From Shadows

Sharaku sighed, rolling his eyes as he gave himself a quick once-over in the mirror. The image in front of him looked the same as ever, save that he didn’t have the usual jewelry he wore on since he had just climbed out of the shower a few minutes ago. He still had a scratch on his right cheek from the fight he had gotten in last night. It was becoming more and more common lately. Perhaps being idle in a guild full of criminals could do that. He closed his blue eyes, shaking his head to clear the thoughts entering his head. It didn’t matter. Even fights with guild mates was preferable to being fat and lazy. He had to be in shape to do his job, after all.

He had finally been given the chance to do said job, at least. He had received a message this morning, assigning him to perform a job for Shadow Heart’s benefit. That message had been what had woken him up, actually. But despite a bit of cursing under his breath at first, he didn’t actually mind getting up a bit of early. Sharaku pulled his black t-shirt over his head then put on his shoes before he grabbed an apple for breakfast. He was supposed to meet with his temporary partner, Fayte, for the mission. He had seen the girl a few times, but he didn’t talk a lot, especially not to women since he seemed to always screw up talking to them. And she didn’t seem to talk much either, so that hadn’t exactly helped them to get to know one another despite both of them being in the guild for nearly a year now. She was hard to read, and he wasn’t sure what kind of person she was. But she didn’t pick fights like some of the more thuggish members, so she didn’t seem so bad to him.

Pulling his hair back into a ponytail, Sharaku put his loop earrings in again and then stepped out of his room, closing and locking it behind him. He walked down the halls, ignoring most of the people he passed unless they happened to be friendly enough to greet him first. There was one or two. Not everyone in Shadow Heart was a bad person. Some just wanted both freedom and security. Shar could respect that, truth be told. Official guilds had too many restrictions placed on them by the Magic Council.

He finally arrived in the commons area, stuffing his hands in his cargo pants’ pockets as he walked into the room, scanning the area. It wasn’t all that filled up yet. A lot of people were still asleep. He scanned to see if Fayte was there already. He’d told the messenger to tell her to meet him there at about this time. They had a reasonably simple mission together, as far as he was concerned. They were to ‘acquire’ a wizard that had some sort of valuable knowledge that Shadow Heart required. He didn’t know if he knew too much, or just knew something the guild wanted to themselves, but it wasn’t really his business. He didn’t ask, especially since the guild was very secretive by nature. Prying where you shouldn’t could get you in a world of trouble. Sharaku sighed, closing his eyes again and bowing his head slightly. It was the first job he’d done in a long while. He was more nervous than he cared to let on. Thankfully, he was rather good at hiding emotions when he wanted to.

Fayte finished the rest of her preparations, sliding on her black jacket.  If she left now, she would be early... so instead, she sat idly on her bed.  Folding her hands on her lap and staring at them, she simply waited, listening to the clock tick methodically.  The past few months had been a strange transition for her.  Although she'd been at Shadow Heart for nearly a year now, most of her early months were spent recovering from serious injuries.  When she did recover, at first only the odd small task would fall to her.  Fayte's former guild had been a sister guild of Shadow Heart, but none of her rank or reputation had transferred over.  She was starting over, proving her worth in whatever way she could, dutifully completing each task regardless of how trivial it seemed.

The message of the mission had arrived early in the morning.  This would be the first time Fayte worked with another Shadow Heart member.  The messenger had provided Fayte her partner's name and description, but it was not someone familiar to her.  Outside of those she reported to, Fayte knew few of her fellow guildmates' names.  She wasn't exactly a social butterfly, and saw no need to remember someone without a work-related purpose.  At least the need for a partner meant they'd be doing dangerous work.  She knew they were supposed to capture a mage, so a pair of two would likely be perfect for such a mission.  Fayte could only assume that Shadow Heart was beginning to trust her more.

The clock had ticked long enough.  Silently Fayte rose, leaving her dorm room.  She passed through the guild hall like a ghost, neither noticing those she passed, nor being noticed.  At the commons area, she found the person who met the messenger's description with relative ease.  He was clearly looking around for someone... likely for Fayte.  She approached quietly, although it would be hard to miss her presence.  “Sharaku.... right?” She addressed him emotionlessly, gaze equally as blank.  She had no opinion of him... not even at a first glance... He was simply a partner for a job, and no details mattered, as long as he could perform competently.  He could be a new member; he could be a veteran member; she had no idea who he was outside his name.

“I am Fayte... your partner for this mission,” she introduced herself to be clear, although he likely knew her already.  “I have been informed about the basics about our target... If you are prepared, let us start immediately.” Fayte herself was ready... The target was to be captured, not killed, and they would likely need to scope out the location before deciding on a course of action.

