Trouble In Kigiku

**Date Started:** September 9th,
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Previous Role-Play:** N/A
**Users Involved:** User:Felosr231, User:PuddingCups

**Setting**: Kigiku
**Characters Involved:**
* **Jeanne Leblanc**
* **Adnachiel Raguel**

## A Roses Thorns

It was rare for a Magic Knight to be seen within the Forsaken Region, especially one in such a refined and dignified squad such as Blue Rose and though she was in her casual clothes, donning only the cloak of her squadron, she still received many odd looks. Jeanne did not return the favor. In fact, she paid the people of the small town little to no mind. She had come to Kigiku on business. Though the town was far from the capital, it had one of the best black smiths in all of Clover and that was who Jeanne needed to see.

Following the instructions on her map she found the shop, though the big and rather obnoxious sign labeled "Hammer Clamor" was more of a help. Most girls, especially girls of her age, might have felt out of place in the shop. The clanking sounds of weapons being pressed against an anvil rang through the lobby and the halls, the sharpening of swords and daggers. Jeanne was unphased. Approaching the counter she saw a big burly man whose beard took up half his face. He appeared to have low hygiene, with yellowing teeth and splotches of dirt, dust, and god knew what else over his face and clothes. He was sweating profusely, using his sleeve to wipe the secretion from his brow.

Taking a swig from a wooden mug before he spoke, he eyed Jeanne up and down. "And whats a pretty little lady like you doing in a dirty ol' place like this!" He slapped his knee laughing before he saw the insignia on her cloak. The symbol of the Blue Rose Knights. "And a Magic Knight too, well, it ain't every damn day we get somethin' like this!" Jeanne held her tongue, she was annoyed already. As a woman who had very low tolerance for men, this was pushing it.

"And if I was ugly? And a man? And a magic knight? What would it differ. Business is business, it is all the same to you, is it not?" The mans laughing came to a halt upon hearing the maidens voice. "Feisty!" He chimed in at the end, attempting to kill the building tension of the situation before waving his hand at her. "Yeah yeah, I get your point. Equality and all that bull- well, what brings you here." The man tried to keep from laughing, vividly imagining such a small girl wielding a sword or wearing armor!

Jeanne crossed her arms, staring as she blinked at the man. "Does my position, my title mean nothing to you!" She swung her arm out, as if commanding an army. "I am here on official business for the Blue Rose Squad of Magic Knights and I command you to listen!" Her pigtails swung with her arm, the man could no longer hold in his hysteria, chuckling and banging his fist on the counter as if she had just given a stand up comedy show. Jeanne's eye twitched as she drew her sword from it's sheath, a watered down silvery spear swirling into formation to form a beautiful javelin of sorts, decorated with silver roses and clovers. The jolly mans jaw dropped as the impressively sized blade was aimed at his neck.

"I refuse to be the bud of your joke. Continue to laugh if you dare but I am no mere girl, no sir, I am a knight." The man gulped with fear, seeing the intense passion in her eyes he raised his hands. "Now now! I may have just misunderstood you... such strength! And magic power! I-" Seeing the girls reaction to simple words he stepped from behind the counter, the blade following him. He took a knee, bowing.

The blade collapsed into nothing, the mercury vanishing into the girls grimoire as she closed it. "I accept your apology." Hesitantly getting up, the man returned to the counter and began to take out a crisp peice of parchment paper, sliding it to her. "Write down your order and it'll be done by tomorrow. On the house." Jeanne didn't like smiling but if she was at all capable, the little movement of the corners of her lips when he said the words 'on the house' would have been a fine demonstration. Turning away and out the door, she left the shop and once again entered the street, taking a deep breath. What an interaction. Now she had all day to do whatever she liked, but what was there?

Luckily she saw another place that caught her eye, a pub or tavern of sorts The Nags Head. It seemed to be a welcoming and friendly placed filled with locals and travelers, men and women who laughed and played. Some were gambling on cards and others twirled to play darts, a drunken throw landing somewhere near the bar and causing a small brawl. Jeanne felt comfortable here as well. Taking her seat at the bar, she ordered a drink and waited. Waited for the fun to come to her.

The doors to the pub open as customers began to enter one by one. Each either happy and smiling or exhausted as though they had just come from work. Then a man, with long Amethyst purple hair, dressed like no Clover citizen ever would enter the establishment. He had a radiant yet humble smile worn on his face, as though he gave a flow and feeling of tranquillity. Though there was no way of ignoring the potent and large amounts of Magic Power he was exuding by simply being there.

