The Importance Of Jelly Beans
"I didn't compete this year," Mira beamed as she put down a beer in front of Cana before she somehow dragged Gajeel out of the crowd – by his ear. "We kind of decided to make you the most popular mage and, congratulation, you won the first round! Every member of Fairy Tail voted for you – isn't that amazing?"
"How-how is that even possible? The Thundergod Tribe would never vote for someone who isn't Laxus!"
"That's what we took care of, Booze Chick," Gajeel grinned and the Card Mage shuddered slightly. No matter how threatening they could be on their own, there was hardly a scarier sight than Gajeel and Mira when they had decided to work together.
"Just leave me alone," Cana groaned. "I don't even want to be Fiore's Most Popular Mage."
"Bacchus is in this competition as well," Mira said with a smirk. "So it was Elfman's idea to set you up as the candidate from Fairy Tail … don't disappoint him."
"I hate all of you," she said darkly.
"Here is the list of appointments we made to give you the chance to improve your image."
"That's not your handwriting, Levy … it's Freed's…"
"Oh, really?" the blue-haired mage grinned sheepishly. "My bad … we may have … convinced the Thundergod Tribe … to help us out a little bit."
Behind her, Gajeel smirked smugly and Cana had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Laughable.
"National Flower Show … Heartkreuz Fashion Week … Annual Crocus Music Awards…" Cana read out aloud before she sent pointed glares at Evergreen, Erza and Freed. "Are you guys kidding me?" she asked unhappily. "Not only that I need new dresses for every single of those events, I also need someone to go there with me to avoid looking entirely pathetic."
"Erza and Juvia will take care of the dresses and for a date…" Mira tilted her head before she grinned widely. "Laxus owes me a huge favour…"
Cana paled. "Someone, please, shoot me."
Bisca managed to requip a rifle before Erza stopped her. "She didn't mean it literally … I hope."
And this was why Cana Alberona was currently afraid for her hair. As eighth appointment, she had to assist as example for a mage in Crocus best (and most expensive) school and the little brats who ran around were among to most terrible children she had ever met. They had touched her hair all morning long and for some reason, she was not allowed to throw explosive cards at them until they would finally shut up.
"…Alberona-san, why don't you say a few words about being a mage?" the overly enthusiastic teacher asked as she looked at the brunette mage.
"No problem," the Card Mage grinned. "Alright, br- kids, listen up because I'm only saying this once. To be a mage requires discipline because some kinds of magic are ridiculously powerful – for example, the Dragon Slayer magic. But also seemingly boring and old-fashioned types of magic can be extremely powerful and variable. Some mages such as Script or Card Mages are capable of bypassing the elemental limits which bind other mages such as Ice or Fire Mages to one single element … and this can prove fatal if an opponent is immune against said element," she sent Laxus a dazzling smile. "Wouldn't you agree?" she asked smugly.
He growled. "Don't remind me of that failure of a job," he muttered darkly.
She grinned widely as she turned back at the children. "You see that even extremely powerful mages such as Laxus over here can get in serious trouble when their magic does not work at one opponent," she said. "Therefore, the most advanced mages such as our guild master Makarov are capable of using many spells that are extremely different from their primary type magic … you do know what a guild is, don't you?" she asked after seeing clueless faces.
"Well, I will explain that one," Laxus said. "A guild is – technically – nothing but a bigger group of mages. Our guild, Fairy Tail, is a Legal Guild which means that we are more or less approved by the Council. Officially, a guild is about two things: they allow mages to take jobs and earn jewels – and while this sounds strange, it is important because only a job given to a guild can be truly accepted by a mage. That's why independent mages hardly work outside their studies and why they need to have a normal job to earn money. Many of them own stores for magical items or inns that are specifically designed for travelling mages who need to rest." He shrugged. "Plus, guilds allow mages to train properly, to spar and to get stronger."
"And if a mage is really strong, he's S-class, right?" a boy inquired with starry eyes.
"Nope," Laxus said. "There are many good mages who aren't S-class even though they deserve it."
Cana pierced him with her infamous glare but he kept talking.
"Evergreen from our guild, for example, would make one hell of an S-class mage because she's smart and cunning enough to make up for the weaknesses her magic has. But she failed in her very first S-class exam … which might have been because she was 'distracted' by her partner's stupidity … I'd say that it was because of Elfman's muscles but no one listens to me."
Behind him, the Card Mage slapped herself in frustration.
"Or an even better example for someone who took a long time to become S-class would be Cana over here," Laxus smirked. "She made it in her sixth attempt."
"The fifth," she corrected. "Yes, it was the sixth event but the fifth one didn't work out properly."
"Forgive me," he said with a mocking bow. "And for her to take this long is even more ridiculous than Evergreen's failure at her exam … because Cana beat Jura of the Wizard Saints in a competition during the Grand Magic Games … just like me. Yeah, we are really great."