Sharaku had never been so close to Fayte before. Although he remembered she was good looking, he realized she was actually very pretty despite her robot-like demeanor, and blushed a bit, stumbling over his first words. "I er... Yeah I'm Shar-Sharaku," he confirmed, mentally kicking himself for his verbal stumble. This was often what happened... and he hated it. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and told himself to stop being an idiot. The look on her face meant he might as well be a brick wall. He would be fine.

"Yeah, let's go," he told her, thinking about their mission. Find and locate a specific man, and capture him alive. It wasn't that hard, though it would be a bit of a journey, and they had no idea if he would have friends around to protect him. Shadow Heart had been afraid that he was aware that someone would be after him.

Sharaku shouldered his traveling pack, heading for the exit to the hidden guild hall. Once the pair had made it outside, he decided to try again at this whole talking thing. She wasn't so bad. She hardly seemed like the emotional type based on her complete lack of caring when they'd introduced themselves. He could handle her. "We've both been in the guild for nearly a year now," he said, making conversation. "I believe you were pretty badly hurt when I came here. You're looking a lot better - er... health-wise I mean." Another mental face palm. Of course she would know that was what he meant.

The pair passed some vendors trying to peddle things to citizens, more or less blending into the crowd just like any other Crocus citizen. All around them, some of Fiore's taller buildings loomed overhead, blocking the morning sun and giving them cool morning shade, despite the lack of clouds. Sharaku's mind was on the injuries he'd remembered seeing though, not the view of one of Fiore's more beautiful and large cities. "What happened to you?" he asked, sounding a bit more curious than concerned. He didn't exactly expect an answer, but it couldn't hurt to ask. He hoped.

Fayte nodded simply at Sharaku's confirmation to leave.  She didn't understand why he looked and sounded so stiff, but didn't particularly care enough to ask.  Their journey through Crocus started out a quiet one.  The rest of the town was very much alive, especially at a time where many people were just beginning their day.  For all intents and purposes to Crocus, she and Sharaku were just average citizens.  Fayte's thoughts inevitably drifted to the mission... She wondered what kind of wizard their target was... what kind of magic he possessed, if he was the type to welcome a challenge or avoid it.  Then there was her partner... Fayte didn't even know what kind of magic he used.

His voice reminded her that they were still walking through Crocus together.  But she hadn't expected his words.  Sharaku had let on that he knew a bit about her - and while none were particularly secrets, Fayte did wonder where in the rumor mill he'd learned so much.  There wasn't much reason for the other Shadow Hearts to talk about her.  Apparently they'd both joined around the same time, so perhaps that explained Sharaku's knowledge... but Fayte couldn't recall ever speaking to him before.

"You... seem to know quite a bit about me already..." She observed, although she didn't mean anything ill from it.  But the fact still remained... he knew more about her than she did of him, although from his last comment, she'd learned that he had also joined a year ago.  She didn't see the harm or benefit in answering his question, and small talk was not completely foreign to her.  It made some people feel more at ease and in control... or something like that, theoretically.  "I was in another guild, before ours," she explained.  She kept the names anonymous as they were still in public, and Sharaku would know what she meant anyway.  "It was wiped out, and I barely survived, with the help from our family." She recited it as if she were reading a history book.  A simple collection of facts, reduced to results without the clutter of an opinion.  She'd come to terms with her past quickly, perhaps far too quickly.  Even when she remembered it, the events played through her mind like a movie; like a silent black and white documentary.  And like a movie, she saw it from a third, silent prospective, as if watching herself as a main character.

"You have also been at the guild for a year?" She picked back up on something he'd said earlier.  It wasn't that she was trying to avoid the details of her past.  Just in her mind... there was little else to say on the matter.  Fayte wasn't exactly the best at holding a conversation, but... her question had been an indirect means of inviting him to talk more about himself, if he so chose.

Fayte didn’t seem inclined to talk a lot. Or be exceptionally detailed. Sharaku wanted to know more about her former guild, not to mention her former life. There had to be a reason she was like she was. But they had only just met, and Sharaku wasn’t one to inquire too much into random members’ pasts - especially not in a place like Shadow heart. It sounded like she had had it rough before she came over though. And if her guild was wiped out… he could guess why. “It sounds like we have a common enemy then,” he guessed, sounding factual about his hatred of the Magic Council without naming anyone in public.

She enquired about him, though he suspected it was more for his benefit than hers. Still, they were going to be partners and being incredibly secretive about themselves wasn’t going to help them complete any missions together. “Yeah, I came here about the same time as you as far as I can tell,” he told her. “A very powerful man got my father killed,” he told her. “I was… approached with an offer. They said I was talented enough to help out, and in exchange I would one day soon get my chance to seek justice. I haven’t looked back.”