"If you have some water or anything no alcoholic, I'll take a mug of it and a plate of whatever the special is for today." He ordered his food from the bartender who smiled and wrote the order down. The man took his seat which was about to tables away from Jeanne. Since the tables between them were empty if the two looked forward their eyes would meet. "*So a magic knight all the way out here huh? Either something big is going on or someone's here to visit a certain black smith.*" He thought to himself as he waited for his food.

Jeanne had only had one or so drinks before an interesting man walked into the bar. Normally she didn't find men interesting. It wasn't exactly that she despised men, or hated them, but they were hard to relate too and even harder to talk too. They annoyed her with their tales of heroism and bravery, their arrogance and narcissism. As if no one else in the world could have possibly slayed their same beasts and saved their same damsels in distress.

Still, what a missed opportunity it would be if she didn't at least speak with the man? Someone who looked so uncommon. So out of place within the Clover Kingdom; a kingdom she knew all too well. Their eyes seemed to meet as Jeanne took her final drink, her pupils locking in place as if she was a predator to her prey. She could feel his magic. In the Forsaken Realm... it was odd. The citizens in this realm barely had enough magic to light a fire and yet his mana was so noticeable? Jeanne nodded her head, as if she had answered her own question. He was not from here.

Jeanne was not shy. In fact she was rather confident and when she wanted something she charged forward full force until she got it. When people where in her way she pushed them, when objects blocked her path she destroyed them. Sometimes figuratively but at this moment, in this bar, literally. Some people shouted in anger while others shook their fist but Jeanne paid them no mind, pulling up a chair at the mans rather lonely table and planting her foot on it's seat, Jeanne crossed her arms and looked down at the man in a semi-condescending manor. "I am Jeanne Leblanc of the Blue Rose Squad of Magic Knights and I wish to know your name." The woman spoke so harshly for someone so young, her voice stern and cold but oddly feminine at the same time.

The purple haired man observed the woman approaching him. She was a beautiful and certainly interesting to his eyes. Not only for her outward looks but for her own magic power, he could detect it he moment he stepped into the pub. The way she walked and presented herself, there was no mistaking that she was a member of the Blue Rose squad and this was confirmed after she introduced herself.At that moment the food was delivered to his table by a waitress and served right in front of him, after that the waitress wasted no time in leaving the table.

He then then stabbed his steak with a fore fork and sliced it into clean even pieces. "If you don't mind, could you lift and remove your foot from the chair? It's bad manners and disrespectful to the owner of this establishment." The man spoke casually an calmly, paying no mind to her being a magic knight. "Also if you'd like my name, I won't be casually handing it out to strangers. If you want it, then take a seat and enjoy a meal with me. Eating together is usually the easiest way to get to know a person." He then ate a piece of steak and smiled as he awaited her response.

The girl eyed the man her face turning into something of a scowl as she entered in some sort of unknown staring contest, scaring approaching waitresses and waiters away. Her foot remained on the chair. "Look around." She stated, extending an arm as if to show the man the bar side brawls, beautiful woman sitting on the laps of unsightly men. "This establishment is far from disrespected by a simple foot." She blinked, removing it from the seat before hearing him out. His comment on casually handing out his name caused a slight sound to come from her lips, resembling a mocking laugh.

"And what makes your name worth any more than mine? Or the next? A name is a name. If you don't want to tell me, so be it. I will simply give you one. Like a dog. A dog! Is that how you wish to be treated?" The knight then sat down, turning her head to the side as if preparing to ignore his next words, bringing a thinking finger to her chin, scratching where if she had been a man; a beard would be. "I will sit but not out of curiosity sir, no. I sit out of boredom. I would hate for you to get the wrong idea. No one man can be that interesting. No matter how far you have traveled, how many suns you have seen set!" Snapping her fingers, a waitress brought over another round of drinks.

The man kept eating his food and smiled for his response to the bold words the magic knight laid out before him. "If you'd like to give me a name that's all fine with me. But you're the one doing all the barking here are you not? As for all these other customers, shouldn't you as a magic knight set a better example?" His words which coming from most would sound mocking, almost taunting, yet he said them with such kind tone it felt genuine.

"Would you like something to eat? The food here is pretty good, i recommend their steak or potatoes." Then took another bite and then drank from his mug of water."On me of course."

Jeanne wanted to rebuttal, how dare he tell her such things! But a second look on the situation told her that perhaps the man was right. She had crossed a boundary. Would she apologize? No! Jeanne was far too proud a young lady for that but she could change the course of her sinking ship and hope it docks safely within a port.

Jeanne only nodded. "You'll see once you meet us that being a Magic Knight has nothing to do with manners. I'm afraid if that were the case we'd be far and few in between." The waitress came and brought drinks, asking if Jeanne wanted anything to eat to which she responded with one of the meals the man had so kindly suggested. "Why is a man like you in Kigiku? Surely you are simply passing through? I can't imagine someone like you living in a place such as this." Despite her rather modern views on the gap between nobility and commoners, Jeanne still had taste! In her eyes the town was inferior to the capital; she had been raised to think that way but... it was still in the Clover Kingdom and that meant that a piece of her heart, no matter how small, still remained within Kigiku.

