The streets of Astera were bustling as usual, the man in black didn't truly care for the crowds, so as to keep himself from getting caught up in the riff raff, he took the roof tops. It was the easiest way to travel in his opinion, able to escape the busy streets and enjoy ones journey to their destination. On this day, Manzo could be seen wearing a black long sleeve sweatshirt, silky black shorts, and black slip on sandals. It was to be a casual day, for him.

He enjoyed not standing out, but in a city cascading in white, his all black attire would be easily noticed. Something he didn't care for, eyes following him, it reminded him of the days he spent locked in a cage as a child slave, something he was not eager to return to at all, not even in thought.

His stomach began to rumble, in his mind it was time to find some source of nourishment. Though he was torn on what he wanted to fill himself with on this day. Sweet, or savory, light or heavy, one of life's most difficult choices to be sure. But on this day it seemed all the shops and stands were full, it was the weekend after all. All the children, and their parents were flooding the streets for quality time. Something hadn't been a part of in quite some time.

Though to be perfectly honest, he hadn't the desire to be apart of that with his own family. Hard feelings he still had were alive and well on this day. Though he hadn't the foggiest idea as to why, he could have sworn he had buried those thoughts and feelings, but such things cannot easily be forgotten not by anyone.

Elcia had just arrived in the town of Astera, she had never really had the chance to visit the other towns, the only ones she knew most about were Magnolia, Hargeon, and Crocus. Crocus she knew about from some local books she read while at the port in Hargeon when she arrived with her new friend from years ago. Hargeon she spent time with said friend, who she knew was Harper, but who knows, maybe he was lying? However, Magnolia she had the most knowledge about after spending two years there. Elcia had happened to be reading upon Astera in a book about their ports and their beautiful azure blue ocean water, so she was curious about the town.

She had prepared a few dozen delicacies for anyone she passed upon that looked like they needed a sweet treat to brighten up their day. Her main goal was to get to the port but the map was confusing her, especially with the way their roads were, it was hard to tell where exactly she was. It all looked relatively similar the same tall elongated white buildings, some with the stone that was clearly chipping and falling apart, while others looked fairly new. As she was walking down one of the several roads- or... maybe it was an alley, she had come upon an opening. It was a slightly bigger opening with a few trees bunched together near a few benches and a small fountain.

Looking at the fountain she noticed a small girl with a boy sitting together, they were bickering over who had lost their money to buy ice cream.

"Umm..." Elcia had tapped the boy's shoulder.

When he whipped back she winced and mumbled.


"O-Oh. My apologies..." She began to fidget her fingers as she held the basket with both hands. "I just... I noticed you guys wanted to get ice cream...  while I don't have that- I do have treats." Her face was flushed as she bent down to get on the children's eye level. "They're really good I promise!"

Or at least she hoped... her mother always said she had the perfect touch to baking, she could make anything taste good. The children gladly helped themselves to her desserts as they opened her basket and helped themselves to several treats. The boy grabbed the brownies and cookies she had baked, while the girl grabbed the softly-baked bread with banana and another one with strawberry filling. What the little girl didn't know is the bread had her secret Veihalis secret where you baked a small amount of whip cream into the bread along with sugar and cinnamon.

As the children ran off with the sweets Elcia had taken a seat at one of the benches staring at the fountain. She was lost and already tired of walking endlessly through the allies, she must have been looking for the port for about a good hour or so. It was time for a break. As she sat on the benches birds and other wildlife had begun to gather as they could smell her baked goods, in all their warm sweet delights. She hadn't a clue what she would do once she got to the port, she just wanted to see the ocean once again.

Something came wafting through the air, a smell that Manzo wasn't entirely familiar with. Something so sweet, so pure, so perfect and not mention sent from the gods more than likely. He began to traverse the rooftops specifically looking for the source of this other worldly smell. The more he looked, the more his stomach grumbled, it seemed as though his stomach had already decided on what he was to have for lunch today. Something that if his mother was around would scold him for.

Thank god she wasn't around for this. If she could see him now, jumping off roof tops looking for the source a smell she would wonder where she went wrong. After moment of looking for the source, it would seem he had finally found it, a young woman sitting on a bench. She looked very frustrated, he wondered why. Maybe if he helped her he could get some of those sweets as a reward.

