Chasing Dreams
Chapter Eleven
Water flushed down the drain and the faucet squeaked as Lisanna turned it off. She'd shut the door behind her as soon as Mira and Akira had entered the kitchen. She had no doubts that as soon as they had turned the corner, Erza had ripped into the pair.
She was almost glad to be back here and away from the sight. Erza had always been the disciplinarian ever since she had joined the guild. Her taciturn and strong personality hadn't seemed to diminish after all these years. Lisanna smiled a little and thought back to her childhood. Erza was the exact same even after she had returned from Edolas.
Lisanna leaned down under the sink and grabbed a couple of washcloths before walking back over to where her sister and Akira were situated. The girl was seated up on top of the counter and her legs dangled over the edge. She seemed surprisingly undisturbed by the amount of blood that was pouring from her nose.
"I got it Mira-nee." Lisanna spoke, setting aside the bowl of warm water and washcloths next to her on the counter. "How's our patient doing?"
"Your patient is fine." Akira flatlined, her voice slightly nasally. She grimaced and she pulled away the soaked tissues and exchanged them for a wash cloth. Holding it up to her nose, she dabbed at the few dribbles of blood. Mira grabbed another washcloth a dropped it in the dish. The hue of the water had already turned a soft pink and Akira's hands were stained with the copper colored residue.
"Tip your head forward and keep pressure on it." The eldest of the sisters spoke. Lisanna giggled slightly at the girl's exasperated sigh.
"This isn't my first bloody nose, you know." Nevertheless, she did as Mira suggested and leaned forward. Akira grasped at the fresh set of washcloths and quickly replaced the soiled one at her nose with another. She rubbed slightly at her nose and pulled away for a moment, only to have to quickly put the pressure back on as blood dribbled down over her lips.
Swinging her legs over the counter, Akira curiously looked around. The kitchen was surprisingly big for a room that was tucked away from sight. She couldn't help but wonder how big the guild was. Clearly, it was much bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside.
Akira frowned in thought and her nose scrunched as a fresh wave of blood was crusted around the edges of her nostrils. Her face soured slightly and she crossed her free hand over the top of her knee. Slowly but surely she could feel the give in her arms as she allowed herself to relax just a little bit.
It wasn't bad, sitting back away from everyone else. The room was much quieter even with the muffled conversation that was coming through the cracks in the door, it was much less chaotic. Akira liked the sounds of the gas stove clicking and the soft dripping of the faucet against the bottom of the sink. The sounds were familiar to her ear. She watched the ticking of the clock and it wasn't until Lisanna came into her line of sight that she really began to pay attention to what the two mages were doing
The set of soiled wash clothes were being transferred over from Mira to her younger sister. Mira had moved from the island in the center to the stoves that were situated against the back wall. Akira could see something being stirred but with her nose out of commission, she had no idea what it was. But that wasn't what had Akira's attention.
Sitting on the last burner next to the large pot of whatever Mira was stirring was a small bubbling concoction. Lisanna moved quickly between the island, grabbing individual washcloths before setting them into the second pot. It was intriguing as Akira had never seen someone stewing washcloths on a stove before. It was a strange way to sterilize something. She almost wanted to ask but she just couldn't muster the gumption. Akira bit her lip in consideration but refrained. It wasn't like she really wanted to know and she didn't really see a point in asking frivolous questions.
Mentally sighing, Akira almost shrugged her shoulders until a very distinct pain surfaced from the attempt. Hissing quietly to herself, she instantly curled her arm closer and bite back against the throb. Now that she had been sitting there for a while, Akira hadn't even noticed the rapid decline in adrenaline. All the aches and bruises she had acquired from the last few days along with the new ones she had gotten today weighed heavily and it was really starting to take a toll on her sleep deprived mind.
'I don't even want to know what I look like right there now.' Akira thought, staring down at her mud stained sandals. From the rain, the cold and the general lack of sleep, she knew that the bags under her eyes were puffy and her hair was dull and layered with grime. What had been a comforting silence was now slowly shifting to stifling. She was just waiting at this point, waiting for them to get tired of the dirt she was getting on their floor or tired of the smell she was reeking of. Everyone got tired of her at some point and Akira didn't want to wait around until then.