"I came to visit an old friend of mine but sadly he's been sent on a mission for the time being. He's a magic knight as well, perhaps you've heard of him? He goes by the name Kai Elio, he's a Vice Captain of the Black Bulls squad." The man showed he had knowledge of the magic knights and knew people of notable ranks with that simple statement as Kai was known as one of the foreigners to reach such a coveted position. "So what brings you to this small town? A mission? A friend? Or perhaps a black smith?"

An old friend. A knight. Kai Elio. "One of the Black Bull's Vice Captains, the one with..." Jeanne thought for a second. "Sun Magic is it? Well, for you to be acquainted with them... somehow makes sense." The Black Bulls were a troublesome squad. Filled with social pariahs and outcasts, the rejects no one else wanted. Though it was mean to say, the truth often hurts.

Jeanne eyed the man at the mention of a blacksmith. It was infuriating! The situation she had been put into by that mule of a man! Crossing both her legs and her arms, Jeanne sighed. "Yes. That blacksmith. If his attitude was only half as good as his skill, I'd be able to tolerate that miserable man. With the nerve to laugh at me! In my face! At the thought of me swinging a sword! I suppose that is the world some men choose to live in. Do you? Live in that world, I mean. The world where women cook and clean as you fight. I would hope not." Jeanne was known for going off on rants and tangents in the heat of passion, this was definitely one of them.

"Yeah you say that but I know people from almost all the squads. Don't take the boy lightly, soon enough you'll be seeing him as a Captain. There's not a drop of doubt in me about that." He then looked back at the knight in front of him, his eyes and soul amused by what she was asking. "In my world, men and women share the battlefield and the home. For me my partner should be greatest teammate and I hers, and at home it should be the same. I'd rather that be the world but I know how most men fear a powerful woman. Quite frankly, powerful women are the only for me." His voice unchanged yet the aura was slightly warmer and charming in it's own way.

Jeanne heard what he had to say about the Black Bull; something she'd have to see with her own eyes before she believed. As for his answer about women... she quite liked that answer.

## The Walls Are Toppling Down

Outside of the bar, it was a normal day in Kigiku. The people bargained and bartered over good and services, chatted with one another about their days. The streets bustling with life as children played hop scotch and parents shopped for dinner. Despite being in the Forsaken Region, the town had quite a large population and were doing very well considering their location.

They owed it all to their wall. A man-made fortress construction of sorts that surrounded the entire town, keeping it safe from the various monsters that roamed the Forsaken Region but especially the trolls. They were nasty creatures, big and large with strength that no man could possibly posses, traveling in packs and hoards. They lacked intelligence, unable to speak or even think, but they had a thirst. A thirst for destruction. Years before the wall was built the trolls would raid the town, hurting or killing innocent commoners, stealing food and destroying homes barbarically before Magic Knights arrived to save the day.

An attack like that hadn't happened in quite some time. Sure the trolls would come, but the wall had always protected them. Today that changed. A horn blared from a watchtower and everyone froze. Crying, laughing, it all stopped. As if someone had frozen time and a moment later everyone ran. They boarded up their homes, they locked the doors. That sound meant something, something that was soon screamed at the top of the fearful crowds lungs, "TROLLS!"

The bar was no different. The citizens ran screaming and Jeanne's face made a look of shock. "What does that... mean." She said as a nearby person yelled, "Trolls lady! Trolls! You better get out of here!" Jeanne wanted to laugh. She had never dealt with trolls but she would never run from a fight. "I'm sorry, duty calls." She ran towards the door, pausing to open her grimoire. "Princess Mercury Battle Dress!" A liquid silver danced from the pages of her grimoire, creating a hardened metallic armor on the girl, armor fit for a princess.

Looking at the distance between herself and the wall she knew she couldn't run there in time. She needed to aid the towns guards! The ones with no magic! To stop the threat before it enters. Her grimoires pages flipped on their own as she extended her arm, "Princess Silver Chariot!" An elegant carriage of mercury was created before her very eyes, citizens gazed out their window with curious oohs and awws as she hopped into the chariot and rode off. She had to protect this town.

The man remained completely calm while the entire world around his were either panicking or preparing for a battle against the invading trolls. He smiled as he finished the rest of his water. "*Well that's quite some magic she has, Mercury Magic if I'm not mistaken. Haven't seen much use of that now a days.*" He thought to himself as he admired the art and power of her magic.