Sharaku didn’t really think he could look back anymore. A guild like Shadow Heart wasn’t going to just let someone leave with knowledge of who they were and what they did - even someone as low on the totem pole as him. He had made his choice. The price was worth it if he could one day find the man responsible for tearing his family apart.

"Ah..." Fayte indicated that she had heard the response, at least, before lapsing into silence. Many in Shadow Heart disliked the Magic Council... or at the very least, were neutral about standing in their way. Considering their line of work, it was hardly surprising. A powerful man had gotten his father killed... It seemed Fayte and Sharaku had more in common with their past than at first glance. Both sought more power to take revenge.

Although... was revenge really what Fayte wanted? Remembering that night... of the man and Magic Council that she'd assaulted in blind rage... It was an odd site, seeing herself react so, when she had no particular feeling while remembering Mordekai's name or face. Yet... if she did not pursue revenge, what would be left for her to do? And... it was somewhat poetic in a way, assuming she could succeed - taking down the very man who had nearly killed her. Perhaps the ideal of revenge was a far more tempting prospect than the revenge itself. She didn't want to think about what she would do after succeeding.

Sharaku sounded much different when talking about the past than their previous interactions. She supposed that meant he was passionate. How very fortunate of him, to have an ideal to be devoted to, one that changed his entire life of his own volition. ...

Their journey took them farther, away from the hustle and bustle of Crocus. They were nearing the borderline of Crocus, where their target supposedly lived, and the trees and wildlife were growing thicker. If he'd really been tipped off, there was a chance he'd already left. But his home was as good a place as any to start - perhaps they'd find another clue if not the mage himself. "Before we get farther... Is there anything I should know about you and your abilities?" Fayte asked, back to business. "I do not possess much magic in terms of espionage... So I'm limited to brute force. Additionally, I am a takeover mage, so my appearance will change if it comes to a fight..." While takeover mages weren't completely unheard of, they were still a rarity that Sharaku might not have encountered. She wasn't certain of his experience, and didn't want to alarm him when she transformed into a monster.

The pair were nearing their objective - the home of the wizard who had what their guild wanted. Sharaku's mind turned to the mission even before Fayte started talking about it. He didn't mind her silence. He wasn't the biggest talker, himself. Finally, she asked about his abilities. He'd intended to just improvise, but if she wanted to ask, then why not answer? "My magic is your magic," he answered simply, a slight cocky grin to his face as he said it, glancing at her. "I can steal the ability to cast other people's spells by touching them. It could be you, or it could be our target... or any friends he happens to have with him. It's really that simple."

She'd revealed she was a takeover mage. He had never seen one in action but he'd heard about them. Warriors who took over the forms of defeated foes, merging souls to gain their form and power. Even his mimicry magic wasn't so impressive. "I see," he answered simply. He wouldn't have been too surprised when her form changed. Magic was a weird force, after all. "Then this shouldn't be hard at all." he said with another grin, sticking his hands in the pockets of his shorts. "So what's the plan then?" he asked, deciding to see if she had something specific in mind.

Although Fayte wasn't one to usually be overconfident... she silently agreed with Sharaku.  After listening to his own abilities, which would entail her own powers, Fayte was fairly confident they had the raw power to tackle anything their target might throw at them.  It would likely be easy.  "No reason to be subtle, then," she nodded.  Get in, get the wizard, get out.  They were far enough from Crocus that no one should interfere.  Even if their target had been tipped off, he likely didn't know the full extent of what he was facing.

The path before them became more overgrown and full of wildlife.  Eventually, from the woods arose a cabin, where their target was supposedly staying.  It was of simple make, a sturdy structure only meant to house a single soul.  From the outside, it appeared quiet.  Fayte picked out a nearby broken branch and some faint footprints in the ground.  Footprints that clearly had multiple human owners, two or three from the marks. It seemed their target had company over.

Without a second of hesitation, Fayte headed straight to the door.  She took a short breath, pausing a moment.  White light glittered on her back.  A pair of wings formed, the light dissipating to reveal black wings, like those of a fallen angel.  Her hands had changed as well, her fingers and nails becoming much longer and monstrous-looking, like a witch.  Already she was in her partial takeover form, ready to use her magic.

She rapped two curt knocks on the door.  And waited.  Silence at first.  Then footsteps across the wood on the other side.  A small bar was slid open, revealing two eyes which stared suspiciously at Fayte and Sharaku.  The door did not open.  "What d'ya want?" A gruff voice said from the other side.

Wordlessly Fayte spread her wings, wind gathering in her feathers.  With a mighty gush she flapped them forward once.  Wind assaulted the door, the wood shuddering in protest.  It never stood a chance.  The door gave way, slamming down - right upon the hapless man who had answered. Fayte dispassionately walked atop the fallen door, the man still underneath.  He was likely still alive, although likely wasn't happy about having a door collapse on him.

