Slam! Sting stopped what he was doing, looking at the clock. "Home already?"
"Here she comes," Rogue said as tiny feet pounded against the floor in a running gait.
"Sting-san! Rogue-san!" Hestia bounded into Sting's office and jumped into an armchair, her backpack somehow ended up on the floor. Lector and Frosch trailed after her, fatigued after trying to match the girl's enthusiastic speed.
"You're really hyper today. What's up?" Sting asked, catching Lector as the latter almost fell from the air.
"MrsaidIwasadvancinginmymagicsaidthatIshouldskipag radecanI—"
"Whoa!" Sting made a T with his hands. "Slow down, I couldn't even follow!"
"Sorry," Hestia panted. "I'm really excited."
"Deep breaths," Rogue reminded. "Now, what were you saying?"
Hestia went back for her backpack and rummaged around, spilling pencils, paper, and other supplies. Lector and Frosch smiled nervously at the growing mess. "Got it!" Hestia waved a light blue envelope like her own victory banner, grinning ear to ear.
"Well then..." Sting removed his feet from the top of the table and sat properly, holding his hand out for the letter. "Let's see what this bad boy has to say, shall we?"
One year ago
Hestia peered around the door, making sure to keep most of her body behind the structure in case someone looked in her direction.
"She's not here, remember?" A rough, commanding male voice reminded above her. The child jolted in alarm as a hand picked her up by the back of her jacket. Soon she was met by the eyes of Master Jiemma.
"M-Master!" Hestia squeaked nervously.
"No matter how many times you're told to stay away, you always seem to find a way to visit your mother," the old man growled in accusation. "Many years ago, I agreed to take in your mother, and inadvertently, you. But as long as you stay here, I expect you to live up to my expectations. Love is not welcome here."
"...Yes, master."
"Why is there hesitation in your voice?"
"Master...you say that...emotions are unneeded in Sabertooth, right?" Hestia asked.
Jiemma raised a foreboding eyebrow at her query. "Yes, I did say that."
"So then...what is that love...does to people?"
Hestia felt the grip on her jacket tighten as he walked away with her. For a moment, the girl believed that she would be flung out the window. But Jiemma instead placed her standing on a tall stool, leaving the girl to balance herself on the seat.
"That particular emotion...is a dangerous force. Put simply, it's disgusting," he spat as he sat down on a lounge chair. "Love is what makes people weak. Your mother became weak because, at one point in the life she no longer recalls, she loved your father. And because she loved that man, you resembled him, to remind her of that. Her weakness made it so that she couldn't stand the mere sight of you. Think about it: your mother would throw a fit if she even found a hint of your existence near her."
Flashback:
Smash! Broken pieces of a vase landed near Hestia, who jolted in shock as her mother held her head, breathing unevenly. "M-mama?" the little girl asked in fear, trying to keep herself from shaking. "Mama, what's wrong?" But just one look in the eye confirmed the child's worst thoughts. She couldn't deny the happiness she felt when her mother actually held her, smiled at her, comforted her. But she knew, after so many failed memory sessions, that it wouldn't last forever.
"I-it's—all—your—fault!" her mother screamed at her. She continued to fling everything she could get her hands on at her own daughter. The child levitated a table before herself, creating a shield between herself and her mother.
"Get away from me!"
Hestia moved the table slightly off to the side, but ready in case she needed to defend herself. "But Mama, I'm your—!"
The sight of her only fueled her mother's anger as she took advantage of her child's lowered guard. The corner of a book hit Hestia's forehead, which made the girl drop the table as she fell, holding her bleeding temple.
Hestia was vaguely aware of the events that followed. Urgent feet made their way to the door, which broke from its hinges when a teenage Orga used his bulky build to knock it down, something no one complained about. A younger Sting pulled Hestia close to him. "Oi, Hes! Are you okay? Answer, please!"
"Tia-kun, don't die!" Lector cried.
"Sting, get her out of here! It's too dangerous for her!" Rufus commanded while Orga managed to hold Hestia's mother down.
Flashback end
Hestia nodded, darkness clouding her eyes. "Do you understand? Love makes people weak. It made your mother weak."
"It made her wish she never had me," Hestia finished in a dulled tone. "But when she forgot me...and my father...and her other guild...she became stronger."