The bartender from earlier walked forward and approached the Amethyst man. "Shouldn't you go help them Adna? The more protecting the town the better. Your magic could help resolve this pretty quickly."

"Maybe I should, but that can wait. My meal isn't done after all. Bring me some more water will you? Old friend." He asked, grinning when the bartender did just so. The image of the magic knight, of Jeanne came back to his head. "*A woman who's as tough as nails...I like it. But let's see if she can back those words up. The trolls have an amazing healing process, some capable of healing entire limbs, with all trolls having access to earth magic. I hope o see she can handle it without my help.*" He thought as he continued to savoir his steak.

Her grand chariot wheeled it's way across the cobbled path, bumping and rocking as it rode faster and faster. Despite the rather messy ride, Jeanne didn't budge. Sitting in her coach she was like a rock that refused to move, instead she thought of battle plans. There was no telling how many trolls might be attacking, what powers they possessed. It was an unknown threat which made it dangerous but enticing.

It wasn't long before she reached the wall. It truly was a marvelous construction, especially considering that they used their bare hands! They built this from nothing! No magic! Astonishing. Jeanne was a noble. Born within the capital, everything was focused on magic. Nearly everyone had it and in such high amounts it was a mundane part of life; causing her to forget the burdens of those less blessed.

The guards stared at the carriage in confusion before they saw the woman exit. Her blonde pigtails, shiny armor, and most importantly her Magic Knight cloak. They let out a sigh of relief as they saw the blue rose member making her way up the stairs. There were three guards. Each with distinctively different appearances and rather unique outlooks on the situation. One was tall and thin. Another was short and fat. The last was muscular but very ugly.

They wore armor and possessed weapons but were not magic knights. Simply guards of the town. "Ma'am!" "Madam!" "Misses!" They saluted, a sign of respect. Jeanne crossed her arms, looking at the three with harsh eyes; if they were to be defend this town it would be doomed. "We have no time for pleasantries, men." She said coldly, causing all but the muscular man to gulp with fear.

While the skinny guard and the fat guard were shaking in their boots, the ugly yet strong one stepped forward, pointing into the distance at what appeared to be a group of twenty or so trolls. Jeanne eyed the enemies from across the battlefield, taking her back to a much different time.

As the trolls marched and growled she could envision them as game pieces. Pieces of the same game she had played during childhood with her father. Sacrificing pawns, killing kings, moving queens, commanding knights, bishops and rooks. It was a battle of wills and her father had told her something every time they played, something that stuck in her head even when she was clashing blades with someone else. "Great players will always think only one move ahead, but it will always be the right move."

Snapping back to reality she extended her arm, as if to hold the three men back, the guards who grew ever so anxious upon their impending doom. Now even the muscular one seemed weak at the knees but Jeanne stood as tall as ever, her head held high as her grimoire flipped through it's own pages, stopping at the perfect spell for the task at hand. "You three." She said sternly, preparing to unsheathe her blade. "Defend the village." They didn't need any more advice, hopping, skipping, and jumping down the steps they hoped that the lone female knight would take care of the threat and that is just what she intended to do.

"Princess Mercury Drill Assault!" She shouted, lifting her blade into the sky. That same liquid silver flicked from her pages, swirling within the wind above the battling princess to form marvelous and elegant drills, each adorned with roses and clovers as they twirled in the sky like flying lances awaiting their queens command. Lowering her blade, the drills flew forward at rapid speeds, creating a beautiful silvery display of weapons raining from the sky.

The drills outnumbered the trolls, stabbing them through their chests, heads, and arms, in seemed the entire army was defeated in one foul swoop, a fact Jeanne was both happy and disappointed about. She had expected a war and got merely a battle; if that. Still, the people and the town were her top priority and if they were safe then nothing else mattered. It was her duty as a knight. Closing her eyes she let out a sigh of relief, as the three guards had done before only for her moment of rest to be interrupted by the angry growl of.. trolls? The earth had covered them as they laid wounded, forming a healing grave of sorts!

"Earth magic!?" Jeanne was shocked, stepping back in disbelief. "It can't be... that these creatures know magic!" She thought of what to do, the advice her father had given her? What was the right move... had she made a mistake? Her thoughts had become all too much because now, at the moment, just below her feet, the very trolls she thought she had defeated began to pound on the wall with all their might and soon, very soon, they would come toppling down.

"Thank you for the meal." The man announced to the rest of the bar staff. "The food was as delicious as can be!" He looked completely content with the delicious food he had just been served. "How much do I owe you?"

"You've never payed for a meal here in your life, you know that. How are things going on at the battle field by the way?"

"From what I can tell, that woman, Jeanne used some sort of spell which momentarily stopped the trolls from advancing. Though they recovered as i thought they would and used some spells, most likely earth magic. Her mana showed signs of shock and worry. She must not be used to dealing with trolls."