"Is Troy Walter... home?" She asked emotionlessly, lifting her eyes.  If Troy was the man she'd just crumpled, he was still alive at least.  But she had a pretty good suspicion that it had been some kind of hired hand, rather than the target himself.

MP 190/200:

Sharaku stood, looking equally emotionless as Fayte walked up and answered the door with her magical ability activated. She looked quite fearsome, and the young man knew whoever opened the door would likely be scared stiff. Though whether or not he was was hard to tell as quickly as the young woman had defeated the enemy door. As the door crashed down and she walked in asking about Troy Walter, Sharaku stepped in beside her, looking purposefully unconcerned for what was going on. Sharaku was decently smart, and knew that the both of them looking unconcerned with the people’s fates would likely be rather intimidating.

“It’s them!” one of them yelled, stumbling backwards out of the chair he’d been sitting in and continuing to scramble afterword until he hit the wall. The wall didn’t stop him from continuing to try and scoot backwards either. “It’s those dark guild members I told you about! The ones that think I know too much!”  There were two more men in the room besides their target and the one under the door. They stepped in to defend their boss…. Or friend… or whatever he was. It didn’t matter.

“Heh.” Sharaku smirked now, his hands not yet leaving his pockets. “I don’t know how much you actually know, but you do talk too much. Especially in front of us.” He reached out, brushing his fingers against Fayte’s arm casually. To the naked eye, nothing happened, though Fayte would feel a sensation as his magic did its job. The young man closed his eyes, energy rippling around him as he sprouted his own set of wings and claws. He withdrew his other hand from his pocket so he wouldn’t tear his pants as the claws appeared. “See, you can just consider us angels, and we’re here to deliver good news. Unfortunately for you, that good news is for our boss.”

MP 175/200:

Copy (Level 3) Target:

Fayte involuntarily tensed at Sharaku's touch, and not because of the strange sensation which crackled through her body, either.  She supposed the touch was necessary for him to use his copy abilities.  It was a good thing their guild had paired him up with a powerful teammate, then.

The small group before them was easily panicked.  Judging from the most panicked one's exclamations and reaction... he was their target.  Yes, he seemed to fit their description, too.  Troy's body guards wore no distinguishing Magic Council mark, so Fayte assumed they were likely hired hand from one guild or another. Wasn't Troy supposed to be a wizard too...? He didn't seem keen on entering the fray, at least not right now.

"From these friends you've brought along, I'm guessing you won't surrender peacefully..." Her form hunched over, as her body transformed more.  Black feathers grew all over her, sickening cracks and crunches sounding as her very bones reformed.  "Fine then... It makes no difference to me what condition you return in." Her clothes disappeared completely, overgrown with the feathers.  In place of her boots were a pair of dangerous-looking talons.  What stood before her foes was no longer a human, nor even a half 'angel' as Sharaku had called it... but a full on monster.  Fayte's face was vaguely the same, her purple-highlighted hair running down her feathered neck.  She had transformed completely into a harpy.

Their remaining trio of opponents had paled considerably.  One of the men let out a great cry.  Raising his hand, flames spewed in an arc before both her and Sharaku.  A fire wizard... how unfortunate for him.  Fayte's air magic was naturally strong against those of the fire element.  Her new form allowed her to move faster than even a nimble human.  She ducked the arc of magic, avoiding it without much effort, and feeling the heat upon her neck.  She would end their useless struggles soon...

MP 165/200:

Sharaku shrugged as Fayte entered her harpy form. He hadn't copied any of her wind magic that accompanied the form, so he decided to try out the form, himself. It wouldn't be quite as powerful, but it would still be more effective than him by himself. Feathers erupted on Sharaku as his mimicry magic distorted the air around him. Where he stood, a more masculine-looking harpy stood in his place. He was actually secretly thankful that apparently his magic didn’t copy her form exactly, now that he thought about it. “I’m only going to say this once,” Sharaku gave a harpy-like glare to the nearest bodyguard who looked like he was about to attack, “Stand down, or you and your friends will regret coming to this man’s aid.”

The man didn’t listen, of course. With a yell, lightning crackled in his hands. Great. He’d get to fight the lightning wizard while Fayte got the easier match. Oh well. Lightning fired at Sharaku, who barely dodged out of the way, his side barely singed by the lightning. He didn’t flinch though, instead diving at the man. Talons a bit shorter than Fayte’s own slashed at the man’s arm and he cried out in pain. His taloned feet kicked the man back into the wall, and he tumbled. He probably wasn’t out yet, but Shar was taken by surprise when rocks jutted out of the ground under him, catching him in the chin hard. He stumbled back a few steps, keeping balance only because of his new wings. The man from underneath the door seemed to have recovered enough to assist.