Pulling the soiled washcloth away from her face. Akira tentatively brought her hand up against her nose and felt along the ridges. Dried blood flaked along the top of her fingernails but no fresh blood came with it. The bridge of her nose was tender and would probably bruise but it definitely wasn't broken which was a small blessing. Setting the blood stained cloth down next to her, Akira moved to slide off the counter but a light voice stopped her in her tracks.
"You're not leaving are you?"
Akira turned towards Mira and her head tilted slightly to the side, "Uhh..." Her voice trailed off slightly as if Akira herself wasn't too sure about the answer. "My nose stopped bleeding so I think I'm fine…" The girl paused for a moment and her eyes flashed with something unreadable before her gaze met back up at Mira's, "Am I supposed to stay?"
The last question wasn't really for Mira's benefit but for Akira herself. She still didn't have a clue what their intentions were with her. They were Erza's friends so Akira supposed that they weren't going to do anything to hurt her… probably. But that didn't mean she wasn't suspicious.
The bartender's skirt swayed with her hips and her heels clicked against the wooden floorboards. Mira bent down towards her and Akira was startled at how easily the woman had slipped right into her personal space. It was uncomfortable to have Mira's clean, manicured hands near her own dirty hair and skin.
"Do you want to stay?" The woman asked, inspecting the bridge of Akira's nose with a critical eye. There was no bias is her tone and Akira's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected question.
"No." Akira voiced out her immediate split second reaction but the more she thought about it, the more she found that she wasn't exactly sure if it was entirely true. At this point, she really didn't have any idea what she planned on doing. Did she want to stay? Obviously not for any long period of time- Akira wouldn't go far enough to even begin to entertain that idea but... It wasn't like she had any set plans to go anywhere else. Even with a bloody nose, the guildhall was much warmer than the cold, empty streets.
The room lapped into a bout of silence. Something on the stove whistled and and there was a quick click of the gas stove before Lisanna came into her line of sight. "Here you go Mira-nee."
Hot water steamed from the sink and Akira's nose scrunched and she craned her neck past Mira to try and get a look at what the other girl was holding. Akira's forehead wrinkled and her frown deepened as Lisanna handed Mira a set of fresh, steaming washcloths.
'What is she planning on doing with those?' Akira craned her head to get a better look, "I don't need anymore." Akira's head bobbed a little and she sniffed a little in an attempt to clear out some of the dried blood. "My nose is fine now."
"Hmm…"
There was something about the intense blue in woman's eyes that made Akira pause in her own assurances. Mira's gaze was laser focus on her face and Akira couldn't help but feel uncomfortable underneath the look.
"What?" Akira blurted, squirming slightly on the table. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I think you missed a spot."
Akira's eyes went cross eyed and she held her breath in bewilderment as Mira brought a fresh washcloth up to clean her bloodied face. It was warm, soft and the practiced motion was so quick that Akira didn't get a chance to protest or even move before it was done.
"There you go, good as new." Mira hummed, stepping away to admire her handiwork, "Your nose doesn't hurt does it? I can get an ice pack or a bandaid for you if you'd like."
Akira's nostrils flared and the skin on her upper lip and on the bridge of her nose tingled where the woman had scrubbed. Akira blinked and she could feel her cheeks burning a bright red.
"N-No, it doesn't hurt." Akira mumbled, shaking her head as she struggled to find her voice. She wasn't sure if she should feel indignant or embarrassed by the fact that she had her face cleaned like some snot-nosed brat.
Her face only burned deeper as both Lisanna and Mira gave her a beaming smile. "You're not shy are you?" Lisanna asked, tilting her head slightly as Akira shied away.
"Of course not!" Akira hotly denied, scowling at the pair. A dark expression brooded and her arms crossed defiantly against her chest.
"Your cheeks are pretty red if you ask me." Lisanna spoke, smiling at the before turning to open the cupboard above the stove.
"They are not!"
Mira privately laughed to herself and her lips twitched as if she was working to keep a smile off her face. She really didn't want to upset the girl but it was almost funny if not a bit nostalgic to see the same angry pout on that had been mirrored many many times on Erza's face in years gone by.
