"I still feel completely out of out of place Mira. I just don't feel like I'm at home" a rather disgruntled Lisanna stated to her sister quietly. Despite having been brought back to life in the eyes of her fellow guild mates and accepted without the slightest of hesitation, there was a sort of loneliness in her own mind. Edolas had truly taken more out of her than she would ever admit. She had accepted her new guild mates, and grew to enjoy her life regardless of how involuntary it was. Still, she had to force herself to carry on in this familiar yet completely new life. She'd already been through so much with all of her guild mates since she'd been back. You would think that any hint of being "out of place" would simply be a thing of the past. Something about life now though, felt far from home. Edolas wasn't home, but gods...why couldn't home feel right either.
"Don't be like that Lisanna. You belong here now more than ever. Our home wasn't even a home without you." stated Mira with a reassuring smile and tone that, to anyone else, would seem comforting. But to Lisanna, it was no different than an awkward pat on the back. "Why don't you go sit and chat with the girls for a bit? I can handle the bar just fine." Reluctantly Lisanna nodded, placing the newly washed mugs away and removing her work apron. "Oh! And since you're headed out of here anyway, can you please take these beers over to the Raijinshu, please?" With a smile that would melt anyone plastered across her face, Mira handed the youngest Strauss a rather full tray. Rolling her eyes with only the slightest annoyance, smirk across her face, Lisanna half hazardly grabbed it and walked off.
"Here you go guys!" she exclaimed with a beautiful, yet completely fake smile. "Darling, you're going to give yourself wrinkles smiling so big. Better to just do a smaller, more elegant smile". Nothing quite like an unwarranted opinion from Evergreen to really solidify an already questionable, depressing mood. Pinky out to sip a beer none the less. "Yes well, not everyone prefers the look of stone on a soft face Ever." There was the slightest hint of annoyance in Freed's voice, but at least it was something as he reached for his beverage. Rubbing his temples with his hand, Laxus reached out and simply enjoyed his beer quietly. Eyes closed. No sense in even engaging the impending argument between his faithful crew. Lisanna looked over to Bickslow, expecting him to grab his beer and throw in his own sarcastic comment, like his comrades, but was instead greeted with a very excited Pappa bobbing in her face exclaiming loudly, "No wrinkles on this one!"
Her attempts to gently shoo the little totem away were futile. She merely caused the little doll to become even more excited, attracting it's siblings who were all now weaving around her arms and legs happily screaming "No wrinkles!" She felt like she was being surrounded by pestering bees. The urge to swat is there, but the repercussions of swatting totally wasn't worth it. Pippi and Poppo were so busy chanting and zooming about, that they inevitably smacked into each other. Almost in unision, they both appeared to size each other up and shouted,"Hey! NO WRINKLES!" This made Lisanna giggle, and just like that, the little totems all settled down next to Bickslow. The man's tongue simply rolled out of his smiling mouth as he grabbed his beer. As she walked over to the other side of the hall to sit with the girls she could have sworn she heard a faint,"aww" from one of the totems.
As the night dragged on, Lisanna's mind was elsewhere. Daydreaming about the feelings of being home. About everything she had missed here. Wondering why the hell she just couldn't get ouf of such a depressive rut. Her friends were bantering and chatting about the latest gossip. Something that just really didn't interest her as of late, unlike her sister to whom which was trying desperately to keep an ear on the girls table. Frantically taking notes in-between bartending and serving simple meals. Amidst the gossip, the rest of the guild was up to their usual antics. A night in which a table wasn't being set on fire and multiple friends weren't frozen in place, wasn't really a night at all. She simply sat quietly, drinking another beverage. Even if she was miserable inside, at least she was miserable and warm.
Despite her wandering thoughts, Lisanna found herself staring at the Raijinshu across the room. For what reason, she really wasn't sure. Perhaps it was because they were one of the only stationary groups through the shouting and general guild chaos. Keeping to themselves. Her view consisting of one very angry Laxus gritting his teeth at Ever and Freed as they bantered about god knows what...hopefully not about wrinkles and stone still...Her view of Bickslow was simply the back of his helmet. Next to his head, Pappa was simply floating in place bobbing happily. As she stared, Pappa suddenly turned around to stare back at her, no longer bobbing. Just sitting there. Laxus, Freed and Evergreen immediately shifting their eyes, catching Lisanna in the act. The action startled her and she looked away as quickly as she could.
The temptation to look again was definitely planted there now. Maybe it was sheer curiosity at the reaction of the totem and members of the Raijinshu, maybe it was just boredom. Who knows. She tilted her head slightly to see if the totem had turned around, which it had. No sooner than she started looking, did the totem turn around again. Not breaking the inanimate stare painted on its face. She turned away slower this time. Not as caught off guard by the motion of the totem this time. Laxus, Freed, and Evergreen didn't look at her this time around thankfully. She smirked a bit, looking down at the wooden table. "They are probably used to stares" she thought to herself.
