Printable View
http://i570.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps8bk6bqij.png
It is built into a terraced mountain with vast forestry growing on each level. Two towers were also built on either side of the mountain connecting directly to it. Inside, there was at least one, vast meeting hall which had the symbol of the Guild framing the doorway on either side. At the front of the room, elevated above the rest of the room by a platform was a throne of sorts a small table beside it.
Things had been feeling a little too quiet as of late. It was starting to become honestly dull, though Mallora could have really gone on jobs at any time previously she just hadn't really felt motivated. Still, there was a point that even she had to say that enough was enough, which was what had driven her to where she now stood, in front of the jobs designated for S-class mages. "Who would have thought picking my poison would be this difficult. Or that being so bored would make it that way..."
Not far from the S-Class request board... in fact, behind it, there was a chair. In this chair sat a man of large stature, approximately six feet and two inches tall. His hair was scarlet as blood-stained cloth, worn in a spiky mullet cascading over his shoulders, and a bit more of this brilliant red shade would be seen in the form of a goatee upon his chin. He wore garbs of the traditional persuasion, featuring black pants, a white top lined in red, and a flowing black cape with an interior to match the color of his hair. His eyes were... closed? Yes; it appeared this man's eyes were sealed shut, yet his mouth was very open and producing sounds akin to those heard by bears in the wilderness. This man was Siegfried. He was one of Raven Tail's top members, the Purgatory Dragon Slayer, and a legend in his own right... and he was slacking off by hiding and sleeping behind the place he should have been inspecting for potential jobs.
Of course it made it harder to choose jobs when it sounded like there was some sort of primal beast lurking behind the board. Not that it was one she hadn't heard before, mind you. It was just loud enough to wake the dead. A young woman looking to earn a little coin and cure boredom like she could hardly choose. So, instead she would turn her attention behind the board. Sure enough, it was exactly who she had expected it to be sleeping on the job. Ever so slightly smirking she would then slide off one of her gloves. The Devil Slayer wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to provoke a sleeping bear, after all. Bringing her right fist to her left palm, she would take only a moment to coat her hand in a thin violet sheet of ice. Just enough for what she would need: a patent-pending Ice Devil's frozen touch, perfect for waking up even the deepest of sleepers. Hand prepped, Mallora would waste no time in showing her less mature side that only those in Syndicate had ever really been privy to as she brought the hand to the back of Siegfried's neck without so much as a word of warning.
All was peaceful in the mind of the sleeping Dragon Slayer. He had no job to occupy him at present, and as such, he had no worries. One might even believe he was having a rather pleasant dream. That is, until an incredible chill made its way through his body, starting at the back of his neck. His eyes shot open, revealing piercing red irises and bloodshot sclerae as the man began to shiver from head to toe, teeth chattering. "Cold cold cold COLD COLD!!!" he shouted while thrashing about in his chair. Fire spewed from his mouth, and eventually began coming from his body as well. This caused the incineration of the chair he sat in, and as his rear end hit the floor, he was brought back to reality enough to set his gazes upon the culprit. Still shivering, he stared daggers in the woman's direction, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. "Why? Just... why? I was having such a good dream, too..."
His reaction was nothing short of beautiful. The immediate shivering followed by complaints of cold did her well to know she had succeeded. At the first signs of flames though her iced hand would retreat as she allowed the ice to disappear with a little help from her teammate's fire. Though the glare he shot would bring a bit of a shiver to her for knowing what he was capable of Mallora was quite pleased with herself for the moment. Not minding that the chair was the lone casualty of her prank she would offer her other hand in effort to help him stand back up as she finally spoke. "You make it hard for me to choose a job with how loudly you snore, Sieg. Though please, tell me all about your dream as you find a job for us to take together. If it's the both of us we might just finish easily and you must be about as bored as I am."
"I do not snore," the man replied as he took Mallora's hand and rose to a standing position. A great bellow of a yawn followed, and it became clear to him that Mallora had been having difficulty choosing a job from the board. He, too, had inspected the board and failed to find anything of merit, hence his nap. "None of those are any good. I had a look earlier... figured the only thing worth it would be an SS or a 10 Year, but... ugh, those things! So, I decided instead to take a breather and dream about harems. Wanna go for a duet on one of those, then?"
"Anyone else who's been around you when sleeping would probably agree with me. If it can be called snoring even. I thought it was a dying bull that somehow got dragged in." Standing back a bit, Mallora too would gaze at the board as he confirmed her fears that not many of the missions were worth either of their time. Sure, the clients likely needed aid but some jobs grew dull the more power they accumulated. That was a fact that had left both at a bit of an impasse, barring either SS or 10-year missions as Siegfried pointed out. It still beat sitting around twiddling thumbs until other jobs came along. "Well if it's the two of us the pay will still be fairly sweet and it would far cut down the amount of time either would take. How about we aim big with a ten year? Which one is the real question though... No matter what we'll be out for a bit. Probably."