Akira opened her mouth to once again refute Lisanna's words but she was cut off as a loud bang vibrated through the walls. All three girls turned towards the sound.
"What was that?" Akira asked, looking at the door, "Who's yelling?"
There was a long stretch of silence and then both Lisanna and Mira heard it, the booming shouts and muffled words that could only come from one person. Akira hummed and she scratched the back of her head as she listened to the sounds accompanied by another dull thud of something (or in Mira's case, suspected two someones) hitting the wall.
"Lisanna," Mira spoke, turning her head towards her sister, "I'm going to go make sure that the… party isn't getting to wild. You know how our guild gets."
Lisanna blinked in confusion for a moment before her eyes lit up in realization, "Of course, Mira-nee!" Lisanna plastered on a smile and barely held back a wince as another one of Erza's angry shouts vibrated the walls. "I'll finish up here." Mira nodded in thanks and wait another moment before slipping through the door and shutting it with a sharp click.
"Are all your parties filled with so much yelling?" Akira's nose wrinkled and she glanced up at the ceiling. "It doesn't sound like a party to me."
Lisanna quirked her lips at the question, "They're just having a good time." There was another set of thumps against the floor and this time the dust from the ceiling began to shake down over them. "Maybe too good of a time." Lisanna muttered under her breath. She couldn't help but wonder what exactly Erza was doing up there.
Akira held out her hand a few dust particles settled on her palm. "Is pro wrestling a party game around here too?" She retorted, disbelief coloring her words.
Lisanna ignored the other's suspicionsand instead dropped the towel she'd been holding into the girl's arms. She gave a quick smile at Akira's confused look, "How does a hot bath sound?"
Upstairs, the guild hall wasn't as bad as Mira expected to find it. It was a bit of a relief to know that there wouldn't be anyone staying late to clean again. Stepping up off the top of the stairs, Mira carefully stepped around Gray's body and settled her hands on her hips, "Erza, isn't that enough already? I'm not sure Natsu is conscious anymore."
The pink haired mage groaned in response and Erza huffed before dropping his body next to the similarly pummeled ice mage. "I was just finishing up." She glared once again at the two, "You will be apologizing, that's not how we treat guests."
"Yes ma'am…"
"Yes ma'am…"
The two mages spoke in unison, barely getting the words past their bloodied lips before slumping down against the floor as they succumbed to their injuries. Mira couldn't help but notice in amusement that Cana and Gajeel both were spouting a few bottle shaped lumps that Erza had most likely given in retribution for the bottle that had been thrown. When Erza got riled up, it was pretty difficult for anyone and everyone in the general vicinity to escape her retribution, even if they didn't have anything in to do with it.
However, there was a delightful smugness that Mira felt at watching Cana nurse her bruises with another bottle of ale. She was sneaky and well versed in getting others to take the blame for her crafty meddling. It was a rare moment when she ever managed to get the least bit of blame in the havoc created. The eldest of the Strauss' was pretty sure that Erza had just thumped Cana for good measure, considering what had happened last week but whether the knight knew it or not, it was well deserved.
Cana caught her eye and scowled, clearly interpreting Mira's look for what it was, "Don't give me that look you white haired witch. You're just as bad as I am." With a huff, Cana threw her head back and emptied the rest of her beer. She held up the empty bottle and made a move throw it until a single glance from Erza stopped her in her tracks. Cana half heartedly lowered her arm and instead settled with childishly sticking her tongue out at the pair. "You're both a bunch of party poopers."
Stepping over the bodies, Erza seated herself at the bar. Looking up at Mira, she gave a smile in thanks as the bartender set a drink in front of her. "How's Akira? Her nose isn't broken is it?"
"No, it's just a bit bruised but she should be all right." Mira reassured, "I would worry about it, Erza. In some ways I think it was probably good." Mira swept the broken glass on the counter off into her apron before dumping the pile into the garbage.
Erza hummed a little and she swirled the content of her glass before taking a sip, "And how do you suppose that?"