MP 150/200 - Full Takeover

Fayte's talons slammed against the fire mage, ripping against both clothe and flesh.  The man cried out again, blindly trying to push Fayte away.  One particular blind punch smacked against her face surprisingly hard.  Not enough to extract Fayte, but enough to daze her for a moment.  But just a moment.  She re-doubled her efforts, in a flurry of feathers and talons, she pushed the man down.  Hard.  His head thumped audibly against the ground.

She might have pressed her advantage and gone for his throat next, if the sound of splintering wood hadn't got her attention.  Fayte whipped around in time to see the earth pillar hit Sharaku.  It seemed her first victim was still keen to try fighting.  Out of the corner of her eye, Fayte saw the slumped lightning mage begin to rise too.  If nothing else, they were courageous; Fayte would give them that.  Clearly unmatched in power, yet still trying.

The man lifted his hands again, a spark of electricity beginning to crackle through his hand.  Not for long.  Fayte closed the gap between them with frightening speed.  Her talon caught the offending hand.  Her claws dug deep into his wrist.  Deftly she twisted, his scream blocking out the inevitable snap.  Her other fist connected with his face.  He fell without much more convincing.

More wood creaked, splintering as even more rocks came from beneath.  With a great heave, the man lifted the fallen door, and rose from the rubble.  He was far more fit than the other two mages.  And despite the door, the buff earth mage looked relatively uninjured.  He brushed off a few stray splinters, before glaring at Sharaku and Fayte.  "Now I'm angry," he hissed.  The earth rumbled as if in response.  Fayte's eyes narrowed.  This one... would be stronger than the others. At least stronger than the client, who remained cowering in the corner, despite his friends' combat.

MP 162/200 - Full Takeover Sustained

Sharaku recovered reasonably quickly from the rock pillar that had slammed into him. His chin stung pretty badly and he was likely hit harder than he thought at the moment, but he would be fine. This form wasn’t even actually his body, even if he felt everything. The wizards around them were regrouping, but the mimic was ready. He ducked the lightning wizard’s first assault, diving forward and clasping his hand around his arm, throwing a punch at the man’s face. The punch connected, and Sharaku let go of his arm as the man stumbled backwards. He’d accomplished two things at once.

A whip composed of lightning snaked its way to the floor from his hand, and he grinned a slightly cocky grin. Spinning around, he flipped the whip, striking the earth mage across the chest with the whip of lightning, shocking and injuring him at once. His rocks resisted electricity, but his body didn’t. He heard electricity crackle behind him, and he dodged out of the way, spinning again in time to see a ball of lightning sail past him. These guys were fast, though not as fast as the harpy form the two Shadow Heart mages shared. “Big mistake,” he stated flatly, lunging forward and flicking the whip with all of the ease of its original user.

MP 117/200 - Sustain Full Takeover:

The earth mage cried out briefly as Sharaku's new weapon snapped at his chest. As Sharaku took on the lightning mage again, Fayte dashed towards the earth wizard. He summoned pillars again, breaking through the wooden floor. They were faster this time, and would block out her path unless she increased her speed. Well she wasn't about to find another angle or get slowed down. A green sheen glowed across her body. The wind pushed her faster, making her a blur to the average human eye. She flew straight past the earthen pillars, reaching the mage before he'd even finished casting his spell.

She slammed into the man's form. He was heavy, but her momentum made the blow all the more damaging. Uncertainly he toppled to the ground. And from there it was over. Her talons reached his unprotected throat. Uselessly he flailed against her, the earth even rumbling as if in response, but her grasp remained unrelenting. Eventually he stilled. Removing her bloody talons, she turned towards Sharaku and the remaining two wizards. It seemed like Sharaku had things under control, now dueling with whips. Fayte's form glowed briefly again. Her wings became smaller, the feathers across the rest of her body disappearing. The green sheen around her also disappeared. She was back to her human form, or half human rather, as her hands were still claw-like, and the demonic wings were still across her back. Casually she began walking. If Sharaku didn't end it soon, she'd intervene and end their opponent's suffering. "It's over," she said simply. Their opponents had barely accomplished any resistance at all.

MP 147/200:

Sharaku’s whip collided with the lightning wizard’s own whip, twisting them together in a tangled mess of electricity. Sharaku took that opportunity to rip the whip from the man’s grasp, causing the other man’s whip to disappear as it lost contact with the one supplying it with magical power. With a cry, the man backed up in surprise. He hadn’t expected a mere copycat to match him in power, and match him he had. Sharaku latched the whip around the man’s leg, pulling him off of his feet and watching as his head thudded against the table when he fell. He wouldn’t be waking up too soon. Assuming he was still alive. The mimic didn’t check yet. He wouldn’t show weakness in front of the cowering man.

