Fairy Tail Next Generation

Chapter 25 (part two)

Who promotes a circus without saying where it is? I don't know but I do know that this suspicious. I just have this uneasy feeling in my stomach. Maybe it was just my breakfast – I don't cook often after all. But this is different.

I arrived at the guild an hours later after following Cali around aimlessly. Apparently she was going home using the 'long way'. Heah. I've barely been living in this town for two weeks and out of those two weeks I either was having my ass kicked somewhere else or in the guild. Did she really expect me to have an easy time going back to the guild? Must have since she was there eating some iron when I got to the guild. She looked at the clock before giving a quiet chuckle. Heah. It's better to just ignore the giant – or should I say tiny – pain in the ass. I decide to walk around and look for Emma and Tatsu. They seemed excited about the circus so maybe they would want the flyer. I couldn't find them. "What'cha looking for Felix?"

I turn to see Jase standing behind me. "Did Emma and Tatsu leave?"

"I believe so, their parents said they weren't grounded anymore so they grabbed a request and bolted out of here. I'm sorry."

"Oh. Okay."

"May I ask why you're looking for them in the first place, if it isn't a bother?" You know, pissed off Jase is a complete an utter horror compared to regular Jase. I would have never in a million years guessed that he could act like that. Yet another reason he should be on the 'do not fuck with' list of mine.

"I found this flyer for a circus. It doesn't say where it is but Emma seemed really excited about going to a circus." Jase took the paper out of my hand – mumbling sorry while doing so – and looked it over. He wobbled over to the job board and pulled a request down, then began comparing the two flyers. I he wobbled back to me and I met him in the middle. "What is it?"

"I had seen a request talking about a circus. It seems no one can figure out where it is, but those who do have memories that last a life time. Here look." Jase handed me the flyers and I looked at them. He was right, someone had requested that we find out where the circus was. AND THE REWARD IS 200,000 JEWEL.

"Okay then, I'll take this one. Mira, I'm taking the circus one!" I here an 'okay' get yelled back from direction and I turn around to start my job. Jase is still staring at the flyers in a funny way though.

"May I join you on this request?" Hunh? He wanted to come with me? It doesn't seem dangerous so it's not like I'm going to need some muscle. I mean 100,000 jewel will still leave me enough money to pay off the hut, but then I would only have a 1,000 for other stuff. I could go on another as soon as I get back but it would be nice to chill for a day or two. I guess he can come, I just don't get why he wants to come.

"Sure." I throw the reply to him over my shoulder as I continue to start the job. He repeats 'thank you' about a hundred times as he jogs up to me. Knowing my luck, something will definitely go wrong. So that's a good reason for having Jase come along. Eventually I'll be able to fight better than all of them but for the mean time its seniority rules. Uh, where exactly am I going though? I didn't think about where I would find out where the circus is. Or how. How would I do that? Uggghhh let's just go to my house for now. It'll be quieter than in the guild. I look down at the flyer for the circus again. Wait a fucking second. It's a goddamn riddle. It says:

What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?

What goes round and round the wood but never goes into the wood?

It's been around for millions of years, but it's no more than a month old. What is it?

When one does not know what it is, then it is something; but when one knows what it is, then it is nothing.

For welcome to a world where curiosity is lived out and dreams are seen. Come to the circus soon – before five little dreams expire.

Those bastards want us to do riddles. That has to be it. Why else would you put those words upon that paper for the whole world to see? Oh god, I'm starting to sound like a riddle. If we're going to figure these out, we'll need resources. The guild may have them – but I can think of one place that will have even more. "Felix, may I ask where we are going?"

"A place of many books."

It had been four hours, and we hadn't found a damn thing. It had also been four hours of being in Cali's house without her knowing. Jase flipped out when I went to enter the house – he gave me a lecture on how rude it was to trespass. He shut up when I told him that he should tell Cali that. The door had been locked so I had to give myself a boost up to the window using my magic. The room the window was connected to has carpet, but it also has rugs everywhere. There was a queen sized bed that looked like it had never been made a day in its life and several books shelves stuffed far past the limit. At least it wasn't as bad as the living room. I wonder if Jase has seen this place before, oh his reaction it going to be great. The window was open so I pulled myself inside doing a minor back flip onto the bed. Oh boy this bed is comfy. Ahh, I could just fall – nope. No falling asleep, I have a job to do. I roll of the bed and walk to the door when I notice something. Three or four books where actually opened up on the floor. It was in a corner as if someone had decided that reading there with a punch of pillow was better than in the bed. So someone in this house actually reads? I'm legitimately surprised right now. I want to go over and see what books the person was reading but I know that Jase is probably having a panic attack outside since I'm taking so long. I open the door and run down the stairs. When I open up the front door, my accusations where confirmed. Jase was looking around with his hands sticking out. He probably would have attacked anyone who even walked by the damn place. He ran into the house when he noticed that I had opened the door. He stopped mid-run. His jaw dropped about a thousand feet when he saw the books. "You weren't kidding when you said 'a place of many books'." I was about to give a cocky reply when I saw the look on his face. It was like he knew that this books existed but he just didn't think that they would be here. I don't know why he gave that look but it told me to keep my mouth shut.

