[Luna] The Shadows That Dance in the Night

[Sparky]

    As her mask came into shape, her banner bloomed. A tribute and symbol to everything she held dear. A sign that she had embraced and been embraced by the element she wished to control. There was a gentle peace that punctuated the area. A poignant ending to the young woman's deep soul searching. Before Luna could get too used to the calm, the floor once more roiled beneath her.  
    
    Strands of darkness burst free and pushed her upwards, twirling, twisting and forming into grand wings, outstretched as they propelled the two masked forms upwards. White lines trailed behind, fading away into the abyss along with the temple that'd been created to train. And then, as though breaching from underwater, The Bartender and Luna burst forth from the abyss.

    Once again in reality, the bartender adjusted his bowtie and allowed his shadow form to dissipate like dust on the wind. "Treat this as a mark of your pride, Luna." No longer the gentle whisper, his voice once more regained the same firm grit it always had. "There are still deep wounds you have yet to heal, but you have great potential. I look forward to mentoring you. I'll see you next week, when the real training begins. But first..."

    The Bartender motioned an outstretched hand in Luna's direction, towards her mask. "...take a look at what you've created..." 

[Luna]

[Refs]

She opened her eyes when she felt the floor become unsteady again. Luna knew her emotions were in check so it must have been The Bartender's doing. She felt herself being lifted up and opened her eyes to look to where she was going, a fake wind blowing downwards on her. Though despite the expectation of being pushed out of the ground and falling to it, she was instead stopped at the floor of the office. Her body was just instinctually prepared for the jump that never happened.

Luna reached up for her face, feeling something just as smooth as the mask The Bartender's was. Her fingertips brushed over the cheek of the mask and ran to the nose, tracing along the muzzle. Luna hooked her thumb to the edge of the mask at her jaw and lifted it from her face, taking it off and then looking at it. It definitely wasn't a bird. It was too narrow to be a wolf or some kind of dog. The muzzle was too big to be a cat's though. "...A fox?" That.. made sense. She was a fox faunus after all. But something felt underwhelming that her mask was so literal. It was pitch black, lacking too many things outside of refined etchings to dictate its form. There had to be something more...right?

[Sparky]

    "As you train and refine your abilities, your skills, the details will come more into focus." The Bartender stated, apparently sensing her subtle disappointment. "Not just the mask. Like my wings, your form too will grow and develop along with it. Don't be disappointed. This is only the first step of many. Head on home now, we'll continue your training next week. Make sure to keep up with your own meditations, and I'll see you at work tomorrow." 

    The Bartender straightened up and settled back down behind his desk with the same, emotionally deadened expression as always. Back to business as usual, it seemed. "Have a good night, apprentice."

[[???] - Bahamut]

~By Shining Glass~
~I declare this approved~