"You can tell all that by their flow of mana from over here?"

"Of course, while I can' see everything happen, I can sense it. Though I guess I should head there soon. Please have another plate ready for me afterward? I'm thinking Barbecue?" The amethyst man then stepped out and looked towards where the battle was going on and started walking in that direction. "nothing more to do but take my time and show up when needed I guess."

Her moment of stupor had ended, her once surprised face covered in a serious gloom. The next move no longer mattered. Living in the future, what a ridiculous thought. Maybe in chess or a one on one battle, that type of thinking was important but now... against all of these... these trolls? How could one live in the future when the present is filled with such mayhem!

Covering her legs with mana, she flipped off of the wall and landed only a few feet away from the troll army, so distracted on the task at hand they didn't even notice the young maiden. They banged their fists and clubs against the wall, desperately trying to worm their way through. The knight cleared her throat, as if trying to gain their attention before pointing her blade in their direction.

"I know you can not speak the language, but if you understand it... head my call filthy mongrels." Most of the beasts stopped their actions, turning to the woman who spoke whilst scratching their heads in confusion. "This is your opportunity to surrender to the Clover Kingdom. Do not mistake this plea. You're fate will still be death but you will leave this world with your dignity!" It was a dramatic speech, Jeanne was known for these. Some even claimed that she had a gift for it, a knack at turning enemies hearts, unfortunately... it didn't apply to those who didn't understand.

They laughed. The trolls hollered and hooted, their sharp disturbingly unkempt teeth banging together like bells in a tower before they turned back to the wall, banging and clattering against it with the laughter they had left fueling them. Jeanne was furious. She hated to be laughed at! To be mocked! And by such ugly creatures no less. It was only when she raised her sword to the sky and transformed the blade into a massive silver drill that the beasts took her serious. "Princess Mercury Drill!" She shouted, charging forward only to be met with a giant boulder, a compound spell of the Trolls which she easily sliced through only to realize... if they dodged she would form a hole in the wall! An easy escape for the rodents to call through.

It seemed they had the same idea and as Jeanne reached the crowd they parted, her spell melting away into drips of silver. She looked around, surrounded by the nasty beasts who were at least double her height. They growled smashing around her like angry apes. She took to the air, dancing around their attacks like a bird in flight, the only problem with such unintelligent creatures is that there was never a pattern and as she dodged it became increasingly harder to keep up until eventually, she slipped. A fatal mistake. Nearly tripping, she tried to catch herself but a troll had grabbed her leg, holding her up and throwing her against the wall as if she was the key to it's lock. Her body did create a small crater and luckily her armor had protected her but the fight was far from over.

Excited, most of the creatures had stopped to watch one of the bigger, badder trolls take on Jeanne. One of their more animalistic traits, it must have been the leader of their pack. Jeanne grunted as her body slid down, thumping as she was pinged off the wall and onto the floor. She recovered like a lady, staring at the beast in the eyes; disgusted as his brethren cheered on such behavior. "Don't you know... you... you troll... it isn't nice to hit a lady! Princess Mercury Guillotine!" Waving her hand through the air, silver formed fashionable guillotine over their leader, restraining his head and arms. "Off with his head!" She chanted, bringing her arm down from the air and watching as the blade fell.

That angered the troops, they banged their chests and shouted, leaving Jeanne standing among them, panting. "Whose next." She said, getting into the proper form.

Just as three more trolls were charging at her a massive bolt of lightning appeared and slammed down on them! Leaving nothing except rubble not even leaving any remains of the trolls. The soft sounds of sandals were heard beyond the cloud of dust and smoke. Then the tall male figure was seen walking through it, the same amethyst man from earlier except his right arm covered with blue scales and electricity crackling from it.

"Well now, I don't think it's appropriate to be surrounding a lady like this. I know you trolls were monsters but I didn't know you were pigs too." He approached and struck a confident and powerful smile. "Now, how should i go about..." a heavy right fist was aimed and appeared to his left side as i smashed against his face! Sadly for the troll at that instant the man's entire appearance had transformed, "**Beast Release Magic:Nemean Lion.**" He was covered with fun and an intricate armor, now with a sword at hand he sliced the troll in half from head to toe in a single instant.

He then looked over to the rest of the army, "If I were you I'd leave, this girl here is a little spit fire and looks like she can back it up." He the looked back at the maiden knight, "You know the only way to kill trolls is to make sure their brain or heart is gone. Especially some these ugly. The uglier the troll, the stronger their magic. Judging by these lot, they're deadly strong. Hahaha!"