He dropped down from the rooftops in front of her, giving her a once over, but the only thing he was looking for was the basket she had on her, which had to be source of the smell that he coulnd't get out of his nose to save his life.

"Hey, are you alright?"

As she was lost in her thoughts her face slowly became troubled as she thought of her childhood. Her hands began to ache with pain like no other. Her arms felt weak, why would he do such a thing. Was she to blame? Maybe it was her fault for not assuming her position as his daughter. As her mind raced with such thoughts she felt a sudden breeze, before her eyes a black figure appeared before her as she stared at his shoes. He had jumped at least two meters down from the nearest housing addition.


"AHHH!! Nnn..." Elcia screamed before she closed her eyes trembling. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bother anyone!" 

After an awkward silence, she opened her eyes blinking a few times to see a man staring at her asking if she was alright. 'Oh god, he's going to think I'm a total idiot!' It was like a switch flipped on as her mind begun to run wild with dozens of different thoughts on how she screwed up. 


"I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scream." Elcia sighed, her face flushed once again. "I'm... yes, I'm fine. How are you?" 

She couldn't help but notice a small rumbling noise, she quickly wrapped her arms around her stomach leaving the basket of lovely desserts vulnerable to be taken. Only a few seconds passed before she realized that wasn't her stomach growling- was it the man in front of her? She wanted to ask him if he wanted a treat but for some reason the more she gazed into his eyes the harder it was for her to concentrate. 

"Umm...-" Elcia started to mumble without a second thought, "I... I was just delivering desserts to anyone who seemed to need a kick-start to their day... what brings you here, sir?"

When the woman let out a scream, Manzo's face shifted from blank to quite animated. What ailed this woman he thought to himself. Was she easily startled or did he stumble upon what they call, a brownie with nuts. That food pun made him laugh in his mind, if only for a moment. What he found most peculiar was her staring into his eyes with such intensity.

He bent over and waved his hand in front of her eyes to make sure she was still somewhat lucid, thankfully she started speaking which was a good thing in his opinion as he wasn't keen on catching a case for scaring someone to literal death.

Though as she spoke he noticed that she had left her basket unattended, simple mistake, he scooped it up in his arms and began to eat out of it as she explained herself, though to be quite honest he wasn't paying very close attention, he was too preoccupied with stuffing his face. The only sounds coming from him were sounds audible orgasms.

As she talked it was obvious his gaze shifted, his intentions were clear now- HE WANTED HER SWEETS! How dare he scare her and then take her basket of baked goods! A man should never take such special sweets from a woman without asking or being given. 

"Umm..." Her voice was quiet as if she was afraid to speak. "I mean... you can have them but I ... well, you see... I made them for multiple people but you're eating so much that I won't have any more to give out." 

Elcia didn't know what to do with this man, she was in no position to overpower him over sweets- or anything for that matter. Her magic was incapable of producing any offensive qualities... she wasn't like her father. Each bite he took of her special bread with the fillings of strawberry, banana, and raspberry would smear among his lips as he bit them like a wild animal and they'd burst open, squirting out filling. 

She just blankly stared at him as he moaned as he ate the sweets, and was quickly devouring her desserts. If he kept up with how he barely chewed the food there would be nothing left. 


"Oi!!" Elcia raised her voice, still, it was as if she was talking at a normal audible level; for her, it was yelling, before she quickly went back to her quiet unconfident tone. "At least take your time and savor the flavor... also take these napkins." 


She handed him a few napkins she had packed in a small black bag that she carried over her right shoulder, it was a smaller bag that probably only took up a fourth of her back. it would probably look like a mouse on the behemoth in front of her.

Still in his own little world eating the delectable sweets she had crafted it hadn't occurred to him just how much of her goods he was eating, not did he realize all of the food that was covering his face. Up until she handed him a pair of napkins did he realize that he had eaten almost all of her supply. He swallowed the last of what he had in his mouth, and placed the basket back by her side.

"I am so sorry about that. I swear I was raised with more manners than this."

He then wiped his black hair from his face off to the side where she could get a better look at his face, even though he was in the middle of wiping it clean of food. His facial expression returning to it's usual stone faced demeanor.

