—Recap—
Her confidence was building up, and just as she was about to land another attack on Sting, a familiar voice interrupted them.
"I'd hate to break up this battle, but I believe this brawl has been going on for quite some time," Minerva said, who had apparently arrived from the side exit.
"M'lady!"
"M'lady... Minerva."
~ ~ ~ ~
"What's with that expression, Sorella?" Minerva leered at the red head, who was putting away her sword back into its home. "Are you perhaps discouraged that I ruined the fun?"
"Not at all, I'm just surprised to see you back so soon. Usually when you leave for a job, it takes as long as a month," Sorella commented, and Minerva scoffed.
"Apologies to disappoint you then. But if it makes you feel any better, I will be leaving again soon," there was no tone in Minerva's voice to suggest she was close to being apologetic.
Not that Sorella believed for a second Minerva would ever be sorry for anything.
"I don't believe you came here to just announce your return," Sorella bluntly stated.
"You're correct, but first, it looks like you've got a new toy. What made you get a sword?" Minerva questioned.
There was no way Sorella would ever tell Minerva the real reason why, and the tensions in the air immediately became thick, the three bystanders could feel it.
"I wanted to get one. I don't really have another reason why, besides the fact that I miss using a sword," she vaguely admitted, "it just so happens that this blade is magically imbued with light."
"How advantageous, I had no idea you knew how to wield a sword. Apparently, you learn something new everyday," Minerva mused.
"So M'lady, what really brings you here?" Rogue asked, bringing the conversation back on topic.
A while back, Sorella had learned Rogue had a skill of diffusing tensions in a room before it escalated, it was a talent he seemed to have.
"Yes, that. Since I'll be going on another job soon, It'll be unfortunate, but I won't be here for the beginning of this year's Grand Magic Games," she informed them, much to the men's surprise.
"You're not participating this year?" Sting frowned at the sudden news, but she smirked. "Of course I will, but until I complete my job, Sorella can take my spot." Minerva decided.
"Wait, really?" Sorella asked in disbelief.
"Sorella?" The men repeated in confusion.
"Yes, of course. Sorella is a capable fighter, and with her new sword, I expect positive results. Wouldn't you agree, boys?" She answered, turning to the three males for confirmation, and Sorella couldn't help but wonder what the catch was.
Minerva nominating Sorella to take part in the games in her place wasn't something she'd do out of kindness. But she knew never to look into the mouth of a gifted horse.
As Sorella was internally conflicted, the men agreed with Minerva's statement without argument.
In Sabertooth, Minerva's word was practically law, so if she decided on something, it was usually never challenged by the men.
Sorella was another thing though.
"Very well then, it should be fun to partake in the games this year," Sorella accepted Minerva's appraisal anyways.
"You should be honoured then. The Games will be a new experience for you, since you have yet to represent Sabertooth outside of Sorcerer Weekly, Sorella. I'm sure we'll have more fans coming in when they find out the magazine's top model is participating this year," Minerva coyly insinuated, and Sorella blushed with embarrassment.
Three weeks ago, Sabertooth was visited by Jason, a reporter for Sorcerer Weekly.
He had come to visit the guildhall because he wanted an exclusive interview with Sabertooth's top mages to fill up a column.
However, upon seeing Sorella, he had practically begged for her to become a model due to her "natural beauty" he had put it, and she reluctantly agreed.
Since then, Sorella's fame practically skyrocketed overnight since her first modeling gig and now she was known as Sabertooth's Golden Girl.
It was embarrassing to say the very least, wearing all sorts of clothes, or lack there of - bikinis - and posing in front of cameras, but it made her passive income so she didn't complain too much.
It was a different story when it came to being apart of a predominantly male guild though.
The gazes she would get after a particularly raunchy shot was down right nauseating. The only saving grace was that none of the men were idiotic to approach her.
Not when she could wipe them out and was usually hanging around Sting and Rogue anyways.
'If only there was another woman in the guild besides Minerva.' She wished oh so dearly.
"...Yeah, it'll be fun to square up against different guilds," Sorella was uncomfortable and Minerva found amusement in it.
