Castle Forest

@Semra At the mere mention of the word 'ballroom' Allydia felt a shiver take hold and work its way up her spine like a snake but she did her best to cover it up. She had been inside more of those than she could count, and not for dancing purposes unless it was required.Her memories filled her with a dull hatred but she made a point to keep it to herself lest she bring down the redhead's mood. The headmistress' past was her own and she intended for it to stay that way.

"You know, if you'd like a chance to host a ball here we could decorate the great hall accordingly. I am sure many of the students and staff could use a little bit of a break from training." Allydia admitted, knowing that such an event would be good for morale over all. "We could even invite a few of the more skeptical clan heads and turn it into a little celebration. Show off who we are and what we are doing." Her blue eyes looked to Semra for some sort of reaction before continuing. "If you think you can handle that organization just say the word and I can make it happen."

The blonde then chose to avert her gaze from the captain, adjusting how her sword sat on her belt and hip. She slid the scabbard along the leather loop until the blade sat comfortably on her left side as the placement had been thrown off by her time in the tree. In her weapons and armor she stood out, among the students and staff at the academy in particular but she rather liked it that way. She saw it as a way to foreshadow their futures but she wasn't sure anyone else got it besides the sentinels.

As she heard the name of the Sentinel commander she paused, just for a split second before she rose her head to meet the redhead's gaze. "I think by now his sources have the information which means you will either get it from him or from one of yours in a few days." she assured the other. "If you need it now I suggest you enter the nether before the information dissipates. A small family just outside the barrier was terrorized two days ago to leave their farm so the Black Guard could set up a headquarters. Their father's spirit may still be available but it's hard to say. He was fading fast. You know what the shadow realm does to the soul."

@Keid Calcifer took the chance to finally give the other boy a good look, sizing him up almost. Keid was tall, almost as tall as he was, and broad. He tried to make of that as much as he could; Keid looked smaller than him, although not by much, but Calcifer couldn’t tell much from that. It was possible he was only bigger than the Haeyari boy because they used different techniques, since they came from different clans after all. (Besides, Calcifer was bigger than most boys his age; he had just built himself that way with training. It didn’t mean he was stronger than them, and it definitely didn’t mean he was stronger than the boy in front of him now). This only made Calcifer all the more excited; it was one thing to train with someone who was stronger than him, and another to train with someone new, from a clan he had never sparred with before. He didn’t know what to expect and that alone got him all warmed up. Suddenly, he felt so energized it was almost as though he hadn’t just spent the entire day training until his body almost couldn’t take it. Now, now he was ready. He let out a low chuckle, “There’s something I never heard before,” he said, voice deep.

He took a few steps back as well, cracking his neck, kicking out his legs, rolling his shoulders. He was really one to move a lot during sparring, one to get so excited he often forgot to listen to his body and ended up hurting himself. He watched the other boy take his stance, and Calcifer took his; he took one step back, pulling his feet apart, making sure he was steady and knew his center of gravity. He raised both arms in front of him, palms upturned, fingers relaxed – took a deep breath and tried to remember when to be fluid, and when to be powerful. All the while, his eyes stayed glued to Keid, almost like locking onto a target, his lip twitching up at the other boy’s little taunting gesture. Calcifer wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to get out of sight. Again, he took a deep breath, a long inhale – before sending a large sphere of fire at the other boy with his quick exhale. He watched, steady on his ground, as it dissipated up in the air, before a sphere of wind came right at him, followed by a blade of air. Calcifer jumped to dodge the sphere, flipping quick in the air and sending an axe kick as he came down, splitting the blade of air right down the middle, but also sending another large sphere of fire at the other boy. When he landed back on the ground, he began to run towards him, throwing smaller but faster fire bolts right from his palms with almost every step.

