Crouching Tiger, Running Fox [Fae!]

[Zane]

Winter laughed, "For you? Maybe. For me? Right size." He banished the weapons before standing up. "It is pleasure meetings you, Dagrun. I am going now. Maybe we are meetings again some time. Can you find way to you home?" The giant of a man dusted himself off, mainly as to not be standing idol.

[GoblinFae]

Dagrun retreated slightly as the giant man stood. She found him even more intimidating once he was on his feet. However, hearing that he would be departing she quickly nodded her head and bowed before dashing off once more. There was no reason to stay and she believed her actions to not be rude now that he had expressed an interest in departing. She did not know where she was headed but she knew she still could not head back to her new rooms yet. It seemed more aimless running was in order.

[Zane]

Atlas sat outside Dimtri's, at one of the two outside tables, nursing a steaming mug of drinking chocolate and staring up at the artificial starscape. His mission orders were folded over on the table, he'd already read them. This would me another long one. He was being allotted a full three month. He'd get it done in a month. The ranger was waiting Dimitri to return with some supplies for him, the retired Umbra ranger liked to help out when he could, so Atlas made sure to stock up exclusively with him before each mission.

He felt somewhat bad, he requested a previous year be moved into his class, only to be sent off on a mission. It couldn't be helped, at least that class would be his charge until they were to take the Rites. He would have plenty of time to instruct him. But fate worked out in funny and queer ways. Atlas noted as a child ran across the courtyard, Is that.. No way. "Dagrun! Come join me over here!" He called out hopefully. whatever were the odds that his new student would be crossing this way. A smile plastered his face as he tried to garner his attention.

[GoblinFae]

The Fledgling screeched to a halt in surprise at the sound of her name, sending herself tripping ass over tea kettle into a somersault back onto her feet again. Her eyes darted about in confusion until they rested upon a lone ranger outside of the local tavern. Spotting him, she looked to either side of herself before pointing at her own chest. "Me?"

[Zane]

"Yes you, come on over if you aren't in too much of a hurry." without waiting to see if Dagrun came, the ranger pressed his thumb against a small crystal spire that provided a soft light for the table. Within a few seconds, dimitri's voice sounded from the crystal.

"What can I do for you, Master Atlas?" his voice was somewhat distorted, the magic of communication crystals was adequate at best. Only had a range of about 100 meters or so. Plus you could only link one crystal to another and no more. Made the magic have somewhat limited uses, mass communication not being one of them, so the project was a bit of a failure. But Dimitri and Alucard found a use for them, Dimitri had an array of crystals by the bar, so any table could call to him or any of his fledgeling helpers. Alucard had applied it for communication throughout the Clockwork Tower, mostly used by his office and the archives.

"Could you have another mug of drinking chocolate brought out?" Atlas asked the older man. "It will be out soon." Came Dimitri's immediate reply. Atlas reflected internally on just how much her liked the older ex-ranger, and how much he would be missed when he eventually did pass away. Old Dimitri was in his 90s not an uncommon natural life span for ranger, but it was becoming noticeable that his strength was starting to fail him. Over the past decade, he'd gone from singlehanded running the tavern to needing to hire fledgelings to help out. It was sad, but it was natural. Still, his age didn't stop dimitri from having an impassioned conversation or cuffing young drunks on the back of the head, it was nice to see him so full of life.

Returning from his mental excursion, Atlas looked to see if Dagrun had joined him at the table.

[GoblinFae]

Dagrun shuffled over to the table, keep a wary and curious eye on the older ranger and what he was doing while standing awkwardly off to the side. She did not understand how her luck could be so poor as to have so many individual encounters in one day when most days she was lucky if she even had one.

[Zane]

Atlas pushed the chair across from him out from under the table. "Take a seat." The older ranger said from behind his mostly full mug. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Umbra Ranger Atlas. I'm oversee the Fledgelings in the year you were just moved up to. I was actually the one to request you I was actually the one who asked if you could be transferred into my year."

"I just wanted to apologize, I wasn't expecting to be sent on a mission as soon as you got moved up, normally, I would help you adjust to the new group, catch you up on anything you were behind on, but I can't do that while I am away on a mission. If you still need help with something by time I get back, just let me know, I'll make it a priority. Okay?"

[GoblinFae]

She dropped into the seat like a boulder off a cliff, swift and heavy. Dagrun stated in wide-eyed silence, drinking all the information in to recall later when she finally would have time to herself again. She prayed that that would actually exist. Surely her fate had not taken such an ill turn as to cast her into the social atmosphere faster than she could say "clockwork."

At least she finally had answers as to how things had begun to spin out of control. The ranger before her had set things in motion that did not need setting in her opinion. Her lips pursed in displeasure at the news but Dagrun kept the rest to herself. She would be at this level eventually. It should not make a difference to her if it was this year or the year after as long as she continued to excel and prove herself capable without revealing her gender.

The young girl having come to this conclusion gave her teacher a firm nod in acknowledgement though she kept her judgement to herself. She did but believe she would ever seen him out if she needed help. She was an independent sort and always would be. Dagrun felt if you let others in then they were more likely to middle things up it use you and abandon you. By doing things in her own she kept herself and others safe. It was better that way. Besides if she sought the attentions of an older ranger then they would be more likely to notice her secret and that was simply somwthing she could not afford. That was a secret she would take to the grave if she could for Dagrun rued the day when everyone would know her lying shame.