Summoners Corner (Junpei)

[Junpei]

Junpei couldn't help but fall backwards laughing at the woman's words. He hadn't even paid attention to her clothing, just the fact that she was talking to him. Now that she mentioned it though it did seem her clothes were barely within legal limits. Sitting forward Junpei pulled his heavy wool robed off, Junpei wasn't naked, of course not, he had jeans on, but no shirt. However Junpei wasn't really worried about that because he realised now, that wearing 10 pouds of robes in warm weather, would equal him sweating up a storm very quickly. Folding the robe and setting it to the side Junpei laid back adn slipped his hands behind his head, feeling the grass prick at his bare back. Junpei wasn't ashamed of how he looked under the clothes either. Being a combat summoner he had a well toned stomach and chest and his body was that of a battle mage, it wasn't physically anything special, but his mind was also his weapon. So one could say Junpei had the best of both worlds, a strong body and mind and the clarity to use both effectively. Now all he lacked was a soul that would last him forever.

"If you would like a set of my robes, I have about a half dozen just like that. It may not be much, but it is nice to be able to think clearly and not worry about who's checking you out."

Junpei laughed a bit at the end and stared up at a growing Loish.

Boss..

Yeah Loish?

I'll be sure to take care of him...

I knwo you will Loish, and I thank you every dau for that my friend, every day....

[Ziare]

Ziare laughed.

"No, it's really allright they are the official robes. Mostly I wear my normal clothes on campus and so it's not a big deal. But I wear the robes when I'm trying to practice or need to air them out but mostly on missions." she explained. "Yeah, the enemies get a kick out of me when I step onto the field."

She smiled and lay back in the grass the metal on the summoning robes catching the sunlight and shining. Kalladra came down and resuming her eagle like size she landed on top of Ziare's stomach and talked to her for a moment. Ziare laughed the bird bouncing with her breaths.

"Kal said that she enjoys the company of your own winged friend and is glad you both ventured out here to meet us." she told him and stroked the phoenix's feathers.

"I just recently went on the quest to achieve Kalladra she chose me but I had to go through a great many tests to get her to bond with me as she has. What about you're own familiar?"

[Junpei]

"Him? Oh well, he bit me after I fell unconcious in the woods, then Harlow forced him to heal me. Actually this little guy tried to kill me, he was forced to be my familiar, but now he enjoys it because he's a fat little Jhereg!"

At the last word Junpei rolled up and caught the small lizard in his arms, rolling Loish onto his belly, careful to let his wings fold in Junpei tickled the poor thing and laughed a bit. It was like watching a big and little brother play, because really Junpei and Loish were. They were as close as any two could be, linked by the mind and by the heart. Laughing a little more Junpei recieved three small play bites on the hadn and then an afectionate rub under his arm. Junpei smiled and laid Loish on his stomach, flexing breifly so the lizard could get a a nice firm bed. This showed off Junpei's muscles a bit more and he just laughed as Loish made a smart ass comment about showing off. To which he replied, 'You're the one who wants a bed'.

"So, your familiar is rather new... me and Loish.. it's comining on 4 years now. I hope you and your phoenix many happy years."

Junpei reached down adn pet his familiar along the back, paying careful attnetion to rub his shoulders and lower back. The samll retile twitched in pleasure and stretched out, sighing in his own way.

[Ziare]

"Thank you. Yes, Kalladra and I are only about two weeks together but we are very close. She stabbed me in an old wound then healed me. That is why I have a feather mark on my chest." she said indicating the tattoo of a feather on her chest.

Armenius grumbled and Ziare laughed.

"Some Armenius included didn't like the way she picked me. The way she made me go through so many tests. I had to take someone I trusted more than anything with me and he had to stab me to kill a foe that was part of the test. It was difficult for all involved but I came out stronger and with Kal."

She told Armenius to settle down and he did but huffed at her anyway. She smiled.

"See protective, I told you. But I love him."

[Junpei]

"Mmm, whoever he is he's a lucky man. My congradulations on finding someone you can trust with your life. In this day and age that seems to be so scarce."

Petting the small creature once more Junpei stared up as a single cloud moved across the sky, partially blockign the sun for a moment. Taking the opportunity Junpei began to from a summon seal in the ground, just pressing into the grass to form it down. When done it came out to be a very tiny circle big enough to produce maybe a Kitten. Pressing his hand down on the seal Junpei uttered a quick spell and raised his hand, as he did a beautiful black and purple flower followed him, a demon flower to be exact, but none the less it was beautiful. Releasing the spell the flower stood in perfect beauty in the shade.

