Prologue: A Long, Long Time Ago
Yeah... It really had been quite a long time, now, hadn't it? That didn't really matter to Ryan. After all, it wasn't like she had been counting every day that had passed since she'd last seen her friends from the Crimson Moon incident... No, that certainly wasn't what the many tally marks drawn in sharpie that lined the majority of her bed frame, mirror, and a large number of notebooks(along with a good few other odd places here and there) were for at all. At least, she told that to her older sister, Reece (who naturally saw through this lie - but refrained from commenting) and her mother and father, Delphine and Barclay.
In any case, it wasn't something that Ryan was pouty, angry, or crying about. Sure, she missed these friends and longed to reunite with them, but she stayed positive. Even now, with her eighteenth moon having passed, that was a trait that Ryan never lost - an unmatched optimism. A positive outlook on the world and those who occupied it that had not once faltered. Even with all of the trials, troubles, and hardships she had faced that would wear down a 'normal' person's innocence, faith, and cheer, she still kept pushing through with a sincere and heartwarming smile on her face.
Sure, Ryan wasn't exactly what one could call a 'normal' Caster(or even Duchannes), in a lot of ways. Unlike most children in her family, she was allowed to live with her parents even before her Claiming. She was the first Duchannes child in ages that could Claim themselves after Lena had broken the curse on their family. She was less than prestigious in the art of general Casting- such as conjuring and telekinesis -, but she at least had minor development in those fields.
That must really put Reece at ease, the female thought, causing the corner of her lip to quirk up in a smile.
Idly looking around her bedroom, Ryan's green eyes searched for something in silence - an object. Two of them, actually. Both of which were very,
very dear to her. It didn't need to be voiced to anyone that knew her that Ryan was a rather sentimental person. So, naturally, the two objects that were the only things she had to remember her friends by were treasured and cared for greatly by the young woman. Quietly, she climbed to her feet, her blonde hair swishing slightly as she did so, before she made her way over to her dresser in silence.
It was like being a child again, as she stood in front of her dresser, her quiet footfalls finally ceasing. Delicately, her slender fingers traced over the wood of the cherry dresser, a small sigh passing her lips. There was a mirror settled on the thing, but the female hardly even noticed. No, her attention was fully on something much, much more important to her: a garment composed of blue fabric, and a flower neatly settled atop the aforementioned fabric. To most, it wasn't much - after all, who gave a damn about a child's cape and some old flower? To Ryan, though, these two objects meant much more than she had the words to express.
For a long while, the young woman stared at the objects with something akin to longing. But, eventually, she tenderly moved her hands over the fabric, her fingers barely brushing it. The material felt nice on her fingertips, and memories of running around with the cape on flowed freely through her mind. She couldn't help but wonder if Kinuhata still had the identical cape that Ryan had given her, or if the other girl didn't really see the value in the object or had lost it somewhere along the way.
...No. She was certain that the girl had kept it.
The Caster had been about to turn her attention to the flower when something strange caught her eyes. An envelope, settled against the base of her mirror. That was odd... Ryan could have sworn that that piece of parchment hadn't been there before. Her eyebrows furrowing in thought, Ryan carefully reached for the invite, unsure of just what to make of it. But once she'd carefully opened it, produced the invitation inside, and read said invitation? Ryan wasted no time in throwing together a costume and getting out the door. She was hardly aware of the fact that this could be some sort of trick, and the thought didn't even cross her mind. No, this particular Thaumaturge had much too much faith in people for that. The only thing on her mind right then was a hope that maybe, just maybe, she'd be seeing her old friends there.... Too bad that she would be missing lunch to get to this party.
The place was certainly.. Interesting. Ryan had to give it that much. She was delighted to hear that a birthday was being celebrated, even if she didn't know the woman that this birthday belonged to... Did birthdays belong to people?? ..That probably didn't matter. The Caster was hardly bothered by how many people were around, or how empty the ballroom seemed, otherwise. In fact, she was quite elated. The female had always loved people, and so it was quite delightful to be among so many of them.
Even if she didn't see her friends from that incident so long ago... Perhaps she could at least make new ones to account for it.
Though nobody could ever replace them...
While most people likely had no troubles deciding just where to go or what to do(or even who to speak with, first), Ryan had absolutely no idea just where to start. With so many people up and about, how could she know?? She hoped she'd get the chance to make exchanges with them all at least once... She absolutely adored socializing. Maybe there was even something she could do around to help out. That was something that she loved to do almost as much as she loved to socialize.
But, err... Where was she supposed to start? People were everywhere, all talking and drinking and celebrating with one another. How was she supposed to tell who out of the crowd potentially needed help? Natural helper or otherwise, Ryan's powers didn't exactly include magically knowing who needed help and who didn't. She only had her instincts and those brilliant green eyes for that.
I guess I'll just have to start socializing...
With her typical stunning smile on her face, Ryan less than shyly approached Jade, a kind and friendly expression on her face.
"..You're the lovely host of this event, right?"