@Keid "The pleasure's all mine. And it's alright. You don't need to apologize." Perhaps it was all just in his head, or perhaps it was because it was his first time meeting someone of the Haeyari clan. Either way, Calcifer was unsettled. He felt a little tense, but in retrospect, found he had no reason to be. The boy in front of him didn't seem dangerous. If anything, he looked rather calm. Calcifer wouldn't go so far as call him friendly, no, but he wasn't threatening either. He was just a little -- strange. He seemed as though he was there but also quite far away. But, honestly, that all must've just been in Calcifer's head. "No, I can find my way around, thanks," he chuckled. It'd been so long since the last time he'd gotten lost, he felt rather amused at the other's question.

After a moment, he felt the Haeyari boy scrutinize him, seeming to take in his appearance. Calcifer almost felt a little conscious of how he must've looked then, messy and dirty in his training clothes. His trousers and boots must've been covered in dirt. Since it was especially hot today, he'd chosen one of his older shirts, too; the one that had its sleeves cut off and hung loosely off of him, exposing the muscles of his arms. It wasn't the greatest looking outfit, but he always moved best in it. Either way, he felt uncomfortable under Keid's thoughtful gaze, so much so that he was about to call him out on it, except the other boy beat him to it with a challenge. And honestly, it was one word. Keid had said one word that got him all riled up with excitement -- "Experiment, eh? You want to turn me into your test dummy for your new techniques?" There wasn't a bite to it, just a little humor. It wasn't as though it wasn't exactly what Calcifer wanted. It would be a win-win situation, right? Keid could test stuff out with him, and he could do the same. He rolled his shoulders, then, still not cooled down from his training session earlier. "Don't worry, I won't," he said, with almost a little too much confidence for someone who still held no emblems.

@Allydia Semra sighed softly, her red curls caressing gently the green fabric of her dress. Her head tilting ever so slightly as her green eyes sparkled with mischief. She was still not hit hard enough from life and battle to lose her light spirits that, at times, were enough to lift the mood of the overall company around her, no matter where they were or under what conditions.

"Well, what can I say. Mom and dad had me in ballrooms since I can remember myself. Shira people and stuff. And probably that's most people have heard about them so I won't spoil the news more." She laughed and looked down to make sure her dress was okay and not rolling in the dirt and leaves as a small tilt of her head would shake the balance of her auburn locks on her shoulders, the contrast with the dress more striking than she thought it would be.

Seeing Allydia land gracefully, she couldn't help but admire the strength and grace that woman held. It was something she would never be able to pull of. Her features were not those of a warrior and it suited her best to hide behind jewel engraved garments that would compliment her structure. She wasn't a captain because of her being of a warrior style but she was completely capable to wipe the floor with mainly most people that would challenge her. It was her ability to master four of the five elements before the age of twenty seven that landed her in that position and she was placed in the school to gain the experience she lacked.

"Well, if Dagr hasn't heard anything of it, nor my sources, we should actually be alarmed of our Sentinels being infiltrated then and that would be a pain to clear." She sighed softly. Not that she had a problem to actually force the spy from the people she was around, but if it was someone higher than her in the whole hierarchy, it would be an actual problem. "I believe so, but that doesn't mean I can't start making plans on how to work with that information. If there indeed are forces coming here, we need a safety protocol."

@Keid Calcifer took a deep breath, his heart pounding, his body tense, his eyes focused. He ran, before heaving himself up to twist his body into a jump kick, landing back on the ground with a grunt. In quick succession, he did a series of more kicks, a fireball produced out of the end of each foot for every one. He heaved himself up and jumped, shouting, as he swiped a foot across the air, creating a blade of fire that lasted no more than a few seconds. Once more, he landed on the ground with a grunt, his hands on the dirt, his breaths coming quicker and deeper now. There was sweat dripping off the tip of his nose, his chin, and he could feel it running down his back, his neck, his arms. He'd been going at it all day, and now his body was exhausted. He wondered, briefly, when the last time his body didn't feel sore was. With a sigh, he got back up, the dirt of the travel grounds crunching beneath his feet. Perhaps it was time for a break. Calcifer planned to do just that, when the trees of the forest started swaying at the edge of the grounds, the wind started howling. When he looked up, he saw, just a little higher than the crowns of the trees, the head of a tornado. And so, he ran -- not away, but towards.