"This flower is the first thing I ever learned to summon, and it has some special properties. For instance..."

Junpei flicked his hand and the flower was set ablaze in black flames, Nether Fire. Junpei then sat up and set Loish in his lap as he crossed his legs and cupped the top of the flower. Junpei uttered his own version of Nether Fire that he was working on. As he did the flames began to dance in the air around the flower, almost with a mind of their own.

".. it does not burn by flame, of this world or the next. I just thought it would be fun to show you some dark magic. It can be dealy, but as the same time beautiful."

[Ziare]

Ziare sat up and watched in amazement as he summoned the most beautiful flower she had ever seen in her entire life. It didn't do justice to the flowers of earth. This had an etheral beauty beyond questions. Her ice blue eyes gazed over the flower as he let it catch flames it was fantastic. The black/purple flames licked at the flower and made it even more breathtaking in her mind.

She gasped.

"So beautiful, absolutely gorgeous." she whispered in awe. "I can understand where you mean it's deadly but beautiful I mean my goodness it's breathtaking."

She almost wanted to touch the flower.

"May I touch it or hold it? Does it last or does it die?" she asked looking up at him awe in her eyes.

[Junpei]

"Mmm you can't touch it, for if a mortal were to touch this flower, without aproper understanding of dark magic... it would wither and die. For this flower lives of the darkness in one's soul."

Junpei reached down and softly set his hand on the flower, then focused on the Nether Fire on it. The flames instantly curled into the center of the flower pulling the petals with it. With that the flower seemed to close and hold only a purple bud, but what Junpei did next would be his best magic trick, one that had taken him a full week of just playing to get done. Opening up his palm quickly and pulling it away the flower exploded and the petals flew into the air and came down, breaking apart. Instantly Junpei adn Ziare were surrounded in black Nether Snow.

"I call it the Nether Flare spell and this is the reult, I call it Nether Snow.. it happens to anything I use the Nether Flare on. In life theri is beauty, in death their is none, adn so to my enemies I grant them a quick and beautiful death, for no matter how painless a death it is still lacking in beauty..."

Junpei smiled over at Ziare and then down at Loish. He smiled and scratched Loish under the chin as the last of the spell wore off and the resulting time brought the sun back out.

"So tell me, is there anything like this that you have seen?"

[Ziare]

Ziare watched in awe as the nether snow fell around her and Junpei. She was amazed at how it fell exactly like snow only dark in color.

"So wonderful." she said laughing almost like a child during their first snow.

The snow disappeared and she heard Junpei ask her if she had ever seen anything like it.

"Well no, of course not." she said excitedly. "So beautiful really. I didn't know dark magic could be so lovely."

She sat back.

"I have summons but I cannot create anything like that. I wish I could but it probably wouldn't be nearly so neat anymore but wow how amazing. I'm truly impressed."

[Junpei]

"Heh... it's all about how you use your magic."

Junpei reached out and let the dark fire race over his arm and hand, setting them both ablaze in blackness.

"One instance you can have pure beauty and in the next."

Junpei snapped and the flames disappeared.

"Nothing at all...."

Junpei grinned over at her and then went back to Loish, scratching under his chin and around his spine, giving the lizard a thurough rub down and scratching, always with the scales of course.

"If you would like I could teach you how to at least manifest Nether Fire. It's not that hard really, you just half to realise that it's fire, that's black. Once you get that down it's very simple really. Beleive it or not I started with just a tiny flame on the end of my finger...."

Junpei smiled warmly at Ziare and then looked up as the sun pased behind a tree's leaves. Maybe he should get out liek this more, just sit and relax, get away from all the work magic and just play with it like he used to. When he would summon up harmless snakes to scare his mom or even summon her demon flowers and then leave a bouquet of them on Mother's Day, that was the same year she died.

[Ziare]

Ziare looked excited.

"I would love to learn to creat that." she said moving a bit closer. She was astonished that he could and would teach her but to have such a wonderfully beautiful spell would come in handy and she was always eager to learn more magic.

"You would really teach me? I can guarantee I learn fast it's true I'm not bragging it just happens." she shrugged her shoulders. "I can try to teach you how to summon your unbonded summons with a thought in return. I don't need to move I can summon and unsummon without anything more than a name in my head."

She offered summoning her different summons as they appeared around them then dismissing them as she continued to do it over and over a few times to prove a point never taking her gaze from Junpei.

[Junpei]

"It's quie all-right. I have no need for anyone more than Loish adn Harlow at the moment. As greatful as I am for the offer, the knowledge that this magic will be used by someone so kind is a good enough reward."