“Y-You killed them!” the man that must have been Troy exclaimed in surprise. “You monsters killed them!” Sharaku didn’t enjoy killing, but bad things had to be done sometimes, in his opinion, and he didn’t react to the man’s accusations. Troy was whimpering on the ground. He was supposed to be a mage, but it seemed their very reputation as Shadow Heart guild mages had put him out of commission the moment the door came crashing in.

Sharaku adopted a blank expression again that matched Fayte’s own, playing the part of ‘monster’ to help make the man cooperate. “I suggest you give up,” he told Troy. “We were ordered to bring you in. If you make us kill you it will be exceedingly slow. We won’t be happy if you make us displease our boss.” He had let the harpy form fade completely now, though he could re-enter it at any time for a while. His hands re-entered his pockets as if he were completely unconcerned by which choice the man made. Truthfully though, he really wanted to please Shadow Heart so he could begin his climb and gain the power he needed to attain his own goals.

Fayte assumed and hoped that Sharaku was bluffing about the killing part... because even if Troy didn't come willingly, she was going to drag him back.  Kicking and screaming, if necessary.  But more than likely, gagged and bound.  She wasn't going to fail a mission, regardless of how easy or hard it was to keep him alive.  She finished her short walk, taking her place next to Sharaku, standing before Troy.

The wizard visibly shook, too weak to even find his legs.  He looked up at the two when Sharaku made the offer.  Fayte saw a variety of emotions run across his face - pain, rage, fear.  Desperation.  Desperate people did stupid things.  Even as she recognized the expression across his face, she saw the spark of magical energy.  She wasn't sure what he was planning.  And she didn't particularly care.  Instantly her hand grabbed his forehead, slamming it into the wall.  Opening her mouth, Fayte let out an earth-shattering scream.  Maybe not a scream.  It sounded otherworldly - a terrible noise that had no direct counterpart.  It would likely cause Sharaku some pain in his ears too... maybe a little bit of ringing.  But nothing that would harm him... permanently.  No, her target would be the only one to feel the ill effects.

The spark of magic died instantly from Troy's hand.  Fayte moved, picking him up by the clothe of his chest.  "I don't believe that's the real answer you want to give us," Fayte said calmly.  "But if you really insist..." She didn't even need to demonstrate.  Troy was already wildly shaking his head, quickly lapsing into muted fear.  "Good..." She shoved him forward a bit, releasing him.  She cast a quick glance at Sharaku, as if to confirm she was handling the situation correctly... if things went poorly, they could always bind him or knock him unconscious... But dead weight was such a pain to carry.  Even with Fayte's strength and 6'0 form.  There were ways to get back to Shadow Heart without walking directly into Crocus, fortunately.  As long as they didn't get interrupted on the road... the mission was more or less completed.

MP 137/200:

Sharaku didn’t even need to flex his muscles as his partner took the initiative and screeched in her unearthly harpy voice. The mimic flinched visibly from the sound as it left a ringing sensation in his own ears. He didn’t envy the man who took a point blank hit from the spell. “Alright, we’ve wasted enough time with him and his friends. Let’s get back home.” He walked ahead as their captive walked between him and Fayte.

They made it back to town without much trouble, and their captive even managed to not draw too many eyes. Probably because he was afraid they would disembowel him on the spot. Sharaku wasn’t sure he would argue if Fayte tried to. His jaw was sore after that guy tried to break his neck with an earth pillar.

Finally, they got into an out of the way location where there weren’t any prying eyes. Sharaku turned around, giving the man a serious glare. “On your knees,” he ordered. The man complied, and Sharaku swiftly knocked him out with a single blow. He fell to the ground in a heap, and Sharaku picked him up, slinging him over his shoulder. “We can’t have him knowing about our hideout,” he explained to Fayte as if she needed an explanation. They'd been informed he knew their approximate location due to a careless informant, so it didn't matter that he knew they were in Crocus. Which was convenient, considering how much harder it would have been to get him through town. He doubted the man would be leaving Shadow Heart's guild hall alive if he knew as much as he claimed. But they shouldn't be too careless, just in case. “Shall we turn him in?”

Fayte's partial form faded as their target seemed to cooperate. Their journey was traversed in utter silence. Fayte made sure that Troy was firmly between herself and Sharaku - no room for sudden moves, or alerting others, without sealing his fate. It seemed to be working, because their target didn't scream for help. She supposed the three of them looked like good friends.... very silent, walking together good friends.