The forest used to intimidate him, what with how quiet and vast it was. But he'd explored it so many times already, now he just found that he felt relaxed under the shade, calm among the leaves. He looked around for a while, but it didn't take long; after all, it wasn't so hard to find a tornado. He watched from a distance at first, marveling at how it spun, how it moved, moving the leaves and the trees around it as though giving them life. And then, then it stopped moving, freezing as though caught in time. Calcifer felt his breath catch in his chest as well. It was only then that he noticed the figure standing next to the tornado, dangerously close, his eyes focused and a hand suspended in the air. Holding the tornado in place. Calcifer moved then, almost like he was being pulled, materializing in and out of the air until he ended up behind the Haeyari boy. He couldn't help the smile that broke upon his lips; he had never come so close to anything like this before. And too soon, the tornado dissipated, leaving nothing but a breeze in its wake. Before Calcifer could disappear, the boy turned around and spotted him, keeping him in place.

"I was just passing by," he said, his expression suddenly blank, his deep voice measured. "I'm Calcifer, of the Filaren Clan."

@Semra The two women were definitely two sides of the same coin. Where Semra was outgoing, passionate, and lively; Allydia was cold, quiet, and even considered emotionless. It was part of her training to not give away anything unless it was needed for an advantage. Most of her life was lived in masks and playing games of manipulation to get the best outcome available and she found it hard to shake those ways. It was actually one of the things she had pointed out in order to avoid the posting as Headmistress but the Grand Elder believed she was still best for the job. Whether he was right or wrong she could not say.

"That's more twirling than I have done since..." she trailed off thinking of the last time she had danced. While most would associate such things with pleasant memories it was not the case for Allydia. It was an assignment, a long one filled with pain, blood and death but that was the norm for her. "It's been years and I am actually quite alright with that. You can twirl for the both of us. I wont judge."

With a soft groan she pulled away from the tree and slid off the branch, landing gracefully on the ground below with a soft thud. As she righted herself and adjusted her mail tunic she spared a glance to the other female, almost jealous at how feminine the other was. Allydia doubted she could pull off such a striking look and even if she could she knew she would be uncomfortable unless she managed to hide a half-dozen weapons on her person. Even then she would feel exposed with the lack of armor.

"Do not punish them too harshly. My sources are not of this world and there is no way for your people to know this information yet." she reminded the redhead. "And it is best they discover for themselves and speak of it to each other so it becomes real and less like rumors and paranoia. If they are still uninformed in a few days then be worried because by then activity along our northern border should be increased enough to be noticed."

@Allydia Semra knew her powers and weaknesses very well. She played them often to win the advantage or consulted them to see if she could get into a situation. She knew that if one wanted to approach her, she wouldn't close the door but the harshness was to be evident due to her position. She also knew that politics weren't her thing. She would often say whatever came to her mind and her attention span was small to be paying attention to every single detail the politicians said and did, much less find meaning in them and she was glad she didn't have to. It was harsh enough playing baby sitter at times to perfectly capable males and females that were there to protect others, she didn't want to add more to it, she trusted the Headmistress for that.

Jumping slightly at the sound of the blonde's voice, Semra looked at the other and laughed softly. "Oh well, that was more twirling around than I have done in the past month, probably even more than that. I mean up until yesterday we had small fights breaking in the town for minor things like a chair in the inn's bar. Today was plainly boring though." the sentinel explain with a small sigh motioning the other to come down.

"Well, that's too bad. A few of my soldiers are slacking out and not taking my warning that we're going to have to fight. And my intel is probably slacking too. I should get harsher on them then." She mumbled as she looked up at the other smiling a little, her green eyes sparkling with mischief as usual. Punishing her Sentinels when they haven't been doing their job properly wasn't a fun activity, not for the poor guys and girls getting a weird beating from a girl combining the most curious combinations she had learnt how to use to keep them in line. She rarely had to but it was still a necessity from time to time.