Taking her hand gently Junpei turned it over and cleared his throat.

"Now the first thing is to realise that was originally an attack spell and I have merely turned it into a magical plaything. So, first things first, teaching you Nether Fire. Focus into your heart adn find one scrap of darknes if you can, then pull on that and think of it as a flame in your plam, about the size of a quarter."

Junpei waited fro her to make the flame, hoping she would be able to do it quickly, after all Junpei did want to pass on his magic to someone, maybe another Dark mage for his serious stuff.

"If you need help, try getting angry at something, anything, a bad dream, a memory, anything will do. Then focus that darkness like I told you, you will need mana to do this."

Junpei was trying to guide her carefully, he didn't want her ending up like him, with a drained soul to deal with.

[Ziare]

Ziare felt him take her own hand gently and she listened carefully to the instructions he gave her. She nodded.

"Allright."

She closed her eyes and thought back. Her life had been extreemly happy a few bouts of trouble or pain but a truly dark period. She could only think of one thing that she could hate enough to use for this spell.

She remembered the memory flashing through her mind of the last mission she had embarked on. She and her sister a man named Marshall and a man named Tenshu. They had been fighting rogue mages ones that could give out the secret of magic and had to be stopped. The orders either take them out or bring them back. Ziare being kind hearted wanted to bring as many back as possible but others had different ideas.
During the battle using her paralyzing spell she allowed one of them to die at the hands of one of her team mates.

Two tears would roll down her face as her eyes still closed she remembered the horrific event.

The man died his souls absorbed by the man who killed him. Ziare had almost lost it there in the area if it hadn't been for the mission and the comfort of her sister she wouldn't have made it through. But she concentrated on the feeling of knowing she killed that man through the use of her own magics by leaving him vulnerable and unable to defend himself. She thought about that moment over and over again.

A warm yet cool sensation seemed to appear suddenly in her palm. Junpei would see the first small flame of black and purple light but Ziare not understanding the senstation kept thinking it over and over again.

[Junpei]

Realising she had finally conjured the Nether Fire Junpei smiled and looked yup at her, noticing the tears. He almost felt bad about it now, hell he did feel bad, he had never meant to make the lady before him cry. Great, now he was feeling like a complete and total ass to her.

"You did it."

He stammered out at last and looked back down at her hand, the small black flame danced higher and lower, Yukio guessing the parts of the memory as they played out. If he were to let his own rage go it might end up burning down the entire courtyard.

Thinking back on that very fact Junpei felt like he might one day need that, like one day he would need to use it to complete something important. Saking his head to ignor the bad feelign jUnpei turne dhis attention to Ziare. Letting go of her hand he set hi own out, palm up, adn created a small flame in the center. Taking a deep breath he swallowed and then went on to explain how to control it.

"Nether Fire is just a mind spell, the mind manifesting the fire before you. So if you want it to move to the left, think of the fire moving left."

Thinking about that very thing the small fire in Junpei's hand rolled to the left and then stopped a fraction of a second away from falling off his hand. Then it moved right and did the same. He then had the small flame do a complete circle around his hand, within his alm of course.

"It's just a matter of imagining it."

[Ziare]

Ziare listened carefully to his instructions. She opened her eyes and saw the little black flame in her palm. It was amazing and beautiful in it's own way.

"Okay, I'll give it a try." she looked down at the flame and imagined it bouncing up and down. After a few seconds of staring at it the flame bounced as if of it's own accord. The laughed. "That's amazing."

She began trying to move it left and again after a few seconds it moved and then she followed moving it right. It was coming easier to her now. She looked back up at Junpei and smiled.

"Thank you so much for teaching me this, it's amazing." she clearly was very pleased she was learning more magic. "I cannot repay you."

[Junpei]

"Bah, listening to this boy's story was more than enough payment. It's not often that I can talk like this, especially with a woman such as yourself, most fo the time I end up stuttering and making a fool og myself."

Junpei close dhis palm up adn let the flame die in his hand. Laying back once more Junpei kept his legs crossed and felt a small lizard crawl onto his stomach and chest, trailing his tail in a soft circle. Sighing Junpei closed his eyes and took in a slow, deep breath, the warm and crisp air mixed with his blood and he felt revitalized and renewed, almost like someone had given his a warm drink.

"So Ziare,"

Junpei said while cracking one eye open, looking over at the woman.

" What is it that you love most about your life, just in general."

Junpei coudl already think of his answer, his little brother. To him Negi was everything he had left to take care of and to trust. Sure there was Loish and his friends, but Negi... if he ever lost Negi he would be crushed.