"Trust me when I say that I savored every bite of your delectable treats. My behavior was unacceptable I know. Allow me to repay you by helping you make more for the people of the city." He said in a monotone way of speaking that was more to his personality than the ravenous animal behavior that he had exhibited moments before.

Elcia just blankly stared at the man showed no signs of stopping until she had offered him the napkins. It was as if the man was raised by animals. Maybe he didn't have a stable upbringing? Well, in a sense Elcia didn't either if that was the case. So what was his excuse? Maybe he was just weak to the delectable smell of her delicacies? As he grabbed her napkins he apologized for his demeanor, promising he had better manners than that. He wiped his face of the food that seemed to miss his gaping mouth. 

"Um... no worries." She mumbled.

She stared at the basket which earlier today had about thirty or so treats in it, and the children early had taken about eight of them, cheeky little bastards. However, this man must have eaten at list two dozens and a few more for himself.

"All I ask is that... you smile." Elcia looked up at the stone cold face. "If they were good and satisfied you, then I'm happy." She had a faint smirk and her voice sounded soothing. "You're welcome to have the last few... that is... if you want- err... if they were good enough!" 

She stumbled with how she wanted to speak to the man, her emotions got the best of her as she was worried about looking stupid, she couldn't stop second guessing if what she was saying was ok. 

"A-Also... I can't bake these goods with you, they're secret! I make them special." She blushed as she fidgetted her indexes together, staring up at him hoping she hadn't upset him.

Her speech pattern was a real point of interest for Manzo. It was like she was intimidated by him. Her nervousness didn't have any merit in his mind. It's not like she had any reason to be frightened. He was just a schmuck dressed in black who was in town for a few days looking for something to eat. Though perhaps she was just starting on a journey himself. Though regardless it was truly none of his business. But there was one thing he had to get straight with this young woman before their interaction went any further than it already was.

He got closer to her, face to face, nose to nose. Placing his hands on her shoulders, looking her deep in the eyes. Hoping to instill some confidence in her with his words.

"Hey, I'm just a person, you don't have to be so apprehensive with your speech."

He said, the warmth from his lips no undoubtedly brushing against her own. After finishing his little pep talk he backed away from her and returned to his previous spot.

"Given the taste of your treats I understand why you wouldn't bake them with just anyone. They are not of this world."

The second his hand touched her shoulder she winced in fear, her body began to shake uncontrollably; of course, to him, it would be like a little quiver meanwhile to Elcia it felt like she was having an inner earthquake. Her face became a right and rosy red, as she looked at him with flushed cheeks. 

"Nnn... eh... ahhn..." She made imperceptible noises. "P-Please..." She could feel her legs giving up on her.


When he started to speak and his breathe brushed against her bare skin it was almost impossible with how flushed her face had managed to become as she squealed. 


"Ah-HHHH!!" As he complimented her treats her legs gave out as she fell against his chest.

Her breathing was heavy as she began to sweet from how nervous she was, she was having her own minor panic attack as he had touched her, and his- oh god his breathe the way it tingled against her skin. God dammit.

He red cheeks did give off an impression of embarrassment. One that he did not really understand. Though it seemed he had a more pressing matter to attend to. This girl seemed to be having a full on panic attack in his arms. He couldn't help but feel guilty, as if this were his own doing. But truthfully he did have one way to quell her minor incident. Given how she was flipping out. He scooped her in his arms bridal style and took the roof of the nearest building to get her out of the public eye.

He laid her down on her back, and placed his hands on both sides of her head, sending out small electric waves into her brain to reset it, and regulate her breathing back to a normal pace.

It was as if her life was moving in slow motion, all she wanted was for this cold-stoned bastard to smile after eating her creations. That's all she wanted and she'd be happy for the day... at least the children scooped up their snacks with big grins. She focused on their smiles as that calmed her until she realized- her head had been facing towards her chest and she was watching the ground- till the ground became the sky, and then the sky became the shackles from the rooftop of one of the housing additions. He was holding her... she could just imagine her small frail body held by the man who was admittedly bigger than her in every aspect. 

