Arc 1 – Some Spirits Walk, Others Fly
Episode 1
X786
Winter
Spirit Walker
"Cocoa?" Shekinah held up another steaming mug with a smile to the newcomer, receiving only a muted, sharp nod in return.
"Thank you." A single green eye closed as its owner savored the hot drink, the other eye covered by an eyepatch, as always.
Encircling the warmth of the ceramic were a pair of black fingerless gloves that protruded out of the long tanned sleeves of a jacket with orange lining and gold edging, which in itself was partially hidden by a short-sleeved coat. The coat's thick collar completely encircled her neck in place of a scarf, and a knee-high brown boot rested atop a black-clad knee, gold caps tapping against the underside of the bar top. An orange crop top was just visible underneath.
Shekinah, ever the watchful eye, recognized the attire immediately. "Going on another mission, Sophie?"
Sophie nodded again, one hand leaving her mug to touch the rose-shaped pins fastening a white-hooded cloak to her shoulder. It seemed to be a comforting gesture, or perhaps a silent prayer. Spirit was never completely sure, but the ever-sleeping cloak spirit always stirred at her touch (and only hers, as the last time Spirit grabbed it, out of curiosity, nothing had happened) so he figured it may have something to do with the latter.
The Master held a hand out with a knowing smile, and Sophie handed her one of the few ads from the board.
It was one of the biggest jobs they currently had—being so out of the way and so unknown, they didn't get a lot of jobs. Half of the government employees refused to even deliver them, and someone always had to go fetch the jobs once a month. They'd started getting more since Fairy Tail's fall from fame, but most of their jobs still had to do with hauntings and supposed curses. They got old after a while. Every once in a while, Spirit just wanted to go fight an old-fashioned monster. Aside from the occasional infestation of Vulcans.
Spirit sighed as his grandmother walked off with the ad, presumably toward her office, his fingers playing with the flash of silver in his otherwise black hair. Everything was always quieter in the winter, and thus always boring.
He tried not to show any difference to his slouched stature, turning towards the mage beside him.
"Hey, Nightwalker—"
"No."
Spirit gave up the façade, sitting up indignantly. "I didn't even ask you anything yet!"
She turned towards him with a raised brow, the slight stretch of skin serving to accentuate the three blue lines on either side of her face, like cracks reaching up to her eyes. Instinctively, he tried not to look at the burn scars that could be seen covered the fingers of her left hand, focusing on her wavy aquamarine hair instead. "And my answer is no."
Two years of trying to join her on a mission. Sophie: 98. Spirit: 0.
He decided to spend the rest of his morning sulking, and Shekinah flicked him on the forehead as she returned, handing the ad back to Sophie. "Have fun, Sophie." The crow's feet by her eyes wrinkled as she smiled. "When will you be leaving?"
"After breakfast."
"Did Spirit get turned down again?" A soft voice asked, followed by a hearty bark. A fair-skinned girl waved as she entered the main hall, giving the Saint Bernard a quick pat on the head before eagerly taking the cup of hot cocoa held out to her. Some of the freckles on her face disappeared as she took a big whiff with a happy sigh.
The Cloud Witch tucked her black skirt under her as she sat down on the other side of Sophie, her white and orange stockings perching underneath her from within a pair of brown lace-up boots. In addition to the black, fur-lined hoodie she usually wore, a thick white scarf was wrapped around her neck against the wintry weather.
Sitting on the ground beside her, the large dog barked again. Shekinah leaned over the counter to smile down at him. "Hello, Barik. Would you like something to drink?" An affirmation, and a large bowl of water was placed in front of him.
Soft pink eyes faded out of focus as the newest awakened member continued to slowly drink and savor her mug, the white fur pompom beret atop her fluffy white hair slipping off just a little. She made no move to correct it.
"Uh… Elin?" She made no move to answer other than taking another sip of cocoa.
Shekinah laughed quietly. "Leave her be, Spyro. Now, how about some breakfast?"