"Now that that's been settled, I shall go inform my father. I'll be taking my leave now." Minerva excused herself, making the group of five into a group of four once more.
"It'll be fun, Sorella. Every year, the games and the battle line ups are different, but the one thing that remains the same is Sabertooth's victory." Sting informed her with a smirk and she nodded along as they all walked back inside, done sparring for the day.
The four of them split up as they entered the guild.
Rogue had gone off to find Frosch, who was always glued to Lector's side if Frosch wasn't with Rogue.
They were most definitely in the kitchen, snacking away, because it was only recently that Sorella had learned from Lector that Minerva liked cooking for them, which was a big shock to say the least.
She couldn't, for the life of her, see someone like Minerva - who loved wearing fancy dresses and putting men in their place at the same time - put on an apron to do something domestic such as cooking. Maybe she had a heart after all.
Meanwhile, Sting had gone off to his dorm room to start packing. He informed Sorella and the others that the Master was most likely going to call for a guild meeting tomorrow.
This was to talk about the arrival of the games coming up in three months time.
Sting also informed Sorella specifically, that each year, Sabertooth was expected to put their all into training as only the best of the best would be selected to participate in Sabertooth's name.
Even if Sorella was already picked to go in Minerva's stead, because Minerva always played in the games.
Orga had gone to find Rufus, because they always leave to train together every year. As Rufus could memorize any magic he sees or reads, he makes a perfect opponent for Orga to fight, as no one else in the guild is apparently as flamboyant as him in regard to magical prowess. ("No offence, Sorella." He told her, but Sorella took none of his words to heart.)
As Sorella was lost in her thoughts, she apparently wasn't looking where she was going, because she bumped into someone and they fell onto the tiled floor.
"Oh, I'm sorry, are you okay?" Sorella's eyes widened when she looked down to see a girl with white hair on the floor and reached her hand down to help her.
The girl took her hand and Sorella pulled her up, she also picked up a multitude of keys on a ring that the mysterious girl dropped and handed it back to her.
"Thank you! But really, no need to apologize. It's my fault, anyway. So I'm sorry. I'm new here so I got lost, and I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," the girl had a soft spoken voice as she spoke, she was also very polite too, Sorella observed, as she gave Sorella a grateful smile for the help. Then she pocketed her keys into her pouch.
"That's normal around here since the guild is needlessly large. My name is Sorella Alviena, are you a new member by chance?" She introduced herself, and what was this? Was her wish for more girls in the guild coming true that fast?
"Yes! My name's Yukino Aguria, I just joined today!" Yukino bowed.
Yukino was very polite.
"...Did you have to fight anyone upon entry?" Sorella questioned, suddenly remembering Minerva's earlier appearance.
"Oh, um, no... Was I supposed to?" Yukino looked confused at Sorella's question with a furrow of her brows and a tilt of her head.
"You're lucky then, don't worry about it," Sorella shook her head, only confusing the poor girl more.
"So what's with all those keys?" Sorella changed the topic suddenly. "Oh, those are how I call my spirits. I'm a celestial spirit wizard." She explained.
"Your magic is rare, the last time I've heard stories of one was seven years ago," Sorella replied thoughtfully.
"Yes, that is true. Coming across a golden key is even more rare now, I only possess two. The Scales and the Two fish," Yukino said.
"Libra and Pisces?" Her knowledge of zodiacs was bare minimum, but she could at least remember their names.
"Oh yes, and they're very powerful. Might I ask what magic you possess?" Yukino probed.
"I can utilize illusions, gravity, and light," she plainly replied.
"Wow! Possessing three types of magic is even more rare! It's also very impressive!" Yukino's eyes glimmered in excitement at hearing about Sorella's magic, she was practically glowing and Sorella sweat dropped.
"Aha, thanks..." The girl's sudden enthusiasm caught her off guard and Yukino seemed to take notice.
"Oh, sorry. I couldn't contain my excitement, Libra also controls gravity by balancing her scales and I haven't met anyone who had the same powers as her yet," she apologized quickly.