"What he means to say is," Cana interrupted, "that power isn't to be measured easily. Whether you are S-class or not isn't important because in the end, it depends on what you do for your guild and your … nakama," she added with a sigh. Quoting Natsu was something she rarely did.
"Are you two dating?" a girl asked as she smiled at the both mages.
"I happen to like the way my head is attached to my neck," Laxus muttered.
"And I don't date men who have only one goal in life," Cana replied with a smirk. "Anything else?"
"Would you date me?" a boy asked with a wink.
"Not happening, boy," the Lightening Mage said. "She requires a lot more … maintenance than you can afford … you would end up spending your entire pocket money on drinks for her … and believe me, it's not worth it. You should rather ask out someone who's in your league."
"That was just mean," Cana said. "But sadly, he's right."
Laxus sat in the cafeteria, reading the book Gajeel had handed him with a chuckle and 'greetings from the Shrimp and the green-haired fellow'. About thirty pages into the book, he had understood why the Dragon Slayer had been so damn smug – the book was hell to any sane reader. 'How to support a candidate by being a perfect significant other' was a stupid title and sadly the topic of the book that had to be written by a drug addict. By now, Laxus had learned more about the rules of proper behaviour and conduct that ever before in his life – and that did not mean that he actually enjoyed the topic. It was boring but he had a duty to fulfil – especially since Mira had been very precise in her threat about the fate that would befall him if he were to mess up … and Laxus had no interest to find pages of his journey printed on the request board – protected by various barriers of rune enchantments … Freed was a goddamn traitor lately and Levy was impossible to bully into something since she had traded her fanboys (Jet and Droy) for some someone who could actually fight properly (Gajeel).
The faint scent of lemons, candy floss and cherry that regularly surrounded the sober Cana reached his nose mere seconds before she arrived. "The next time one of those brats asks me what type of magical jelly beans is the best, I am going to freak out," she said as she sat down on the table. "What kind of question is that anyway?"
"An important one," Laxus replied as he rose. "Well, I got a headmaster to meet. Oh, and the answer is Lemon Drop, by the way. There is no other flavour."
"I never pledged you to be the kind of person to have an opinion about this," she said smirking.
He chuckled as he turned to leave. "But that's what your lips tasted like," he said with a grin before he disappeared into the crowded hallway, the book in his hand.
She looked after him, her face slightly red as she bit her lower lip, remembering the incident he had hinted at just too well. She had not been drunk – and for some reason, she was still not sure whether it made the event better or worse. No matter what, she had kissed him and now, she had to live with the consequences.
"Alberona-san?" a girl with glasses asked her shyly. "What is your favourite flavour of jelly beans now? I am writing an article about your visit and so…"
The Card Mage grinned. "A mixture of coffee, black tea and … plum," she replied amused.
"Okay, are you excited now?" Lisanna asked cheerfully as she carefully put a fresh flower into Cana's hair. "You look amazing – Laxus will probably die from a nosebleed!"
"You look okay," Gajeel shrugged before he gasped as Mira's elbow connected with his stomach. "Um, okay, you look nice … I ain't sayin' more – I got a girlfriend, 'kay? Get it into yer head!"
The demon smiled innocently as she clasped her hands in front of her chest. "Alright, let's just wait for the results over at the bar," she suggested but as usual, her suggestion was an order.
The mages made their way over to the bar where a slightly intoxicated Makarov gave Jason from the Weekly Sorcerer an interview which mostly consisted of cryptic responses to strange questions – something Jason seemed to find "coooool!" nonetheless.
"And here's our candidate!" Makarov said as he pulled Cana over to his chair. "Say, a drink?"
She glared at him. "You know that I am currently not allowed to drink in public … that's just another reason to get over with this as fast as possible," she muttered gloomily. "Where's Sparky?"
"Here," he said as he appeared behind her. "And there you got a little present for today. It's a little something from the Tribe and me … just to appreciate your hard work for all of this…"
She carefully unwrapped the present and grinned as she spotted the familiar silver brand. "You are truly impossible," she said. "Let me guess, nothing but coffee, black tea and plum-flavoured ones, correct? You are getting predictable."
"And the five most popular mages of this year are…" Jason announced proudly.
Cana quickly checked the area and spotted Jenny, Mira's old friend/rival, in Hibiki's arms, waiting to hear the result. Personally, the Card Mage believed the blonde to be a decent opponent but she could not help but wonder whether the relationship with Hibiki might have caused the Blue Pegasus' mage to lose the votes of Hibiki's numerous fangirls.
"The fifth place goes to Lamia Scale's Chelia Blendy!"
The pink-haired girl approached the stage to get her trophy – only to trip and fall to the floor. She got up and dusted herself off before she blushed slightly at the amused crowd. "Thanks," she said sincerely. "This makes me feel the love even more."
