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As the full moon was at it's peak, a young woman clad in red with hair adorned in gold ornaments could be seen sprinting throught the empty Umbran sleeping quarters. It wasn't unusual for the barracks to be vacant at this hour–the night was the most ideal time for Umbran activities. Although, not every witch tends to be active at this hour.
A budding witch named Cereza, Jeanne's dearest friend, would often retreat to her room during the night. Cereza, a child born of both light and darkness, was a reject, an abomination by a majority of the clan's standard. They hardly approved of her participating in anything, from simple conversation to even the most important of duties. Despite this, Jeanne would often fight for the black sheep of the Umbra, using every trick in the book to try and include her in the most trivial of things at times. At times she would succeed, much to the chagrin of the other members, and at times her luck would run thin. Tonight was one of the latter times.
There was a rouge angel, a beloved, lurking a bit too close to their settlement, so Jeanne was tasked with taking care of the issue, and was allowed the option to bring backup of her choosing. Naturally, she wanted Cereza to come along with her, and boy, did that enrage the Elder. They argued with each other to an uncomfortable degree, but ultimately Cereza asked that Jeanne backed down and left to her room, trying to hide her disappointment. Jeanne was irate for most of the mission, but once she returned to the clan, she got news from their blacksmith that lifted her spirits greatly.
The young witch ran up multiple flights of stairs, carefully cradling a bundle of cloth that swathed something slender, her excitement reaching it's greatest as she finally made it to the final floor, the attic. A soft creaking rang through the room as Jeanne gently pried the door open, her eyes adjusting to the dim space. She stalked closer to the far corner of the room, where she could see a figure resting on a bed a tad too small for her tall stature. Jeanne stood at the foot of Cereza's bed looking over her peaceful form, hood covering her face as snuggling up against her Cheshire doll with her body curled to properly fit on the mattress. With a slight quiver to Jeanne's eyebrow, she made a mental note to ask one of the carpenters to craft a new one, amongst other things. Pushing those thoughts aside, she made her way up to Cereza's bedside, pushing her hood up to get a clearer view of her face. It was probably the most serene she's seen her fellow witch, and with the moonlight gently illuminating her form, it was almost hard for Jeanne to wake her. But alas, her excitement spoke to her louder than any bits of hesitation did. She placed her hand on the sleeping witch and gently shook.
"Cereza. Cerezaaaa, wake up."
Cereza stirred a bit, her heavy eyelids remaining shut, and settled back on her bed.
"Mh." She grunted, making no attempt to come to.
Jeanne shook her with more vigor, raising her voice.
"Cereza! Wake up!"
Cereza groaned, rolling on her back and cradling Cheshire against her chest. She kept her eyes closed, although she poorly trying to suppress a faint grin on her face. Jeanne pouted, she was toying with her!
"Jeanne. It's one in the morning, no?" Cereza asked, amusement heavy in her tone.
Jeanne frowned, confusion evident in her voice. "Wh–so?? Most witches aren't sleep at this time!"
Cereza couldn't help but snort at that. "Then I guess I'm not like most witches in more ways than one, hmm?"
"You know that's not what I meant," Jeanne let out in a heavy huff. How Cereza was able to joke about her situation was beyond her. Nonetheless, her newfound enthusiasm was eating away at her as she continued to try and rouse her friend.
"Now get up! I have something I want to show you!"
Cereza exhaled, if Jeanne was this excited about...whatever it is, then maybe it was somewhat interesting. She planted her hands on the bed and lifted her torso, her doll falling softly onto her lap.
She mumbled gently as she tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Alright, alright...now what is it you–"
Cereza jumped back as she opened her eyes to a silver, sharp point worryingly close to her face. She hurriedly looked to who was on the opposing end, ready to fight if need be, only to see Jeanne beaming brightly at her. Cereza stared as she calmed down, and her surprise quickly simmered into confusion, her gaze flicking between Jeanne and the slender piece of metal.
"You...got a sword?"
"A rapier, to be precise."
Jeanne then posed, lifting her foot onto the bed, shifting her weight to it and planting a hand on her hip while pointing the rapier straight out at an angle, the metal glistening in the moonlight.
"How does it make me look?" Jeanne couldn't help but inquire.
Cereza stayed silent for a while, blankly fluttering her eyelids. Then she threw herself back onto the bed, letting out a small giggle. She looked at Jeanne with her eyes half lidded, a sly smile on her features.
"You look like you've been around a Sage too many!" Cereza exclaimed, trying to stifle her giggles. Jeanne's ever so heroic pose faltered in exasperation, her face scrunched into a frown. She let her foot down and turned to plop down on the edge of the mattress.
"Oh har, har." Jeanne spoke sardonically. Then her expression turned thoughtful, bending forwards to lightly lean on her sword.
She mumbled under her breath "Though I suppose there's a bit of truth to that..."
That got Cereza's attention. She instantly shot up, eyebrows raised high enough to come off her face, a faint, unbelieving smile painted her features.
"P-pardon??" She stuttered incredulously.
Jeanne cringed, then turned to Cereza, rapidly waving her hand. "W-wait! That came out wrong! Let me finish!" She cried, her face turing a soft hue of red.
Cereza motioned for Jeanne to continue.
"Do you remember that meeting I had to attend some moons ago? The one where we met with the Lumen?"
Cereza furrowed her brow, looking off to the side to try and rack her memory. "I believe so..."
"Well, I caught a glimpse of one of their knight's sword, and I couldn't help but be a bit distracted."
The meeting was very short lived. Both parties were hoping to resolve some of the ever-growing tension between them. Jeanne knew that the meeting was important, but anyone with eyes could see that both sides were getting absolutely nowhere. She looked around to try and ignore the rising conflict, then she found her attention ensnared by one of the Lumen knight's sabre. It's hand guard was beautifully intricate, the gold with silver elements adding to its aesthetic.
"It was quite the work of art." Jeanne admitted.
"Right..." Cereza drawn out, gently drumming her fingers against the sheets.
"And how did the Elder react?"
Jeanne couldn't help but roll her eyes, releasing a heavy breath. Over the span of the ongoing feud, using blades have become more of a taboo, and naturally the Elder was less than pleased at the thought of the heir to the throne carrying a rapier. Jeanne got quite the reprimand, but it fell on deaf ears as Jeanne was happily imagining showing off and impressing Cereza, along with other things a bit too embarrassing her to recall.
"I suppose you could imagine she wasn't very happy." She rolled her eyes, already used to experiencing the wrath of the Elder.
"She went on about how it's 'a weapon of the enemy', how they're 'obsolete', et cetera, et cetera." She mocked.
Cereza gained a pensive expression. "Not that I would agree with the Elder on most things, but I do wonder exactly what is the appeal of a swo–rapier?"
Jeanne practically lit up at her question, jumping up from the bed to make quick jabs and slashes at an imaginary enemy. "While a gun is objectively more practical, sword fighting takes a level of discipline and focus. You need to be quick and agile, but you can't neglect strategy and planning. And strange as it may sound, there's a form of understanding and intimacy between you and your opponent that you can't quite get elsewhere!"
Jeanne stop her movements abruptly, turning to Cereza. Lowering her blade and rotating her head to the side, she looked to be...bashful?
In a gentle voice, she asked, "And besides...it does make me appear more leader-like, no?"
Cereza giggled, moving to rise from her bed before strutting over to Jeanne. She wrapped her arms around Jeanne's neck, causing the latter witch to turn as red as her uniform, refusing to look Cereza in the eye.
Cereza grinned from ear to ear. "It certainly does, my Crimson Knight."