Her eyes closed as she had passed out with the realization of being held close to his chest, she could feel his muscles move, more specifically the muscles in his pecs against her cheek as her head laid against them. 

"Mrrrmm..." Elcia mumbled in her slumber before the electricity jolted through her body and shortly after it had woke her. 

Luckily she remembered him taking her up on a roof if she had panicked as she would usually she would have fallen and surely injured herself. She sat up staring into the man's cold black eyes.

"I'm sorry..." She sighed, her face obviously full of concern as she frowned. "I'm... - I'm a hassle... I don't mean to be, I just can't help it."

Her eyes began to swell as she could feel tears building, but she fought back the tears, so it just wavered among her waterline as her eyes got puffy and red.

This woman was quite the peculiar one. She always seemed to apologize for everything. Things that were not even her fault. Well none of this was her fault. Truthfully speaking this whole ordeal was entirely his fault and his fault alone. But seeing the type of person she was, he had serious doubts that anything he said would change her mind in the slightest. So his apology was nothing more than a lost cause.

He sat down beside her, staring off into space. The only thing his gaze was concentrated on was the water line, and the beach. He had given serious thought to just going there instead of dealing with this girl. But that would be extremely impolite, and her condition did fall upon his shoulders.

"Ya know, you'd be pretty cute if you stood up for yourself. Why apologize to the person who sent you into a downward spiral. Doesn't make much sense am I right?"

Elcia just stared at him fighting her tears, as she could feel her left eye begin to form a teardrop. Her face still red from being upset, but she still paid attention to each and every word he had to say. He went on to say that Elcia would be pretty cute if she stood up for herself. Her heart began to race, her tears immediately halted, as the law few drops rolled down her cheek. Did a man just say she was cute- or could be cute?! Why did she suddenly feel so accomplished... maybe it was the fact that her mother and father raised her to be this poised woman of perfect to snag a man, but she wasn't able to follow the lessons they set out in place. 

Well, she wasn't able to act poised and professional in this situation because of him abruptly showing up on her, but it's fine surely she could get her act together. He asked her why she apologized so damn much, especially when it wasn't her fault, she never stopped to think why she did it, it was just second nature, it was kind of beat into her.

"I don't know..." She tried to calm her voice, "I'm sorry- no I mean... dammit! Sorry!- No ... UGGGH!" 

She didn't know how to end her sentence without saying sorry, she was so repetitive with how she kept apologizing she didn't know how to stop it. 

"I... I'm Elcia Lumière Veihalis... and you are?" She had asked him, only to change the subject away from herself and because she realized she never caught the name of the man who raided her basket of baked pastries.

This girl was as confounding as they came, something wasn't quite right with her. But more than likely that was not her fault. Her name was very, unique to say the least. Although Manzo thought his name to very plain and ordinary, but since she offered hers it only natural, as well as polite that he gives his own in response.

"Elcia, nice name." He said in his signature monotone delivery.

He laid back and began to stare off into the clouds above, nothing much on his mind at this point. Though he still had not given his name. He was unsure if he should, though it would be the polite thing to do.

"Mattori, Mattori Manzo. Though most circles just know me as stormcaller." He said while making out images in the clouds.

Elcia had looked at Manzo, which he had revealed himself to be, although he made it clear that most people know him at the Stormcaller. What a unique title, was he perhaps able to summon up storm clouds? Or maybe he could predict when a storm was coming! That made sense- logically anyways, he could call when a storm was coming; thus Stormcaller! He was an interesting man, but she still felt nervous around him, but after being able to recoup her thoughts and get ahold of herself she was able to act the way her father trained her to act in front of men.


"I must head off to the port now- umm... you're welcome to join?" She more so questioned her own invitation to the man, did she really want to spend more with a man who made her uncomfortable?

Well in a sense she had no choice but to go with this man, he brought them up on a roof. 

"U-Um... I need help down." Elcia's cheek quickly became red again, as she reached out to wrap herself around the man, so she could ride him down to the ground.

Once he brought them down she shook her anxiety by walking off towards the port after she had grabbed her bag from the bench. She wanted to feed the birds the special bread feed she had made for them. 

Leaving the basket behind she turned with a cold stare, "You can keep the basket and the last few pastries left."