Jeanne prepared to fight the trolls lunging at her but to her surprise, three lightning bolts had struck them down. The hairs on her neck stood up, what was that? Magic. Of course. But how? No one here... not a single person in the town had that type of magic power! Except... no... she shook her head. *Him*.

Turning her head, the theory rang true. Using a magic Jeanne had never seen before, he transformed into armor resembling an ancient creature before talking to the army, as she once had. Part of her had been relieved, relieved that someone had came to help her but this was a feeling Jeanne would never show anyone, especially a man. Remaining confident with her blade in hand she looked toward the stranger, whose name she had yet to receive. "You." She said angrily. "Do you believe this is a joke? A game to play out of boredom! You are no knight! As far as the Clover Kingdom recognizes, you are a citizen and it is my duty to protect you! Not the other way around." Despite being so proud, to the point where she would refuse to accept help, his tips were actually comforting. They confirmed her suspicion. The trolls do have weaknesses.

The crowd of beasts seemed to be dazzled at the bewildering display of such powerful magics, if they only had a brain they would have turned tail and run but unfortunately; creatures are rarely blessed with both strength and smarts. The ground beneath them began to shook as long, thick spikes of earth emerged from the ground in attempts to skewer the two magic users creating a spiny forest of dirt.

Taken by surprise do her speech, her armor once again was her saving grace. The spike snuck up on the girl who formed an x with her forearms, dulling it's sharp edge before leaping back and slicing it with her blade, landing safely away from the danger area.

As the spikes tried to pierce the man's body they were quickly cracked and broken upon contact. "Sorry to break it to you, but from what I can tell you could use the help. So accept it or not, I will fight alongside you and you will fight alongside me. Not as support but as my equal, so you have better things to do then complain, right?" He then charged in and shifts his transformation again! **Beast Release Magic!: Long!**"

Upon calling the name of his spell, the man was now covered with same blue scales of earlier but this time his entire body except his bare chest was covered with them. He now with a more dragon-like looked walked towards a group of trolls. "Shall we? Uglies?" He then. Swiped his sword releasing another huge bolt of blue lightning! Incinerating two trolls at once!

Jeanne would never admit to needed help. Even if one of these ferocious hideous beasts had come close to killing her, dying sounded better than pleading for aid. Still, the man said something that Jeanne liked. Equals. That was something rarely said on the battlefield between man and woman. It was something she could get behind.

Jeanne turned her head, only briefly. "Very well." She said softly, charging into the group of trolls. "Try to keep up." Her grimoire once again flew open, causing that same spell to envelop her sword in mercury; forming a giant drill. Jamming it through the crowd, it made it's mark on one troll in particular, stabbing through it's chest.

Another of the beasts growled, getting on all fours as it charged toward Jeanne. It was large. They all were. She wasn't scared, especially not now that he was here. It was an emotion she couldn't afford to show. The troll had let anger take over, running forward blindly without a care in the world, easily allowing Jeanne's sword to cut off it's arm, only for a healing earth spell to regenerate it. It charged forward again but this time, Jeanne aimed for it's heart. Bullseye.

In a comfortable fighting position, Jeanne began to converse with the still stranger. "What is that strange magic of yours?" She questioned, having never seen anything like it.

He looked over and smiled, "oh I'm sorry, my magic and my name is a secret. I only talk about such things with friends." He politely says ignoring the troll behind him. "Of course I wouldn't mind sharing info with such a powerful knight if you'd have dinner with me. Since we didn't really get to enjoy one another's company earlier." He raised his sword and send a blast of lightning out and destroyed the troll behind him's head. "What do you say? Sharing a meal with a woman as powerful of you will be the highlight of my week."

## And Again

Naturally the young knight was angered by the proposition. Surely there was no harm in having dinner, but this was so manipulative! First he had come charging in as if the battle was his own, calling them equals!? Now this! Well.. well... it was infuriating! But also, different. He had manners at least, despite his cockiness he had charm and even Jeanne Leblanc, the woman who wore armor around her heart couldn't resist it.

"Fine." And that was all she said. They had finished off the last of the trolls. Jeanne relaxed as the final creature fell to the earth, the earth it had one before revived from. She knew more now. If she ever encountered such a creature again, she'd know how to handle it better. As for this man, if she ever encountered someone such as him again, she'd put a stop to that.

The gate opened for the two heroines. Jeanne made her way through the town of Kigiku, greeted by the people with love and respect. They clapped and cheered, throwing roses as they whistled. Despite their relationship with the capital, countless lives had been saved. Jeanne waved to the crowds, gathered on both sides of the streets with her "thank yous" overshadowed by rumbling applause.