"Urusai," was Siegfried's retort to the commentary about his apparent snoring. Without further ado, as Mallora had suggested a 10 Year Job, Siegfried stepped toward a table not far from where he previously sat. 'Ugh. Can't Sasuke get a damn board for these too?' he questioned mentally. When he looked at the request forms scattered across the table, his eyes scanned for prices first. His eyes narrowed when he saw one in particular, offering a pay of 500,000,000 Jewels for its completion. Picking up the parchment, he chose to address it. "500 million to save Caelum from its tyrant and recover an artifact? This one was taken from Fairy Tail's board..."
Only a smirk would grace Mallora's expression at Siegfried's insistence on dropping the subject. Was it really so hard to deny something like one's snoring. Maybe one day he'd just be loud enough to wake himself up, then he'd learn. All she could hope for is to see his reaction then and to smack him with an 'I told you so' to boot. For now though at least their attention would be on the line of work that hopefully awaited them, scattered about a table instead of a proper board. As Siegfried finally picked up one slip of a job she would look a little more closely at it. "That much? Either the tyrant is really bad news or the artifact is really something. Either way this should keep us at least a little bit entertained." Accepting that it was probably the best and most intriguing offer currently on the table Mallora wasted almost no time in preparing to set out for the doors. "Shall we prepare to set sail, Sieg?"
"Or both. I've heard about Caelum's overlord. I've never been there myself, but I hear even the Mages over there are in constant fear. I don't think that alone is enough to make a job more than SS though; especially for Fairy Tail the last few years. If this came from Fairy Tail, that means the master wasn't able to do this job prior to last year..." It was both frightening and exciting to find that there was a job in Raven Tail, from Fairy Tail, that its former member Sasuke was unable to complete. Perhaps he merely never tried, but the thought alone was enough to get Siegfried's blood pumping. His excitement was soon replaced... by some combination of sadness and detest. Something Mallora said had set him off. He turned toward the woman, looking as if he were about to vomit. "Did you just say... set sail?"
"I said what I said. I may not be as familiar on politics of Caelum but I know geography well enough to realize that's an island we're headed to." The change in his tone hadn't escaped her notice, and had prompted Mallora to pause and turn back toward him. Suddenly it seemed as though the mighty Hell's Dragon wasn't looking forward to toppling a government almost single-handedly. Though she knew well enough why. Traveling had never exactly been the man's forte, though she wasn't about to let it be what stopped the two from their chosen mission. Hell, he had been the one to choose it even. "Or do you plan on swimming? I have zero intention of making an ice bridge there."
After a moment though she would try to change the topic. The sooner she got him off of the subject of their transportation the more likely he would probably still continue on. "Anywho, if it came from Fairy Tail, chances are that he must have planned to make sure it got done at least even if it wasn't his own hand taking care of it. That's just a guess of course but the reward is just too juicy to leave be."
"But... but... that means we have to use that," he further spoke. Though he personally thought he had a ways to go yet, Siegfried was a powerful enough Dragon Slayer to be affected by means of transportation, hence his sudden hesitance toward this situation. However... it was his need to become an even stronger Dragon Slayer that compelled him. He needed Dragon Lacrima to go above and beyond, and to get it, he needed much more money. "I guess you're right. Whether it was something he ever tried or not, he'd want us to do it. Fine... let's go, before I get sick to my stomach." In spite of these words, Siegfried could be seen scanning the area nearby, as if looking for someone in particular. "Did you see Panther Lily anywhere nearby?"
"If we dragged you through the water by a rope behind the actual boat would you still get seasick? I'm honestly curious enough to almost test it. Almost." A devilish sort of smirk would cross the Ice Witch's features at the thought of it. Honestly as far as things were concerned, there was nothing she could do to really help his falling ill anytime it came to a vehicle. If anything she could avoid using any sort of transportation up until it was absolutely necessary. It was a small sacrifice really considering the whole situation was her idea.
At the mention of Panther Lily, her gaze would widen briefly in surprise. She hadn't really been paying close attention to realize that he really wasn't by Siegfried's side. "I'm so used to seeing him with you it almost escaped my notice that he's not." If only to prove to herself that he really wasn't nearby, Mallora's gaze would scan the room as well as she formed a hypothesis to his location. "If he's not with you, perhaps he's doing some training on his own? That's the only place I can really see him having gone off to in order to occupy himself during your...napping. Outside of getting a bite." Mallora had been pretty tempted to call him out on the snoring yet again but would hold back this time. She had teased him enough for the moment and they needed to really get going on the mission. The sooner they finished and pocketed that hefty reward, the better. Even if the whole thing had been agreed upon purely to alleviate the pair's boredom.
"How about this then. You go ahead and round him up, get whatever else you need because who knows how long we'll be gone and we meet back here in a little while to head out. There's just a few little things that I'd like to get together. Funds, supplies, that sort of stuff."
"Urusai! I'm a man! No transportation can keep me pinned down!" This exclamation from Siegfried was his final show of motivation. He would simply have to tolerate his motion sickness, if not best it entirely. For now though, he could agree to searching for his partner, Panther Lily, while Mallora tended to her own preparatory business. "Hai. Whether I find him or not, I'll meet you back here in... fifteen?"