Holly Doemaster's Story

It was the early morning, and just like any other morning, in the Guild, a certain woman sat at the bar. Her fiery dark eyes surveyed her domain, watching as fellow guild mates walked in and out and about her Guild. Not many had arrived probably because it was still pretty early but not for her. She was an early bird amongst the sleep ins and she was proud of it. Leaning back on the stool she sat upon, Anaida placed her elbows on the bars countertop behind her and breathed a sigh of content.

However it seemed her peaceful morning wasn’t about to stay peaceful for very much longer. Already she could see some of the more rowdy members coming in both new and old. Anaida didn’t pay much mind to it since she hoped with her being present they wouldn’t do anything stupid. For now Anaida would simply stay where she was and relax while drinking her morning coffee.

The sun was busy shining down by the time Holly decided to lift her head from a bundle of blankets and quilts. She vaguely remembered Hannah crashing through the crisp morning silence at some point but that was a fuzzy memory of the past. Holly was no early riser, and despite being a pretty girl she rose like the dead. Yawning dramatically, she rolled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom to try and control the flowing mane of blond hair she had, as well as get ready for the eventful day ahead. The rent for her apartment this month was fastly approaching and therefore it was time to find another job.

It took quite some time to select the right underwear and outfit for the day. Eventually refreshed and looking pretty in a floaty blue dress in the shape of a bluebell, Holly rushed down the street waving at a few locals she recognised. A slice of toast hung from her mouth as she tried to run and chew at the same time, a more difficult task than she initially thought. On her way she could already hear the murmurs of Sera being back, a rumour she gladly chose to believe. The dragon slayers had a peculiar relationship, leaving Holly craving and despising Sera at the same time.

Reaching the guild a few members saw her coming and hastily removed themselves from firing range. The sheer looks of panic on their faces fired her up even more. Bursting through the open doors she tumbled over a bar stool but managed to keep her footing. Climbing on top of the stool, and earning a few groans, her bright eyes scoured the guild for a flash of fiery hair until they settled on the one and only... "SERA!" She yelled.

The sun shone, brighter than usual. It was as if someone had turned up the brightness as it pierced through the woods like a knife through butter. Julius rolled over before jumping up as if someone had thrown water on him. Squinting his eyes he tried to make sense of everything that happened and why he was in his bathroom lying on the floor.

"You do know that we have you outnumbered right?" A brutish looking man said as five other men dressed in tattered clothing surrounded Julius.

"I don't think that's ever mattered before. And gentlemen I'm not going to fight you all will be fighting yourselves." Julius laughed as he turned around and began walking away. In a matter of moments there were screams of fear as Julius disappeared into the darkness.

"Damn it!" Julius yelled as he splashed water on his face. He looked at his reflection in the mirror noticing his trademark golden eyes. It was supposed to be a simple job, sneak into the bar, steal the treasure back and return it. So how in the hell does it turn out that they have a dark mage hiding in the ranks, even though he got the treasure it still seemed to be mind boggling.

He grabbed his brown towel and wiped his tan face, not remembering the time. Ten past seven, he was running late but it didn't really matter seeing as how he had a long night. He ran into his room, hopping over his stool and grabbing a blue dress shirt and white tie; running out the house without having his shirt on yet, he caught a few glances as his black and white crest shone in the middle of his chest.

He noticed a couple of burn marks that were imprinted to the ground and thought of only one person. The red haired dragon or spit fire as he called her, Sera. This made him a bit more excited, because he could possibly see the elegant and ever beautiful Holly. Walking through the doors, he took in everything. The S class mages each in their own corner, the guild master drinking, the old man and the dragons. He gave a small nod to everyone as he went behind the counter and began prepping meals for everyone that would be going on a job.

After a few weeks away, Zane finally returned back. The Dragon Slayer dragged himself off the train before collapsing on the platform, he lifted his head for a moment before going back to laying on the platform for a few more minutes, "I wasn't mean't for that kinda travel, I'm gonna be sick... he then dragged himself to a garbage can. Most of the people didn't stare or even paid attention as this was always what happened to Zane after travelling on any mechanical means of transportation. It still didn't stop a few people from asking if he was alright. His only reply was a sort of grunt as he barely moved from his prone position on the platform.

After gathering his strength and letting his stomach settle, Zane made sure he had everything before moving on, he'd decided to stop by the Guild and check up on everyone before going back to his place for some much needed rest and relaxation after his time away. Along his way he bought a few things from the stalls, which he promptly stuffed inside his bag that contained a few books and other things that he needed on his travels.

He walked through through the door and glanced around, he took in a deep breath. It was good to be home after the trip and it looked like everyone was already here and the day was already under way. Zane smiled as he moved towards the bar beginning to cross the room, he spotted the Guild Master who had probably already been here since early morning and nodded to her with a smile. Zane stopped in his tracks and turned to hear Holly on a bar stool yelling Sera's name. "Good, Sera's back as well..." he smiled and chuckled as he continued making his way to the bar noting to talk to Sera about how her trip went.

"You are absolutely right Hannah, people are not meant to be alone. That is why we work together to lighten the load." Shin felt his back beginning to ache, his earlier rounds were beginning to catch up with him.

" Now you girls enjoy yourselves, there's a seat with my name on it and tea to be had." He threw something of an apologetic smile towards the pair, just a hint of his old mischievousness visible beneath it all. Shin took the chance to take his leave and have a seat, the ache subsided somewhat. Sure enough he also placed an order of tea, specifically ginseng to help him ease back into things.

His tea had barely arrived before Holly arrived, her loud greeting to her fellow dragon slayer was something he'd rather expected. The girl had her own ways of showing affection, and it was always a sight he enjoyed seeing. His gaze continued to pan across the room, Seto and Aaron were having one of their usual youthful comparisons. Shin felt a slight pang of sympathy for Aaron when he remembered Hannah's gym equipment, she always seemed out to beef the young man up. The idea made him question whether or not he should consider his own youth wasted, after all when he was their age the closest thing to a friend he had was certain individual out to kill him. Shin shifted his gaze again to avoid falling into the embrace of nostalgia.

Virgil and Elizabeth were the next pair he came across, if he had to say so himself he felt the pair oddly suited for one another. After all, one could almost say his interactions with the two were rather identical. If anything, the biggest factor second to their gender was Virgil's own behavior; were he a bit less reclusive, his grandchild like impression on Shin would be equal to Elizabeth's impression as his own granddaughter. Despite his urge to tease the two a bit, Shin let the pair continue their own conversation...he could wait. From there he shrugged and focused on his tea, he'd catch up with his rambunctious 'family' after a bit of rest.