"The fourth place … is … Bacchus from Quartro Ceberus!"
The eccentric mage raised his fists up into the air as he approached the stage to receive his trophy. "Wild, huh?" he laughed drunkenly.
"Please, that's unmanly," Elfman said as he shook his head.
"From Eagle Soul, Berenike Rosenboom achieved the third place!"
The woman was tall and her hair was reddish brown, falling in curls down to her waist. A smaller part was pinned up to a bun on the back of her head, held there by a golden quill. Cana had barely recognised her as Eagle Soul's ace when Levy and Freed already looked at her.
"What is so special about her, anyway?" Gajeel snorted, obviously unhappy with his girlfriend's sudden change in behaviour. "Great, she's from that guild of smart people. Big deal."
"She is … the script mage," Levy said with starry eyes. "I'd kill for an autograph from her."
"Yeah, me too," Freed admitted as he stared at the ground. "Like Levy said – she is amazing. Sure, she isn't the youngest anymore and, well, when I started to use Dark Écriture, I wanted to match her at some point … and even though I surpassed her a few years ago, she's still my idol."
"Mine as well," the blue-haired mage declared as she clung to Cana's arm. "Please, yes? And maybe one for Lu-chan as well because she's a great author as well?"
"Yes, I see what I can do," the Card Mage sighed deeply.
"Thank you very much, Cana-san," Freed said with a small bow.
"Jenny Realight from Blue Pegasus reached the second place!" Jason announced as he handed the blond woman her trophy. "And now, last but not least … the Award of the Most Popular Mage of the Year … goes to Cana Alberona from Fairy Tail!"
Three minutes passed in a blurred mass of hugs, cheers, Elfman's proud declaration that 'winning is the manly thing to do', Evergreen's screech and the sound of a fan hitting a skull - multiple times in a quick succession because the Stone Eye mage had never been one to miss a beat.
And somewhere in this haze, Cana hears her father who proudly declared that this was the very same setting he had met his wife in, many years ago. And there was Laxus' smirk and suddenly, she kissed him and he tasted just like the jelly beans he had given her a little earlier.
And then, she was pushed towards the stage and Berenike who had always had a noble spirit or so they said helped her to get up to the stage.
"Congrats," Bacchus smirked. "So you really can beat me at popularity contests … nice job."
"You look great," Jenny smiled. "Did Mira choose your dress? She has an eye for those things."
"I have to meet Justine-san … oh, and McGarden-san as well," Berenike said gently.
"Is Wendy here as well?" Chelia asked as she looked around.
But Cana hardly heard them. She was caught in a haze of impressions and voices, of laughter and cheering – and the only thing she could truly get a hold of at the moment was the box of jelly beans in her hand. She opened it somehow even though her fingers felt numb (which usually did not happen because she was a Card Mage and depended on steady hands like Erza needed her requip). She grabbed a few beans and chewed them slowly as the flavour exploded in her mouth and hit her like lightening – no pun intended.
She was instantly shook out of her hazy state and sent Laxus a thankful grin, no, a sincere smile before she turned at the four other mages. No matter how many times she had cursed Laxus into the depths of hell because he had made an addict out of her (no alcohol but jelly beans to compensate for his rare kisses), he had his moments when she loved him more than her alcohol – and that meant something coming from her.
"You got me on my wrong foot that evening, Bacchus," she said amused as she threw back her hair and clutched the box in between of her hands. "By the way, I got my top back."
"Yeah … because someone attacked me in a dark alley and told me that I should better hand it over if I value my life," the mage snorted as he jerked his head into Laxus' general direction.
Cana just chuckled as she smiled at Jenny. "No, Juvia," she said with a shrug. "She made it herself … but it could be that Mira had a hand in the design."
Berenike was the next one she had to answer to but the oldest mage up on the stage seemed to require a little more respect than Bacchus and Jenny because Berenike was a legend. At least for Script Mages of all kinds and aspiring authors.
"They actually wanted to have autographs," Cana said. "Oh, and Levy said that she would like to have a second one for her best friend who's on a job right now."
Laxus who watched her smiled carefully because this proved that some things he touched did not burn and become ashes. Sometimes, he actually managed to help other people – sometimes he felt like a true Fairy Tail mage when he saw Cana smile.
He knew that the next day, he would find a small box in front of his door. He knew that there would be a silver brand on the box and what they would contain: lemon drops-flavoured jelly beans. He knew that he would laugh and slip him into his pocket – only to find them there when he would search for his lighter in his coat – only to remember that he had stopped smoking a long time ago. And so he would chew his jelly beans then, when he felt uncertain or angry.
And he would be happy because if the trip to this school had shown him anything, it would be that the small things sometimes matter the most.
AN: Because Mira and Gajeel wreaking havoc together is totally a thing.