Dawn came, and with it the rain pattering down around Magnolia. Leaving the town in a misty veil that the sun just couldn't seem to breach fully with its golden rays. It was grey and damp, sending most to work with umbrellas and raincoats while others who didn't need to leave their homes stayed inside. Bickslow opted to train at the Thunder Legion house, already there and waiting for Laxus to bring back Ashton. Laxus didn't figure she could find her way to the house yet, so he stood in the misting rain. Head thrown back and soaking in the light drops, his blonde hair damp and spiking a bit more than usual. He could feel it deep in his body, his dragon soul rumbling a low sound at the prospect of a good thunderstorm heading his way. Its been awhile since he's eaten pure lighting.
Her footsteps are light on the wet cobblestones, sneakers squeaking a bit as she comes up to the guild steps. Her hoodie is damp from the walk over and the light peach color is darkening to a full pink about her shoulders and the top of the hood above her locks of blue hair. Her eyes, white as they are, are downcast and she won't meet his gaze for more than a heartbeat. Laxus only turns and starts his way to the Thunder House. Far more content with a storm approaching then training the mage at his back. His long-legged strides making her quicken her pace to a near jog to keep up with him.
They walk in silence for a while, and Laxus enjoys that she never seems to want idle conversation, but then she seems to slow in her gait before rushing forward and standing in front of him. Causing Laxus to stop, or risk walking over her, and raises an eyebrow as she stood before him, her eyes staring straight at his chest before slowly rising to meet his stormy gaze with her white eyes. "Why did you say that?" She tries hard not to waver her gaze, but he can see it, the minute shaking of her fingers as if she's terrified of speaking to him. Which is ridiculous but he's not the softest man about, he's a slayer.
"Don't be stupid." Because he knows what she's asking about. It was a split-second choice he made yesterday, after watching her decimate his training field with barely any knowledge of how powerful she truly was. He could see it, the future, her future. Entwined with his own and his teams, where it had just been an idea, it was now decided. The best out there, in more than just Fiore, in all the kingdoms. Laxus craved the power, and now that he understood it wasn't leading the guild that he needed those years ago, it was a thirst of simple power. He wanted to be the strongest mage, he wanted a team at his back that had the push to keep up with him. Laxus sees her, blue haired and white eyed at his side beside his friends and teammates, decimating all who challenge them in the Games, and beyond. He wanted her nowhere else but there on his team.
Instead of answering further, he gently pushes past her and continues down the walk to the road that leads to the Thunder House. She follows after a moment and deep inside his mind, the dragon of his soul rumbles pleased. He ignores it, like usual because he hasn't had the time to mediate yet, walks in silence once more. Her footsteps a bit more paced to keep up with him easier, she's learning. And that's another reason why, she took direction quickly, but not because she was dumb, she took it because Laxus knew what he was doing and everything he did was teaching her something. How to keep up without wasting too much energy, how to release her energy without killing herself or others. She had a lot more to learn, and years before she could go on a mission of his class on her own, but she could get there. Laxus felt himself grinning a fraction, he couldn't wait for the Grand Magic Games in the coming early fall.
"What's on your mind?" Levy's soft voice came to Gajeel as they sat on the small porch of their home in the woods not far from the guild. The rain tip tapping on the tin metal roof and the swishing of it coming down the gutters into rain barrels to water Levy's small herb garden. He'd been quiet, which wasn't too unusual except today he was meditating outside, the mist of the rain dampened his unruly locks of black hair and he was utterly still. Communing with his dragon soul wasn't something Gajeel needed to do very often, having had a good link with it with so long already.
His rubied eyes opened a bit and took in his little mate, with her short blue hair and kind eyes, still a bit sleepy and his shirt hanging off of one of her slim shoulders. But he didn't reach for her just yet, instead he turned back to the rain. In the far distance of his advanced hearing, he could make out the roll of thunder. This storm would hit in a few hours, and it would be a rough one with the way the sky was growing dark over the mountains above Magnolia.
He'd been curious, trying to gain insight to what he'd seen the day before. Because if he was right, and he hoped he wasn't, he'd need to spend time with Laxus to get the fucker to speak to his dragon easier. The way Laxus lightning had so easily been pulled from him into the small blunette and how when she felt threatened, Laxus magic came forward unbidden. Not unlike how Levy's skin would grey if she felt scared when on a mission, his own magic coming forward to protect his mate. But Laxus hadn't gone through any of the usual posturing or courting steps he had went through with Levy, and what Natsu was still too young, and naïve, to figure out.
Levy sat at his side, a small kitchen towel now in her hands as she tried to dry his wild mane of frizzed and damp hair. A gentle rumble came unbidden from his chest, but he made no move to stop it as she smiled in that small way she did and leaned into his arm that was now curled around her small hips. "Better settle in today, gonna be a big storm." Levy glanced out to the horizon but all she saw was grey sky and misting rain. It was gentle and calm sort of morning. But she trusted Gajeel's advanced senses. He was never steered wrong.
The rain started to come down more as Laxus and Ashton made it to the house. Instead of going inside though he steered her to the field, nearly soaked now, he stood in the middle of the field and tilted his nose to the air. As he exhaled, his signature bright yellow lightning started to flicker over his skin like livewire. Ashton took a half step back in surprise, white eyes wide as she watched it whip and dance over his thick arms. His eyes seemed to glow with the power, and he turned to look over his shoulder as her, a grin on his lips and teeth flashing white. Then a crack of thunder shattered through the training field and lightning struck down at Laxus. His smile widened and his jaw opened wide. Ashton clasped a hand over her lips as she gasped. Laxus was eating the lightning, sucking it into his mouth form the clouds above as the sky darkened. Rain pelting down on them, but Ashton was mesmerized as Laxus absorbed nature's fury into his own body like he was simply breathing in the air about him.
Ashton felt it, the power of him, and she didn't even see what she was doing. Didn't see the flickers of blue skirt over her arms once, twice, then like a whip, a steak of blue struck at Laxus feet. It touched over one of the streaks coming from him, and the two melded together before exploding with a thunderous sound that nearly shook the ground at their feet. Laxus tilted his head, eyes glowing nearly white with the power of the storm coursing through him. Blue streaks of her power crackling with the yellow of his magic. A growl rose in his throat, and he lunged.