@Semra In some ways Allydia actually really enjoyed the Sentinel Captain. They were more similar than probably either of them would admit to the other but that was besides the point. Even if they never spoke it, she always felt that the redhead was something of a kindred spirit and maybe that was why security around the castle seemed to work. Allydia knew not to step on Semra's toes when it came to the Sentinels and Semra seemed more than happy enough to let Allydia deal with the rest of the junk. Besides, it wasn't like Semra could fight the politicians so it was probably best the Headmistress handle it anyway.

From her perch she could see the captain fairly clearly and could only watch the other with her girlish antics. It was true that their positions didn't allow much in the way of personal freedom. They had to be strong, serious leaders in almost all aspects and it didn't leave much time or space for small personal joys. Hiding in a tree was one such trivial thing for Allydia and it seemed twirling was Semra's.

"Be careful. There is a branch poking through the leaves to your left and if it catches your skirt it will snag." Allydia warned and closed her eyes as she rested her head back against the tree trunk. "I know you are bored and you would rather be patrolling but the fight will find us soon enough. We aren't that far from the border and one of my contacts told me they know we are here. So we are a target. Your intel should show that in a day or so."

@Allydia Reaching one of the closest trees Semra sighed and looked around. She wasn't really annoyed but playing hide and seek in the middle of the day, wasn't one of the things she had planned for, nor was roaming around one of the few places where her element was at it's strongest but she didn't actually mind the whole deal, she was after all bored of roaming the ever silent streets alone. The view was really nice and the light breeze blowing through her auburn locks was rather pleasant against the skin of the Shira sentinel.

"I know you're around here, somewhere, so I'll be brief. Nothing happened. It was like poking at a wall and expecting it to poke back. It started getting boring with nothing happening around here." Semra laughed as she twirled around, her dress fanning out a little as it lifted a little dust and some of the leaves that were on the ground. She looked down at the mess she made and laughed softly, her eyes closing as she threw her head back. She knew Allydia was probably watching from where she was hidden but she couldn't have this kind of fun in front of her sentinels, they'd never take her seriously if she did.

The redhead grinned and opened her eyes, her gaze catching something of lighter colors in the upper branches of a tree but she was spinning around herself way too fast to actually pay it any attention at the moment as she started to laugh softly. She knew she was hidden from any prying eyes the castle would offer and her green gown would blend in with the flora making her a walking blob of flaming hair to those watching from afar or over her.

@Semra It was that time again and for Allydia that meant fleeing the boring drudgery of the reports from her Sentinel captain. Not that she didn't appreciate what the reports had to say or the efforts that Semra went through to make sure everything was safe and sound but she just hated how dry they always came up. That and she had to admit she was more than a little jealous. Allydia wished to be out there, roaming the paths herself instead of being cooped up in the office reading the reports and sending them off. There was no doubt that some people were made for the kind of position she held, unfortunately Allydia wasn't one of them.

In one of her more childish attempts to avoid Semra she had run into the forest but knew even that would not be enough to throw the Sentinel off of her trail. She had to do something different, unusual, so she reached out with her power to summon a small wind and lifted her body high up into the branches of the trees overlooking the path.The bough she chose was strong, sturdy, and when she was against the trunk she was almost completely hidden. It was perfect and as she settled in comfortably to wait the smallest of smiles ghosted across her face.

Almost like clockwork, Allydia watched the redhead approach the forest. It was hard to tell whether or not the Sentinel was annoyed by her antics or if maybe she too enjoyed a little bit of time out of the office. The blonde would see just how Semra reacted, not wanting to end the hunt too quickly. Instead she closed her eyes, slowed her breathing and waited to be noticed as she relaxed against the tree.

@Allydia The forest was surprisingly quiet, aside from the occasional bird singing or hustle of leaves on the ground, nothing could be heard. Semra was walking down the path looking for Allydia. She wasn't in her office nor in the most likely areas she was usually lurking around and it was time for her usual report from the patrols. Walking on the newborn grass blades, under the shade of the trees surrounding her, Semra kept making sure her long dress wasn't getting dirty on the mud and soil of the ground.

"Where did she vanish to? It's time for our usual meeting." She mumbled to herself as she looked around for the blonde with the braided hair that was serving as a head mistress.

()Sorry it is short. My starters are awkward! *dies*