"Oh, no, don't apologize over that. I was just surprised. Anyways, I'm glad to have a new girl join the guild, it gets lonely being one of the only women among the men in this guild," Sorella gestured Yukino to step closer and she dropped her voice significantly "and they stink," she made an exaggerated look of disgust and Yukino politely giggled.
"I suppose so, I can't imagine being one of the only women here either. But I heard that there was another women here too, though." Sorella wryly smiled at Yukino's response.
"Ah, you're referring to the Master's daughter, Lady Minerva," Sorella's face scrunched up.
"I'd count her too, but she leaves for long periods of time and I don't often come across her." Thankfully so, Sorella wanted to add, but she knew better than to bad mouth Minerva behind her back to new members, and Yukino didn't come off as the gossiper type.
"In any case, maybe we should make an allegiance?" Yukino looked mildly confused.
"An allegiance?" Sorella nodded.
"Yep, among us women. Not that the men run the guild, but it can't hurt having each other's backs," she suggested, and Yukino seemed eager at the idea.
"I'd like that, it would be nice to have someone to talk to here. Truth be told, I didn't really get the impressions that friendships here stuck, so I'm relieved," she admitted nervously, and Sollera found the girl endearing.
Yukino's kind and well mannered nature was a breath of relief compared to Minerva.
"You'd be right to assume that, but there are a few outliers if you look hard enough. How about I give you a tour of the places I know and tell you more?" Sollera started to walk and Yukino matched her leisure pace.
"You'd do that for me?" She looked surprised all of a sudden.
"Course, I don't really have anything else to do at the moment, so I'm free. We just have to start out at the infirmary first," she stated, and Yukino stopped all of a sudden.
"Huh? Why? Are you okay?"
"Yep, nothing to trouble yourself over. I just finished a sparring session so I need a pick me up, you coming?" Sorella gestured over her shoulder and Yukino sweat dropped at the red head's nonchalant attitude but she quickly caught up with her again.
Once she got a tonic, some bandages, and a slap on the wrist for being careless, Sorella was sent off by Sabertooth's medic wizard; (witch was a much more accurate description to be honest, that woman was able to scare even the toughest men in the guild with a single glare), and guided Yukino through some of the floors.
(Sorella skipped a majority because the rest were floors filled with dorms, so therefore only the first five floors mattered.)
They passed by the bar and the request board at the same time, "So once you take a request off of the board, hand it to the bartender and he'll take care of the rest," she had explained in passing.
"The bartender?" Sorella nodded intently.
"Yep, not sure how it works exactly, but the requests that our members chose to take are handed to the Master once the pile is large. It's a lot more easier than tracking up to the highest floor to hand it to him," she had said, and Yukino understood quickly.
Evidently, the albino haired girl was really good at listening.
As Sorella showed her where the kitchen was, she was hanging on to every word.
"Kitchens are open to everyone if they want to make a meal, so long as they clean up after themselves. Oh, but I'd advise you to stay out of it when Lady Minerva's in there. She doesn't really like company when she cooks. That's what I heard anyways. Do you like cooking, Yukino?" Sorella turned to face the girl in question.
"I like baking once in a while," Yukino had answered.
"If you can source your own ingredients, you're welcome to do that too." Yukino smiled at that. "Do you cook, Sollera?"
Sollera huffed in amusement.
"No, while I can make something edible, I'm horrible at it. You don't want me near a stove," she joked.
"I'm sure that's not entirely true—" Yukino tried to reassure her, but Sorella waved her off.
"It's okay, you don't have to comfort me. I've long accepted it by now. But I appreciate it anyhow, let's move on."
The next place Sorella brought her was the outdoor training grounds that she and the others were sparring in earlier.
"While there are indoor areas to train, they're much smaller and meant for one or two people at a time. Here is where practice duels take place. It also so happens to be a good place to duke it out if you have issues with someone."
The walls were reinforced and built up high so the property damages were kept to a minimum, the sand pit where Sorella and the others were fighting in was the middle, and the outer layer of the arena was surrounded by trees and bleachers.
Yukino didn't have much to say in response, but looked interested anyways.
Sorella took it as a sign to move on to the next location which just so happened to be the Grand Library.
"Welcome to the Grand Library, one of my personal favourite spots in the whole guild," Sorella put her hands on her hips, watching as Yukino walked up to a close by shelf in awe.