Her supposedly kind offer really translated to, "Spyro help me make breakfast". He gave his usual response of a heavy, melodramatic sigh as he stood, Shekinah rolling her eyes but leading the way through the little hall behind the bar.
Breakfast was to be a small affair, it seemed, as they were starting to run low on supplies. Someone would have to make a supply run into town soon, no doubt.
Spirit went about flipping pancakes as Shekinah took care of the eggs and the bacon. Pancakes took longer, especially with the amount he had to make. Feeling spiteful, he figured making a few less would teach them not to gorge.
He stacked them all on a serving plate just as Shekinah came back in for the platter of bacon. She eyed the stack before turning the look onto him knowingly. Spirit flushed in embarrassment—definitely not guilt—but she let him leave with it nonetheless.
Back in the main hall, Elin had moved to one of the bigger tables, where a teen dressed in dark grey sat across from her. His scuffed red shoes tapped against the floor absentmindedly as he huddled into his scarlet jacket, yawning over a cup of coffee. The naturally droopy shape of his deep blue eyes didn't help.
"Bringer, nice to see you up early for a change." He yawned again in answer, one hand raking through his short black hair in a poor effort to keep himself awake. Spirit rolled his eyes, setting the plate of pancakes down before taking a seat himself.
Shekinah returned soon enough, placing the plate of bacon right under Bringer's nose. It served to perk him up a little.
Unfortunately for him, he didn't get a chance to eat as the main door burst open, white-laced black boots stomping off snow as white fingerless gloved hands rubbed together to keep warm. Steel wrist guards were strapped over the sleeves of a white turtleneck, and almond-colored eyes immediately snapped to the food on the table.
"Good; I made it back for breakfast." A pair of black jeans planted themselves in a seat, and as soon as a head of long, braided sky-colored hair leaned forward, the quiet peace of the morning ended to make abound for the chaos of the day.
Shekinah just laughed. "Erie, don't eat so fast. It's not good right after a jog." She walked around the table and tapped her grandson sharply on the head. "Spyro, go wake up the others before they miss breakfast."
"Gran!"
"Listen to your grandmother, Spyro." He sent a sharp look at Erie, who spared him a teasing glance before returning to stuffing her face like the others.
He trudged over to the door leading to the Hermitage as slowly as he could get away with, not particularly looking forward to the icy outside corridor.
Already he missed the boring sleepiness of the early morning.
Not a whole lot going on, but I wanted to at least cop something out so we can start having some fun and so I can give you a little more background into the area. Think of this as more prologue, but with people. The chapters will likely get progressively longer, and most of the story is going to take place in West Fiore, whereas a lot of the Fairy Tail series seemed to take place in East Fiore.
Also, for those still looking to submit, I've gotten a lot of female characters with hourglass shapes, and nearly everyone so far has been in their late teens. Freckles and fair skin are becoming increasingly common as well. Personality-wise, a lot of them have been distant and/or stand-off-ish, but otherwise I think you guys have been pretty good about variety. :3
As of posting this chapter, I've got three S-class and two Slayers, so there are 2 slots still open for Slayers and one for S-class for the Spirit Walker Guild. If you want to create an S-class and/or Slayer for another Guild, PM me first, but that's still a possibility even if the main Guild's slots end up filled.
Characters We Met:
Sophie Nightgrass – The Cryo Phoenix and a nineteen-year-old that's been a member going on two years. By warcraft505
Elin Yohira – Also known as the Cloud Witch, an eighteen-year-old that's been with the guild for four years. By Harukawa Ayame
Barik – Elin's Saint Bernard and faithful companion who keeps her from spacing out at important times. By Harukawa Ayame
Jack Fae – Popularly known as Bringer, a seventeen-year-old that's been with the Guild for nearly seven years. By fillory-ronpa
Erie Sakamoto – AKA Five Knuckle Sakamoto, one of the few S-class mages and a nineteen-year-old whose membership is about 4 ½ years. By dragvil1996