blonde and Leona did her best to pay undivided attention to their words, making eye contact with both of them as they spoke.

Leona listened to the dark-haired woman tell her about Masha's "alterations" and recalled a few of the details from her talk with Masha when they first met at Silver Wolf Guild Hall. The key one was that any of Masha's children would grow up much faster than the normal child. Masha had told her up front during their conversation... the Wizard Saint kept her mouth shut and continued to listen to the two talk.

Leona learned that the dark-haired woman's name was Dewi and that she and Masha had a connection of sorts that sounded like it went beyond the typical relationship between summon and summoner. Leona was not sure what to ask about first, the details of the Dewi-Masha relationship or the story behind Masha's "alterations." This was going to be a tough call.

Once Leona had made her decision she looked at Masha and spoke.

"I recall you telling me a bit about what happened to you when we spoke back at Silver Wolf Guild Hall several months ago. What did Dewi mean by warrior monsters? And whoever changed you... were they planning to make more young women like you?" Leona calmly asked Masha directly and Dewi indirectly. There were so many questions running through Leona's mind, but she would have to take it slow. This was clearly a sensitive subject for Masha and the blonde did not want to alienate the redhead by pushing too hard or sounding insensitive about what had happened to her.

[Post Word Count: 534]
[Leona's Word Count: 6,545/2,000]
[Total Word Count: 10,973/4,000]

@Masha