The knight had never taken the job for admiration. In fact, she believed it was highly unnecessary. To thank her for something anyone should be willing to do. Still, it was easier to smile and nod along than to take on the way society thinks. Shortly, the excitement died down and she arrived at the bar. The same one she had briefly talked to the strange man at. Looking at her dingy, beaten up armor she waved her hands in a strange formation, repairing it as if it was an evening gown. "Perfect." She chimed, walking in once again. Take two.

Then the door of the bar opens wide up as the same man from earlier walked in to the establishment. This time though he didn't wear his extravagant robes but instead a clean well fitting suit. It was white and fit him like a glove and his hair slicked back cleanly. "That dress fits well on you lady Jeanne." He then draws his seat from across her. "Looks like everyone was hyped up when we returned huh? I haven't been greeted and welcomed like that in a while." He then took his seat and asked "what do you think was the cause if the trolls attacking? Normally they attack where there's a high abundance of magic power, typically where high numbers of Magical Beasts gather at."

After that slight second of actually sounding professional he looked at the menu and continued "So, whatcha in the mood for?" His entire aura and smile radiated and calming inner peace.

Jeanne wanted to laugh. Seeing him in this way was strange but she didn't want to ruin the mood, still, she couldn't change her personality! "Don't get your undergarments in a bunch! I didn't dress up like this for you. I might be a knight but I am *still* a lady!" This was a lie. Of course Jeanne had repaired her armor in this way for him but among other things, she'd never admit such an embarrassing fact. Jeanne took her seat, hearing him mention the trolls and asking her what she thought caused it. Jeanne waited for a minute, thinking of the battle, the events that happened before. It seemed a light bulb went off in her head. "Well, how could a helpless young maiden like me figure it out... let me think." She played dumb but the minute he opened his mouth to speak she stopped him. "You."

He then smirked and let out a chuckle, "Hahaha! Well you got the large magic part, but made a big mistake in your logic. My grimoire and I release a special scent that only magical beasts can pick up on. It's a natural repellent towards them, they usually avoid me. That's why majority of the time they approached you instead of me, not just because of what kind of a beaut you are." The man then grabs the menu as the waitress approaches, "Of course, I do have my own theories on the matter. But that can wait for after we order. I'll take the chicken and rice with a mug of water." He then looked over and locked eyes with her, "What do you say? You order your meal and I share my theory?"

Jeanne did find the man to be rather interesting. Normally men had no substance. They flexed their arms or their grimoire, expected their power to do the work for them. Their minds were hollow shells filled with merely lust. Jeanne was happy to meet someone who thought of her as more than a piece of meat. "I'll be having the mince meat pie." An ironic order given her thoughts.

She handed her menu to the waitress, looking at the man. "And that theory is?" Jeanne didn't talk to the man as he talked to her. The knights condescending attitude was something she had been taught and it quite a hard habit to break. After all, she was a noble. This man was a foreigner. Even with her heroics, she knew there was a social hierarchy, a pyramid that everyone wishes to be atop.

"There are rumors that there's a new organization not quite on the up and up." his voice shifted to a much more serious and professional tone. "While no real evidence and just a hunch, these guys aren't quite the likes to be taken easy. As far as we know they could've been behind this. They're actually the topic I wanted to speak about with Kai. I guess the more magic knights that info the better." After that split second of being proper the food arrived and he smiled brightly.

"So? You got any questions? Anything you'd like to know?"

This was the first she had heard about a villain group. An evil organization. Jeanne chose not to believe it. Rumor and speculation had no place in her ears, only fact. The cold hard truth. Jeanne heard his question, one which raised a brow. It was when she went to ask a question of her own that she found the answer before she even opened her mouth. It frustrated her slightly. "You never told me your name and I'm sorry to say I never gave you one. Even I am not that cruel. A human is a human, commoner, foreigner, or noble. They deserve to be treated as such."

He looked over with his vibrant purple eyes and smiled bigger, "It's okay don't worry about it. As for my name it's Adnachiel Raguel. You could just call me Adna if you like." then the magic knight's food was placed in front of her. Before he could partake of his food he stopped and put his hands in prayer position. "Amen." He whispers as he begins to dig into his food. "Sorry about the prayer, I always do one before my meal after a battle. No matter how big or small it was."

Jeane looked at him oddly. It was a name like no other. Adnachiel Raquel. It was weird, strange. She didn't know what to think of it and she didn't dare begin to guess where he possibly could have grown up to be given such a name. "Very well." As her meat pie was brought out, she ordered her forks and spoons in the way that nobility often does, placing a napkin in her lap as if her armor had a chance at being stained. When her meal preparations were said and done her ears twitched as she heard whispers across the table. What a strange man. It was only when he said amen that she understood what he was doing, though she didn't truly get why.