"Well," Mira set her hands on the counter, "The guild may not exactly be calm but it's certainly busy. Natsu and Gray and the rest of our guild mates are going to be who they're going to be." The bartender leaned up and rested her chin in her hands, "And besides, if you were really that worried, you would've never brought her in the first place. Trust your family Erza." Mira waved to the rest of the bustling guild and her eyes shimmered with warmth. "A bruised or even a broken nose isn't exactly uncommon around here." She tittered slightly and her head nodded back to Natsu and Gray who were still down for a count, "It's better to have her eyes open from the beginning than closed with unrealistic expectations."
Erza paused in thought and for a long moment didn't say anything. Then, with a smile cracking her stoic facade, she brought the glass up to her lips and took another deep drink. There was a loud creak and both Mira and Erza turned as the heavy doors of the guild were opened. Thunder rumbled from the heavy storm outside and a small figure darted in before the decorated doors were banged shut.
"I told you that we should've gotten the later ticket! Then we wouldn't be so soaking wet!" A feminine voice shrilled. The conversing pair passed the threshold and the warm light of the guildhall illuminated them.
"I'm sorry Carla…" Wendy murmured, looking over at the exceed with apologetic eyes. "I didn't think it was going to rain and Erza-san asked if I could come."
"What's done is done I suppose." The exceed sniffed, looking down at Wendy with a critical eye, "You should get changed out of those clothes, you're going to catch a cold if you stay-"
"Carla~!" A blue exceed dropped down from the ceiling and it was all Carla could do from rolling her eyes. "I brought you a fish! It's one of my favorites! Tuna!" Ignoring Happy, the white exceed followed after her dragon slayer to the front of the bar.
"Wendy…" A strangled voice called out, "Wendy… Help me.."
The blue haired mage looked around for the voice and her expression dropped in horror as the nondescript pile on the floor began to crawl towards her. With a shriek, Wendy jumped up onto the closest chair and stared at the pile of tangled limbs in horror. It wasn't until the pile moved closer that she realized that it was actually two of her guild mates.
"Natsu?! Gray?!" Wendy gasped and she jumped down off the chair immediately crossed the distance to meet them halfway. "What happened to you?!" Already her hand was stretched out and alight with a familiar glow. Carefully, Wendy did a check over and attended to the mages' lumps and bruises. Carla rolled her eyes at the proceedings and instead did her best to keep as much distance between her and the male cat as she could.
"Ah ha!" Natsu sprang to his feet and his cheesing grin was back on his face. "Thanks Wendy! You're the best!" His eyes glowed in victory and he sneered down at Gray who just about done being healed by Wendy. But before he could even get a word out against his fellow mage, a single spike of killing intent from Erza shut Natsu right up. Sweating bullets, the fire mage was gone from sight in an instant.
Sitting up, Gray flexed his arms and legs before giving a grin of his own, "Thank you, Wendy." He stood up and frowned as he realized there was something missing, "...Where's my shirt?" It wasn't another moment before the ice mage was gone too, off to look for his missing articles of clothing.
Wendy stood up onto her feet and wiped her brow which was still dripping from the rain. "I'm here to check in, Mira-san." She spoke, moving up to sit up in the chair next to Erza at the bar.
"Back already? How did your mission go?" Mira asked, turning to look between Wendy and Carla. The latter of the two was stubbornly ignoring the blue exceed who was trying (and failing) to give her a fish.
"It went fine. The elderly couple who put out the request didn't need as much done as we thought so there wasn't a need to stay the night and besides..." Wendy trailed off and carefully swept her wet bangs away from her eyes. She pulled lightly at the hem in her dress to smooth the wrinkles before looking over to the mage next to her, "You needed me for something, Erza-san?" Wendy shyly asked, her voice barely above a whisper. It was a bit hard to look at the scarlet knight directly. Erza was so strong and brave and Wendy couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated in her presence. She had been a bit surprised and excited when Erza had called her up with a communication lacrima asking if she could finish up her mission as soon as possible and come back to the guild.
Wendy had worked pretty hard and had made sure to rush back to the guild on the first train that she could. It wasn't everyday that Erza specifically asked for her help. Now that Wendy was back at the guild, she was a bit more nervous than she had initially been. She really wasn't sure what Erza's request could possibly be. She really really hoped it wasn't another photo shoot. The thought in itself almost made her shudder. Wendy almost died of embarrassment the last time her face had ended up in the Wizard's Weekly magazine.