"Wow! This place is amazing!" Yukino was star struck.
There was tall bookcases on each of the four levels that was accessed by winding staircases, large wooden tables and love seats to read and study at, and a large armillary sphere placed in the middle of a red floor rug, right behind a giant granite statue of Sabertooth's original founder, Gyandev, an advocate for knowledge.
The library also had a giant round window with a hundred glass panes, and many skylights in the ceiling to promote natural light.
Currently, it was practically empty. Besides the usual few individuals that came here practically everyday, it was basically just the two of them and the inhabitants of the library paid them no mind.
"Sabertooth's library has the fortune to own copies of scriptures written way before the guild was even founded decades ago. So if you're looking for a particular book. Fantasy or fiction, this is the place you want to go," she explained as Yukino walked up to one of the shelves closest to them.
"This place is absolutely gorgeous with all the natural light. I've seen it in pictures, but those don't do the real thing justice," Yukino gaped.
"We can spend as much time in here as you want," and Yukino didn't waste anymore time browsing titles and looking through books.
It was safe to say they were there for half an hour before Yukino was satisfied for the day.
Sorella was finished reading a volume of her favourite shonen, when Yukino reproached her, and they carried on with tour.
As Sorella didn't really know what else to show Yukino, she showed Yukino her room.
"Wow! Sorella san, your room is so big!" Yukino gaped at the size of the dorm room as soon as she unlocked the door.
"I believe all the bedrooms here are about this size," Sorella nonchalantly replied with a shrug.
"If you want to rent one, you have to fill out a form and have it approved," she informed her, taking off her shoes at the doorway and Yukino followed her actions.
"Okay!" Yukino nodded enthusiastically.
"Feel free to make yourself at home, Yukino. There really isn't much to look at, but we can hang out here if you want to," she sat down on her couch, and Yukino sat next to her.
"So, when did you join Sabertooth, Sorella san?'' Yukino asked curiously, and Sorella felt a wave of nostalgia to her first day here.
"I joined about a year ago. Feels almost like yesterday, actually."
"Did anything interesting happen that day?" Yukino wondered, and Sorella tilted her head to the right as she gazed over to the left corner of her room, as if trying to recall the day she joined the guild.
"Well, I fought the Master's daughter," she shrugged, and Yukino's eyes practically widened like saucers.
"What?!" She gaped with the drop of her jaw.
"In order to prove my worth as a member, the Master had me fight Lady Minerva when I flaunted my power, so we fought," she elaborated with a hum. "Evidently, we were on par and our fight ended in a stalemate..." She took a pause before continuing.
"Sometimes, I wonder who would come out victorious in a battle without restraints, but I don't actively go out to try and provoke her into one," the red head let out a stifled laugh.
"So you and M'lady don't get along then," Yukino affirmed.
"You could say that, but it's more accurate to say it's rare that we see eye to eye in things. Our conversations remain civil to an extent, but we won't become friends in the near time future. Our... relationship is complex." Sorella admitted.
"Oh, that does seem complicated," Yukino looked troubled, but Sorella shrugged it off.
"So why did you choose to join Sabertooth?" Yukino asked Sorella a different question and she thought about it for a moment.
"Survival. I needed someplace to work so I could keep off the streets and eat. What better than to join the number one guild in Fiore?" Sorella answered bluntly.
"What about you, Yukino san? What are your motives for joining Sabertooth?" She turned the question around and it was Yukino's turn to think about her answer.
"The truth is, I've always looked up to Sabertooth, my dream was to join when I was younger, but I'm also looking for my older sister who I was separated with when we were kids. As the top guild in Fiore, I'm hoping I'll be able to have the resources to find her," Yukino admitted solemnly, but the spark of determination was still in her.
"Older sister, huh?" Sorella pondered Yukino's words.
She used to have an older sister too, but years had passed since they seen each other. Sorella wondered if her sister would even remember her, she hummed.
"I'm sure you'll reunite with her one day," Sorella reassured her.
"You really believe that?" Yukino's brows raised.
"Yeah, I'm sure of it."
= = =