"I don't understand. In all my travels as a Magic Knight I have never met anyone quite like you. What a far away place you must come from to be so different. Why is it that you are in the Clover Kingdom, you said before... visiting a friend. That Black Bull, was it? What a rowdy group!" Jeanne did not know much about the squad but she had witnessed first hand how destructive and reckless they could be. A fact that no one could argue with.

"You seem to know so much of the world, it annoys me." Jeanne did not like being outdone. All her life she had been the best, at the top of every pedestal, she wouldn't have it any other way.

"One of he benefits of not being bound to the duty of protecting a single kingdom. I roam all over without the need to go anywhere specifically. Train my magic where I can and learn as much as possible." Adna then had some of his rice and tried some of chicken. "Food's pretty good, right?" He then remembered her asking about the bulls. "Yeah they're rowdy and cause a lot of trouble, but they're the main squad I can trust with information. Kai especially is someone I can trust. But what brought me here to the Clover Kingdom this time is the information I've got for him."

He hen reached out and grabbed his mug of water. "So tell me about yourself? That way I'm not the only one spilling my guts over here. Hahaha!" He lets out a joyful laugh out loud. It was apparent he was enjoying himself, switching from serious to easy going a trait no many have. But even when serious he smiled, it was just slight shifts in his voice.

Jeanne could see the Black Bulls were something he felt strongly about and therefore chose to back away from the topic. "What is there to know." She stated it like a demand, but it was more so a question to herself. "I am a noble of House Leblanc. A member of Blue Rose." Jeanne stated the obvious. Why? Perhaps because she didn't know hot to dig any deeper, or perhaps she didn't want too. Getting more than meets the eye of Jeanne would take work. She wore armor, she built walls and much like the city of Kigiku, hers weren't coming down anytime soon.

"If I'm right, the magic you have is called Mercury Magic right? It suits you quite well honestly. During my research in magics i like to relate Mercury Magic to beauty and power in motion. A magic that has the perfect properties, great balance between defense, offense and support all wrapped up in one magic. I guess that all fits you based on the way you were handling those trolls."

He seemed to know his stuff. Jeanne was intrigued, but slightly bothered. He knew so much and she knew so little. Then again, he had traveled the seven seas and been across the globe! She had only seen Clover her entire life. He complimented the young, female knight and if Jeanne had any interest in love at the moment, she might have considered the act flirting. Unfortunately, she was far too distracted by her duties as a blooming rose to worry about weeds in the garden.

"Yes. I suppose Mercury Magic is quite a useful affinity. I've found to can do a number of things, though I do not care much for magic. I prefer swordsmanship. I'm an excellent fencer." It was true! Though she had a lot of magic, her sword was usually involved in some sort of way. She enjoyed the lunging, parries, and ripostes. "Tell me, Adna, why have you not become a magic knight? You seem to know so many. And as a do-gooder, wouldn't it be beneficial? Or are you afraid to be tied down to merely one kingdom..." Jeanne had answered the question for him, something she did quite often, but still, she waited eagerly for a response. Who knows, it could be very very different from what she believed.

"I'd rather not be bound to serve a single person, as I only serve myself and my own interests. But also because no Kingdom is truly just but also isn't completely corrupt. I'd rather learn and see new things. Besides is I were part if a squad, how could i have been here to teach you about trolls?" He said before chuckling to himself as he admired her ignoring his advances.

"This is true but I for one have never witnessed such corruption within Clover. Some say that power can make kings mad, but heavy is the head that wears the crown I suppose. Still, I've seen no reason to criticize his rule. To my family he has been nothing but kind." Jeanne was loyal to her country, that was for sure. Unfortunately, like so many other nobles she was blinded by the fact that others are not born blessed. Some are simply born.

"You make a good point. Not everyone can or should be a magic knight. It must be an acquired taste. I quite like being a Blue Rose. Do you know what the people have began to call me? The Maiden of Clover! It isn't that I have ever wanted a trophy or recognition but to have such an honoring title, it makes me... proud." Jeanne spoke the truth! She had never abused the perks of the job but a title like that, how could she refuse. A title that held power and beauty. A title fit for a blooming rose.

"That name suits you quite well! I really like that one!" He exclaimed before finishing the last bit of his food. He Then rose to his feet and looked over, "Sorry to say this but I must be taking my leave soon. See there's still some stuff I need to take care of before I take a trip towards the Spade Kingdom soon." He then looked deep into her eyes, "It was a pleasure to meet you 'Maiden of Clover'."

Jeanne was saddened by the fact that he had to go but looking out the window to see the sun nearly set as the sky slowly darkened made her understand. They had been fighting and talking for quite a while. "Well I'd hate to keep you any longer. It was a pleasure to meet you Adna." The young woman waved goodbye, gathering her own things from the bar in preparation to leave as well.