She simply nodded when Sharaku decided to knock him out, in addition to answering his question. They wound through more deserted paths as they worked their way to the guild hall. Shadow Heart's prisoners were kept in a special area segment of the guild, designed for security. The security was as much to keep the prisoner there as it was to stop sadistic guild members. Some Shadow Heart members had little control when it came to dealing with others. And these information sources were too valuable to be killed needlessly.

At the prison checkpoint, they handed over Troy to one of the guards in charge. After confirming a job well done, he hurried off to place their prize in a deeper cell... leaving Fayte and Sharaku alone, for the moment. "...Sharaku," Fayte felt the need to speak. She turned to face him, still expressionless. "The operation was smooth. You did a good job," she commended. Perhaps it was her way of saying she was glad to work with him. Certainly, Sharaku had performed seriously and with the intent of completing their mission. She had no complaints on her end. And... it was about time she started embracing her new family. "If you take on another mission in the future, please consider me as a co-worker," she volunteered. Someone who was both competent and serious about the mission's success... this was someone Fayte would prefer to work with. Together perhaps they could even take on harder missions, even those not directly assigned by Shadow Heart.

After they dropped off their unconscious charge, Sharaku and Fayte were alone for a short while. At first, Sharaku hadn't expected much, if anything, in the way of social interaction before she wandered off. That would have been fine with him – he was perfectly happy being alone for the most part, contrary to what people seemed to want to think of him. Fayte surprised him though, complimenting his performance on their shared job, even offering to be his partner again should he get the opportunity to pick someone in the future. Sharaku  nodded, giving her a small smile.

“I wouldn’t have any complaints  having someone like you around,” he agreed. He wasn’t one ofr a lot of words either but he almost seemed to want to make up for her own general lack of words. “I’m not normally very good around pretty girls, but you seem to be an exception.” He knew why – it was her almost robotic nature. Her apparent lack of human emotions was actually rather relaxing, and a nice change from a lot of people around here, be they manipulative or stupid enough to be manipulated by Shadow Heart. He shrugged to himself. He wasn't actually flirting with her or anything, though he briefly wondered if she took it that way.

Sharaku guessed it was sometime after lunch, but not quite dinner. His stomach was rumbling a bit, so he spoke up again. “Care to grab a bite to eat?” he offered, not really expecting her to say yes. It didn’t matter, he just figured he should be polite. Not to mention he was enjoying company that he had no problem being around. “I could go for a late lunch.”

Fayte stopped momentarily.  She didn't particularly mind his response, but it was a little off from she expected.  Was Sharaku hitting on her?  He'd just called her pretty.  And then asked her out for dinner.  Normally she dismissed such invitations from strangers.  Although she supposed they were more business partners now than strangers.  She had fallen silent an uncomfortable amount of time to contemplate, staring at Sharaku intently all the while.  Well, from his intonation, she guessed he hadn't intended anything by his words.  "...Sure," she finally agreed.  The future started today, or something like that.  It wasn't that she wanted to be social... but she needed to make more connections.  With Sharaku and other Shadow Heart.  She was fairly certain Sharaku knew more people than she did.  "Where shall we go?"

She turned from away from the prison, hearing one last scream before they made it to the door.  Whatever happened to their target, it was none of their business now.  Fayte was already wondering where Sharaku would decide, if he would pick their guild or somewhere else in Crocus.  In either case, he seemed like someone who would pick something casual.  She actually knew the outside of Crocus fairly well, including restaurants, especially the area around their guild.  Exploring seemed to happen accidentally with Fayte, there were times when she'd look up and realize that she had simply wandered around town for an hour.

“I know a place,” Sharaku answered Fayte, wondering what her long pause had meant only briefly. She had wondered if he meant exactly what he didn’t, and had decided he didn’t, most likely. He appreciated that. He’d had a few misunderstandings before, and had gotten himself in trouble because of it more than once. Three times, actually, he’d ended up accidentally making some girl think they were going on  a date, and he’d nearly died having to crush their hopes within a minute of supposedly asking.  Sure, she might have actually made that wrong assumption, but somehow he just doubted it.

“It’s a bar but it has some pretty good food too,” he explained. “The Three Witches is what it’s called. I don’t know why. A man owns it.” He’d heard rumors it had something to do with his ex-wives or something like that. He didn’t really care. The bartender left him alone for the most part, and he enjoyed their ‘fish and chips’ meal quite a bit. The beer wasn’t bad either. “Plus there aren’t as many idiots as there are in the bar in our place,” he mentioned as an extra perk.  He was looking forward to lunch with someone for once. Even if he doubted she’d be good for conversation. He could do a lot worse, he was sure.

Hm... so that was the kind of place Sharaku preferred. Fayte had seen it on her walks, but never been inside. She nodded simply at his explanation. She'd only ever entered Shadow Heart's bar once... and that had been enough for her. Maybe it wouldn't have been bad if she could've had a meal in peace, but there were too many... idiots, as Sharaku had put it. She much preferred to be an invisible watcher than any source of attention.