Erza turned to the blue haired girl and Wendy couldn't help but feel a little antsy under her gaze. "Yes, there is someone I was hoping you could help."
'Someone?' Wendy frowned a bit at the wording and her nervousness was replaced by intrigue. Carla's tail swished in annoyance and she all but stomped her way in front of Erza.
"The least you can do is allow Wendy dry off before starting her on whatever ridiculous task you've roped her into!" Carla chided, giving Erza a once over before dismissing her with a wave of her paw, "Honestly! She just barely walked in and for the record- it's your fault she's soaked to the bone." Wordlessly, the exceed snatched the towel Mira held out to her and she gratefully hung it around her shoulders. "Also, who interrupts somebody while they're working and for a personal matter at that? It's rude and a terribly bad habit to display."
Wendy sweatdropped and held her hands out in a placating manner, "Please don't get angry, Carla. If it wasn't important, I'm sure Erza-san wouldn't have called-"
"Doubtful." The exceed interrupted, breezing by Wendy to get up and personal with the red haired mage, "Now you listen here, Scarlet!" Carla demanded, catching Erza's gaze, "Just because Wendy doesn't think she's as good of a mage as the rest of you doesn't mean she isn't!"
"Carla!" Wendy's cheek blushed pink and she was furiously shaking her head, "Don't say that! That's not-"
The exceed cut Wendy off with a quick swish of her tail, "Why, she is one of the best things that has ever happened to this guild and I won't have anyone taking advantage of her or her feelings! Got it?!" Each proclamation was furthered with a hard clang of a paw into Erza's armored chest. The exceed's gaze scrutinized the mage once before before she pulled back and cleared her throat, "Wendy worked really hard on the last mission and had an especially tiring day today. She was already spent and healing those two clowns," Carla nodded in the direction behind her, "-on top of everything else was really pushing it. So please, make she can get to bed at a reasonable time."
There was a sputter and Wendy all but leapt towards the exceed, "C-Carla!" Anything more the blue haired mage liked to say was stifled and lost under her own horror at the fact that her bedtime of all things was the current subject of conversation at hand.
Erza blinked slightly and she mirrored Carla's serious gaze with confident one of her own, "Of course. I won't keep her any longer than needed, you have my word."
"Hmph, I suppose your word is the best thing I'm going to get." Carla's tail swished and she nodded after a moment of thought,"Wendy," The exceed addressed, turning back to face the younger mage. By now, Wendy's face has morphed to a startling hue of deep magenta. Her face seemed to be steaming as she hid her mortified expression in the palms of her hand. "I'm going back up to our dorm to get a shower, I expect to see you there before midnight." Carla's eyes softened and she took a small breath, "And please, darling… Make sure to change out of those clothes, you'll catch a cold." With another glance in Erza's direction and a few quiet muttered phrases, a pair of wings appeared in a dull flash of light and the exceed was gone.
"She always does this, why does she do this." Wendy muttered, her voice squeaking with embarrassment and disbelief. Both Erza and Mira shared a look of mirth. It really was a sweet gesture. There were no doubts that there was no one more protective over Wendy than Carla. Wendy had been in the guild for a good while now and yet Carla was still as fierce and aggressive when it came to the girl as she had been the first day Wendy had become a part of Fairy Tail. Erza politely waited for a few moments to allow Wendy to compose herself before she delicately cleared her throat. Her guildmate almost jumped at the sound and she sheepishly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before putting her gaze back on Erza. "Umm… You were telling me about someone you wanted me to help?" Wendy stammered, patting her flushed cheeks in some attempt to get the color back to normal.
"Yes, but it's a little different from what you'd expect." Erza sighed and she paused as if she was trying to pick the right word, "The problem is… She won't want your help."
"...Erza-san, I'm not following…" Wendy frowned and her head tilted slightly in confusion, "Who am I supposed to be helping?"
Author's Note:
Wendy's in the building! Just for reference the age difference between the two girls is a little under two years. So Akira is 12 and Wendy is 14 but depending on the time of year, there is a point where there is only a one year difference in age between them.