I'm sorry I haven't updated! Bah! I write only as ideas come to me! I'm lazy! Okay, so I kinda hated the last chapter. It didn't seem... right. Hopefully this one will turn out a little better. :) This one was going to be from Lucy's perspective... but she's in that group of characters that are really hard for me to write for. So instead I decided to... choose someone else. Enjoy!
Meredy and Ultear rushed through the stairwell and up out onto the stone slabbed walkway. They flew past an unsuspecting Natsu, and Ultear rammed into his shoulder nearly pushing him over the edge of the wall. He yelled out an indiginant complaint, and although Meredy wasn't the one who had hit him, she felt bad.
"Sorry Natsu!" She squeaked out before excitidly hopping over the yellowing brick, and out into the small woods that lay beyond the arena. She giggled to herself at Natsu's utter shock before Ultear turned around and gave her the, What-exactly-do-you-think-you-just-accomplished? look.
"We need to check out Jellal's information, not make small talk with Natsu." She gritted out, though there was an amused edge to her words.
"Hey, I'm not the one who nearly flung Natsu out into the middle of a match." She stated nonchaluantly. Ultear pursed her lips and gave a small shake of her head as if to say, what am I going to do with you? Meredy beamed. She never thought she 'd have the right to scold Ultear. It felt pretty cool. She thought about all the times Ultear had been her coach, and worked on training her as hard as she could. In those days, Meredy wouldn't think of even talking to Ultear much, let alone talk back to her.
"Come on, we really do need to get a move on. If Jellal would risk telling us at the arena, it has to be important." Ultear stated matter-of-factly. Meredy sighed; she knew that Ultear was right, she just wanted to have a little bit of fun with her. After all, Meredy was the youngest of Crime Sorciere. It's not like she ever really got to be a kid, what with her town getting destroyed, parents murdered and training in dark guild. She followed Ultear through the path they had carved out in the woods. It led down to the center of town, where they were supposed to meet an informant by a fountin. She walked along side Ultear, hood overher head in broad daylight. But it's not as if anyone was really there to see them, after all, everyone was at the GMG arena. They trodded on hard, cream stone to where a tall, broad-shouldered woman with dark wavy hair and a lip piercing stood. Ultear always did the talking anyway, so Meredy wandered off. She walked a little ways down a wide alley and stopped when she saw some sort of street peddler with blonde hair and dark skin talking to a passerby. Merddy watched, intriqued, as the dark skined man pulled out cards and asked the stranger to pick one.
"So he's a magician..." she whispered to herself. Then the blonde 's other cards started to float and form the shape of a five and a spade. The stranger looked shocked and when he turned over his card, Meredy saw it was a five of spades!
No, he's a mage! She thought excitidly, and bounded up to him. Meredy knew Ultear and Jellal told her not to asociate, but this kind of magic was new to her, and she wanted to learn about it!
"Hi! What kind of magic was that just now? It's very interesting. I've never seen it before." She asked him cherrily. He seemed slightly confused, then he relaxed.
"Hi. And thanks, it's called card magic. It's a bit too obvious of a name. Would you like me to show you a trick?" He offered quickly.
"I'd love that." She said shyly. She realized just now how she'd been far too friendly with this random mage.
At least he hadn't asked for my name, she thought, relieved.
"Great! Now, what did you say your name was?" He smiled at her, in an easy way, as if they'd known each other for years. Meredy sighed inwardly. She'd spoken, or thought, too soon.
"I didn't say. What's your name?" She countered, applauding herself for finding a way out.
"Ladies first." He narrowed his eyes at her slightly, a challenge of sorts.
Meredy sighed, she hated this. All she wanted was to learn about his magic and now he wants her life story? Meredy knew she was being melodramatic, but it made her mad that she couldn't share simple information like her name with this guy!
"It's Whitney." Now Meredy had done it! She'd gone and lied to a stranger whom she had no reason to lie to! The past seven years had made her wary, she guessed. The look he gave her in return made her feel as if he knew she was lying.
"I'm Sho." He said generally, as if he was letting everyone in the area know.
"Okay Whitney, what would ya like? The generic card trick you saw a moment ago? Or my specialty?" He seemed like he didn't care either way, as if to him, this was some boring, never ending, cycle of life.
"Well I've seen the 'generic' card trick dozens of times, and not just from you. Show me your specialty!" She requested excitidly. Sho raised one eyebrow at Meredy, then moved into what she guessed was some sort of stance. He whipped out a jokers card from no where, and in his hands it began to glow. Suddenly, Meredy felt herself shriviling, like a plant in the sun. She was being pulled towards the card! Lifted into the air by his strange magic, Meredy felt smaller and smaller until she whited out. When she opened her eyes, she was looking at the sky. Meredy tried to sit up, but there was something heavy and hard like a rock, but thin and smooth like paper holding her down.
"What is going on?!" She screeched, her voice eerily muffled. She began to feel the sensation of air in her face and realized she was moving upward. Still confused, she was now somehow standing. She looked upwards, and saw a gigantic version of Sho's face staring down at her. He laughed. Right in her face! It blew a wind laced with the smell of... morning breathe. Ew. Angry now and still rather flustered, she tried jumping at his face to hopefuly scratch his eyes out. Instead, she was met with a strange invisible wall. Meredy so wanted to use her magic, but she had already broken one too many of Ultear's rules. She would only use it if it was necesarry to escape.
"Don't worry, you'll be out in a minute." Called Sho's equally muffled voice.
"I better be." Came the reply edged with a totally demonic stink eye, and a silent threat usually reserved for someone stealing her candy. She watched, and experianced as she was pulled through the invisible wall and up out into the alley. She stretched her eyes wide and turned her head side ways in her best evil Ultear impression. It came out looking more like a chicken about to be slaughtered. She looked at him. He looked at her. Then they both burst out laughing. Honestly, Meredy didn't remember the last time she'd laughed, like, really laughed like this.
"Yes I know, I'm very bad with faces. You can stop laughing now. Okay, but seriously, what the hell was that?" She asked, gesturing to him and him cards. Meredy didn't really care that much anymore, but she'd made a big show of getting worked up, so she had to follow through. Meredy held on to her emotions tightly. They were so much a part of her, she felt like she had to have control over them. She would never let anyone know she didn't, she would never let go.
"I put you in one of my cards. I actually haven't used that one much! It turned out pretty well!" He informed her proudly. Meredy knew she would never understand men. What could he possibly be proud of? Almost trapping her in a 3 by 5 peice of card stock for eternity? Then suddenly, all of hell rained down apon Meredy's mind. She was bombarded by a mentally screeching Ultear, but thankfully no Jellal. He could be... over protective sometimes. Meredy heaved a deep sigh. She was actually enjoying herself...
"Sorry Sho... I uh... have to be somewhere. Thanks for the... magic show." She turned, gave a soft smile to herself, and began the treck towards the fountin.
"Wait!"He called, as if it were an unignorable command. "What's your real name?"
And just like that, she let go.
"...Meredy." Her name hung in the air like a cloud of smoke from a ciggerette. Only slightly toxic to those who breathed it in. The world seemed to soak up her voice, as she trodded out of sight.
Ohmehgerd! I love this pairing. 3 I hope you do too! I need to write more oneshots... they are much easier... I finished this at twelve in the morning because I felt like it. And my dog {Yes he sleeps in my bed,} wouldn't let me go to sleep for some reason. Ugg. Sleep. I need some! Please review! Hopefully the next chapter wil be done sooner!