Jiemma nodded in agreement. "Because love is a weakness. And I don't want you to share the weakness your mother once had. You've seen her, she's become a strong woman without it! Prove to me that you have no need for it!"
Hestia glanced at a porcelain vase on the table next to the master. She imagined her MIA father—who she always knew had pink hair, since her mother was blonde—who had created this whole mess. She imagined the vase as the unnamed jerk, visualizing him floating high above them before she would slam him back and forth from the floor to the ceiling. It was his fault that she had a mother that would never see her as a daughter, her daughter. She wanted him to pay.
With. His. Life.
The vase rose from its position, going higher and higher as Hestia used her Telekinesis to vent her anger towards her bastard of a father.
"That's it. Higher."
The ground shook violently, causing the stool that Hestia stood on to teeter. With her attention on trying not to fall over, she was unaware of the vase falling—and breaking against Jiemma's head. Hestia sweated nervously as the master radiated an annoyed aura. Jiemma brushed the remaining shards off of his headgear slowly, never breaking his gaze on her.
"Uh, master—"
"Master!" Rufus burst into the lounge room, panting heavily from the distance he ran. "Intruder!"
Hestia made a silent reminder to thank Rufus later. Jiemma frowned. "Who would dare to step into our territory?"
"It...it's...him," Rufus gulped. "The Salamander!"
Present
Sting set the letter down on the table. A wide grin crossed his face. "Well, Hes! Skipping a grade, how about that! I think that calls for a party, right Rogue?"
"This is a good reason to celebrate," Rogue agreed.
"Fro thinks so too!"
"And a big present," Lector added. "We need something to commemorate this!"
"Ah!" Hestia jumped in her seat. "That's I wanted to say too! I wanna go somewhere next week!"
"Sure. What is it?" Sting figured it wouldn't be so bad just to take the kid someplace. Staying cooped up in a guild except for school wasn't healthy for her.
Hestia produced a crumpled flyer from her pocket and passed it Sting. Rogue craned his neck over to see what was on it. A small picture of a dancer could be seen in the corner, and a lion tamer in another.
June 1st—June 15th, X792
Starting from X:XX to 11:00PM at XXXX
Come one, Come all! Minstrel Circus comes to Fiore!
Fun rides! Food! Dazzling performances you won't want to miss!
Ticket prices—Adults 1,200 Jewels, Kids 750 Jewels
See programs for details
"The legendary Minstrel Circus. Never thought I'd live to see the day they come to our country," Sting said in surprise.
"They're quite famous, what do you expect?" Rogue added. "There's so much demand for them that they have a waiting list of clients."
"They're in the country for two weeks," Lector noted. "How much did the king have to pay?"
"When do you want to go?" Frosch asked.
Hestia leaped from her chair and executed a pirouette. "Two days!" she answered, holding up two fingers.
"Opening day," Sting murmured, looking at the calendar. "That's always the busiest day, along with the finale." Sting sweated. "I wanna go too, though..."
"Sting-san, what's wrong?" Hestia asked.
"Sting-kun has a guild master's meeting on the same day," Lector explained, flying over to her. "Mandatory, so he can't miss it."
Hestia drooped in guilt. "Then...another—?"
Sting sprung back to life. "Nah, go ahead, Hes. I could go another day. Or I could come after the guild master's meeting. It always ends around three."
"And the train ride—" Both Dragon Slayers shuddered. "—from here to there is just an hour away. For you, it'll be one and a half," Rogue reminded Sting. "I don't see why we can't go."
"Good! Rogue, you're gonna take her with Yukino."
Hestia watched on in amusement as Rogue sputtered, light spots of pink on her face. "Wait, why Yukino—?"
"You guys are her guardians, remember?" Sting raised his eyebrow three times.
Before her mother forgot her, she agreed to sign a consent form for Hestia's custody. Basically, her mother gave her up for adoption. Soon, Hestia Valorane was under the custody of Jiemma. But when the disgraced master fled with Minerva, his daughter, the question of her custody came up again. So she could stay in the guild, Sting appointed Rogue and Yukino her guardians. Sure, Rogue was socially awkward while Yukino was as sweet as a mother would be, but they were still great guardians.
"Plus, I want to see a kid or two from you," Sting joked. Rogue fumed, comically, to be honest, while Hestia giggled her heart out.
No matter how dysfunctional Sabertooth was...they were still the best family!