Now it was four hours later, about a hundred books deep, and not a single fucking hint came up. Either we are both stupid. Or these aren't riddles and they're just fucking batshit. "Felix." I mean seriously, couldn't you give actual fucking hints? This isn't even fair. "Hey Felix…." If you want people to come to your show then you fucking tell them where it is. At least the fucking cannibals had enough decency to tell us where they were. "FELIX." How are they gonna keep up sales? They don't that's what. They can't if they don't tell us where the fuck they ar- OWW. "Felix, someone's opening the door!" Uggghhh what? What does he want? Oh, Cali has joined us. Wait. Cali. Shit.

"I can explain…." Steam literally came out of her ears and nostrils as Jase ditched me for his own life. She picked me up by my hair and pulled me up to her.

"What. The. Fuck." Cali pulled one arm back to rocket a punch at me.

"Wait! You couldn't hurt me!"

"Fucking dumbass!" Ouch. I'm pretty sure she just broke my nose again. Seriously. Ouch.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to figure out these riddles. If they even are riddles…." I handed her the flyer and she took it. She read over it several times before stepping over me – which I had to move for her to do, those stupid short legs – and grabbing a book from a shelf. She opened it and sat on the floor next to me. She flipped through to certain pages before leaving the flyer on the floor and going over to the stairs to grab another book. She opened that one up to certain pages, stacking the book on top of the already opened one in her hand. She stumbled over to several other book shelf repeating the process. By the time she sat down again – she had about ten books and a pair of red glasses on. The glasses had wings on the side of them, they must have been magic glasses because she began reading all the books from page one to 1,000 in record time. I pushed all the books I had pulled out away so she could spread out a little more. While still reading on her all fours, she mumbled something to herself in another langue. She lifted and arm and it shot out to grab a scroll. She read that to. I tried reading over her shoulder but she was going too fast. She was also reading in different langues. Langue's that were clearly forgotten they were so old. After ten minutes or so, Jase tip-toed his way back. He sat next – behind really – me and watched her in amazement. I turned my head slightly, not taking my eyes off of Cali, to whisper to Jase. "Did you know she was smart?" Jase just nodded his head very slowly, informing me that he did not expect this at all.

"The letter M is in minute once, twice in moment, and never in a thousand years!" She shouted this information out to no one in particular, startling Jase and me. So they are riddles, and the first answer is M. Jase got up and walked to the kitchen – I think he's making food – but I had to stay and watch Cali.

"You're something else you know that?" Cali continued reading and figuring out the riddles. I didn't think she would hear me since she was so engrossed in the books, but she cracked a small smile – even if it only lasted five seconds.

Another five or ten minutes passed, Jase had finished making some sort of snack and was walking out of the kitchen with it on a tray when Cali shouted another answer. "What goes round and round the wood but never goes into the wood? Bark! Tree bark goes round and round the wood but never goes into the wood!" Jase flipped out when she yelled out, causing him so flip all the food onto himself. Salsa and chips. Jase looked like he might cry when he saw that his salsa was spilled all over himself. He must have tried really hard. He just cleaned up and walked back into the kitchen to start over. Poor Jase.

So our answers so far are M and tree bark. How the hell are those supposed to be hints? Uggghhh. Maybe I should help Cali. She maneuvered around to another book, sticking her ass in my face. As nice as her butt is, I don't really need it in my face right now. Risking my well-being, I move it out of the way. She didn't seem to notice. Good. Jase did though. For the second time in a row, Jase had salsa all over him. Yet again, I must say – Poor Jase. He walked back into the kitchen, a sad aura surrounding him. Cali shook her head in disappointment – oh crap so she did notice something! She maneuvered back around her face right by me now. "The moon! It's been around for millions of years, but it's no more than a month old. What is it? It's the moon!" Letter M, tree bark, and the moon. Yes, because those are helpful hints. "Riddle? The last riddle is for riddle."

"So we need to find an entire circus from the letter M, some tree bark, and the moon. Not to mention another riddle! Oh boy." I laid back and sighed. This is annoying. Not only do I have to split the reward three ways now, but I don't even know how long it will take to even figure this out. UGGGHHH.

"Maybe the last riddle is riddle because then the hints are another riddle."

I shot back up to face her. "The letter M, tree bark, and the moon."

"Moon must stand for moonlight or something like that."

"The letter M must stand for something, or be a symbol."

"Tree bark could mean forest."

"Like a specific tree in a forest!"

"A tree with the letter M carved into it!"

"A tree with the M that can only appear when the moon shines!"

"WE GOT IT!" Yes, we figured it out! Money here I come! That riddle wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. YES!

Clash! Cali and I looked over to find Jase, for the third time in an hour, with his salsa spilled all over him. But why did he do it this time, what scared him – oh. Cali and I were hugging. I had her face shoved into my chest and she had her hands balled into the back of my shirt. Oh. We let go quickly. "I take it that we figured it out?" Cali and I nodded. "Then let's do this."

Yes Jase, let us find this goddamn circus.