The final time she passed a glance over to the totem, was different. All the members of the Raijinshu were standing, likely getting ready to go home. Faces all stern, minus Evergreen who was passing telling glances over to Elfman in a manner that quietly screamed, "Get up, we are leaving". She watched as her brother rose from his seat quickly, becoming the arm candy Evergreen desired so much. As she turned to stare back at the totem, Pappa again turned quickly to face her, but was also accompanied by the rest of its siblings situated on the floor. When they all made eye contact with her, she suddenly felt nauseated and light headed. She clutched her mouth and did her best to prevent herself from vomiting on the table. "Lisanna are you okay!? What's wrong?!" shouted an extremely frightened Lucy. "Ya didn't have to keep drinking with us ya know!" Cana was less than thrilled at the condition of their friend who literally went from fine, to sickly in no time, not realizing that Lisanna had been milking her drink. "I'm fine." Lisanna smiled "I think I just need to go home and rest for a bit. Just a bit stressed out from work I guess." Smile plastered across her face, she excused herself from the table and walked over to Mira whose face was full of concern. "I'm going home Mira. I feel...off. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, she hugged her sister and headed out of the guild.
It was chilly and slightly damp in Magnolia tonight. A storm was sluggishly presenting itself. Spring was beginning to awaken. As she walked under the street lights, she had the feeling she was being watched. The nausea and dizziness set in again, causing her to fall to her knees. "What the hell". She rose back to her feet. Glancing around, she saw no one was there, at least no one for her anyway. As she stood there, she suddenly had the urge to run, and run she did. She sprinted past her home. Past the familiar shops around town. Past anything she knew. She felt like her body just couldn't stop running, as if it was fueled by pure adrenaline. It felt good. The pain in her side not being enough to coax her to slow down. The splintering feelings in her legs begging for more. The hoarseness of each breath fueling her to run harder.
She maintained this pace until she had reached a part of town she didn't recognize. Street lights broken. The buildings appearing to all be abandoned. Windows shattered out of most of them. Graffiti painting their sides. Cracks begging to be fixed. The frames of many buildings exposed from weather, neglect, and time. She quietly walked around this bleak little section of town. In a way, it was comforting. These old buildings were once full of life. Homes that families lived in. Now, they were nothing more than empty shells. Thunder quietly rang, echoing through the buildings. In a way, it felt like it was their voice. A voice whose sound would cause a piece of itself to fall to the ground, never to rise again. She came upon what must have been an elegant apartment at some point. The stone work, though worn, was intricately designed. It spanned all the corners of the building, rising up the pillars. Large, broken windows easily twice her height adorned it. She counted seven of those levels. Seven broken, worn out, neglected, abandoned levels.
Fat raindrops beginning to fall. Quickening their decent from the sky.
With only the slightest hesitation, she entered the abandoned shelter. Better to wait for the storm to pass. As she entered the belly of the building, the rain outside rose the musky scent of the building. Mold, dirt, and general decay. She walked through the building, finding an old staircase. Although functional, it was certainly in disarray. Like its neighbors, the building was riddled with graffiti and broken glass. Torn maroon and gold carpets faded from neglect and time, crowding any walkway. "At least someone comes to visit you" she said out loud. The rain was now falling hard and fast. At least she had found shelter from the storm outside. The staircase eventually winded up a doorway that led to the rooftop. The door having been clearly kicked at some point with a large hole gracing its center. Wood splintering in every direction. The handle appearing to have been smashed flat. The hole left in the door allowing rain to enter the building. Small pools and trickles of water attempting to make their way deeper into the building.
As she stood there listening to the rain, figuring out what she should do next, lightning lit up the building. Eerie shadows forming from the sudden exposure. From the corner of her eye she thought she saw a figure standing near her. Turning quickly to see who was there, another wave of nausea and instability overcame her. She fumbled hard into the wall next to her. The motion of hitting the decaying wall causing her arm and shoulder to go through it. She could feel the newly formed scratches and a bruise beginning to form. No sooner than she stood up, pulling her arm out of the hole that she had made, did the building angrily start to groan. She listened as what must have been a wall from a lower floor collapsed, and watched as parts of the staircase began to crumble. The rotting wood giving way. As the stairs began collapsing and walls started to crumble, she did the only thing she could do. Run. She ran through the broken doorway, to the roof top, watching the building start to crumble behind her. The door almost felt as though it were trying to keep here there. Knees smashing hard against the stone and concrete top. Snagging her shorts, cutting her legs. Fingers clawing at anything they could, pulling herself free. Heart pounding in her chest, she frantically searched for a possible solution to the impending building collapse.
She ran to the edge of the building, as far away from the collapse as she could. The wet ground sparing no mercy to her as she lost her traction. Feet slipping and sliding. Her ankles twisting hard as the audible "crunch" added to the sounds of the building. Hitting the rooftop hard, she frantically clawed her way to the edge. Staring down at the ground below, she desperately tried to formulate a plan that wouldn't involve her plummeting to her death, rising to her feet as quickly as she could. Listening to the sounds of stone falling, the remaining windows shattering, and wood splintering, she was now teetering on the edge trying to figure out a plan. Changing into a bird would be useful, but wet feathers means she'll still plummet. Changing into a cat would do little to nothing at this height.
As she stood, teetering on the edge, her nose was suddenly filled with the strong scent of frankincense. Before she even had time to react, two hands grabbed her shoulders from behind. Cool metal grazing against her ear and cheek. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to stare sweet cheeks?" The low voice began laughing. The two hands holding her in place, now violently shoving her off the building. The sensation of nothing below her feet making her stomach drop. She clawed at the air reaching for anything, greeted by nothing. She didn't have time to scream. She couldn't if she tried. The sound of pouring rain, thunder, and manic laughing ringing through the air as she watched the ground below make its way closer and closer to her.