The bar was starting to get some customers by the time they arrived. Not quite the evening crowd, but it would be in another hour or two. Passively Fayte followed Sharaku's lead. The tavern had a well-lit bar station but some of the corner seats were in the shadier side. Fayte didn't even bother looking at the menu, leaving it untouched on the table. She knew she was there, but somehow didn't feel exactly like she was. Probably because she wasn't sure what she was doing with Sharaku, and it felt like she wasn't the one who had made the decision to come along... even though she had.

She leaned an elbow against the counter, chin resting on her hand as she her eyes stared unfocused at a particular point in the wall. She didn't really care what she ate as long as it sustained her, so whatever Sharaku ordered would also be her order. Even though she had agreed to come with, she didn't see a particular need to converse - pretty apparent since she had failed to speak after leaving their guild. She wasn't someone influenced by silence.

Sharaku sat there with Fayte, the fact that both of them were rather untalkative making the situation almost comically unsocial. He looked over to say something once or twice, but she wasn’t interested in talking, he was sure, so he didn’t press it at first. He didn’t actually mind it anyway. It was peaceful, and the closest thing he had had to relaxing with friends since he left his old life in his ‘mad quest for revenge,’ as he had jokingly put it when he talked to one of the Shadow Heart guild’s recruiters. The bartender gave the pair fish and fries – a simple meal Sharaku had ordered mostly out of laziness. Since Fayte didn’t care either, she got the same thing.

“Where does one find a Harpy powerful enough for magic like yours?” Sharaku asked Fayte after a while. He knew no one was listening. People were too loud and wrapped up in their own conversations around them to matter. Plus, he wasn’t trying to hide the fact that they were wizards. Plus, he was actually curious. He knew a little bit about takeover magic. He had no idea if they could improve on the monsters themselves with their magic, or if they were stuck with however strong the creature was when they captured it.

Fayte continued her silence streak, seemingly in her own world, while the rest of the bar continued its business. When the food came, Fayte turned her attention from the wall to the fish and chips. The food, at least to her, tasted good. The chips were a little salty, the cod having a nice batter. She ate neither slow nor fast, with neither proper manners nor messy. Eating was simply a means to sustaining oneself. Restaurants typically served more food than what Fayte made for herself at home, but not enough that she couldn't finish. She wasn't much of a leftover person, but she hated leaving food behind too.

With the food also came the possibility of a conversation. Fayte paused at the question. Takeover wizards... they were required to defeat the creature first, before they could assume the role of whatever monster they'd defeated. Apparently Sharaku knew at least a little lore of Fayte's magic. The Harpy was connected with her past, but Fayte didn't mind sharing details with Sharaku. "I did not find a Harpy... the Harpy found me and my family," she both corrected and answered. "My early childhood was spent in the outskirts of Shirotsume. It was away from the rest of the town, surrounded mainly by the forest. The Harpy somehow stumbled upon our home. My mother was the one who mainly fought it, but I was the one to land the finishing blow." It seemed so long ago. More than that, it felt like a different lifetime - as if that person had been someone else other than Fayte. "I was only three years old at the time. It wasn't until much later that I realized that I could wield such powerful magic, with the help of another takeover wizard - my Master, Xian Fei." The smallest amount of awe leaked through her normally monotonous tone, as if the very name of her teacher were sacred. And in truth, it was. Master Xian Fei was so much more than a teacher of magic. She had given Fayte a new life, and taught her everything that was needed to know in this world. Master Xian Fei had been perfect. The world was a sadder place without her.

So that was the story behind the harpy. And apparently Fayte as well. She was a little bit more of an open book than the copy mage had counted on her being. So many people didn’t even want to give you the time of day if it would reveal anything about them. At least of the smarter, more competent members of the guild. The idiots like Sharaku got into fights with were a different matter entirely. They’d brag all day about their biggest jobs and Sharaku would only insult them for doing it.

In this case though, he appreciated getting to hear what he did. It revealed a lot about Fayte compared to what he knew before, even if it wasn’t a lot. Her tone of voice suggested that her master was a powerful takeover mage, and one worthy of even the emotionless young woman’s devotion. He could respect that, he supposed. Sharaku had learned his own magic through a musty old tome he dug out of the library in Era when he was younger, and had never had a mentor.

“Your mentor taught you well then,” he commented before eating a French fry. “At least from what I’ve seen.” And he’d seen a lot, considering he’d gained every bit of her knowledge about the harpy takeover form when he touched her. Not knowledge of the past or anything, but of the use of the form itself. She had a rather good grasp of it, actually.