200000 words!
XXX
Nothing really changed after Gisela joined Fairy Tail.
There was no fireworks as she stared at the stamp. It didn't glow. Joining Fairy Tail didn't cause the world to explode or her to suddenly teleport.
She didn't magically wake up in her college dorm room, ready for her first day of class after a super surreal dream.
She was still in Fairy Tail, staring down at her arm.
Maybe I should have expected that.
Mickey was happy through, dragging Gisela over to the bar.
"Finally joined?", Kianna called out, grinning.
"Was it really that much of a foregone conclusion?".
She had to endure teasing about being oblivious for that one. It wasn't bad through.
It was kind of nice actually. Nobody made a big deal about Gisela joining Fairy Tail because in their heads she had already been a member.
It made her feel like she belonged.
Romeo was the hardest part. Gisela had tried to talk to him but the second she had started to make eye contact he had turned away and refused to acknowledge her.
It's fine. He doesn't have to like me. He is just a kid. It's fine. Mickey said it was fine. It's fine.
"-sela".
"What?". Listen better!
"I was saying I found a job for us. It's a caravan escort and it pays really well! The request just came in with the ship and the goods should be here by train in a day or so, given no bandit attacks of course".
"How big is the caravan? What do they transport?".
"About three wagons, they are taking fabrics from Haregon port to Margaret Town. It's a one way job cause they are going to hire Lamia scale mages to take them back but that means we aren't stuck waiting for them in the market. Sounds good?".
Gisela couldn't help herself. "What type of fabric?".
"Linen I think, why?".
I'm trying to figure out if I am familiar with the name or if they have anything to do with the family that I was disowned from after years of being a horrible child and a major failure to predict a storm. Like that would go over well. "Just curious, I used to work with fabric".
"Ah".
Gisela forced herself to breathe normally. It was fine, Mickey hadn't asked anything else.
"So are we going to take it?".
"Let's do it". It will be fine.
"Yahoo", Mickey cheered, punching the air. "It's time for our first mission".
"We have been on missions before?", Gisela offerenced tentatively, hoping that she hadn't gotten something wrong.
"Yeah, but this is our first mission as partners, we need to come up with a cool team name. I have so many ideas, how about Team Awesome, Team Boom, Team-".
"As long as it's not Team Young Mega-Death", Max jeered and Mickey whirled away from Gisela.
"What do you mean, that was an awesome name".
"Funny, I could have sworn that you got it after losing a bet to-"
Max didn't have time to finish his statement, instead he was bombarded by Pi-chan. This, of course, escalated once Max's flailing sand slapped into Redus, who was in conversation with Alzack, offending both of them.
Redus targeted Mickey with a flying snake drawing, sending her flying into Laki
Alzack shot Max with some sort of water bullet soaking Vijeeter in the process.
The answer to those offenses was the predictable one.
Before Gisela knew it the whole guild was engaged in chaos again. Gisela felt something inside her relax at the sight of the chaotic brawl, her idea hadn't broken Fairy Tail apart, not if they could still fight like that.
Things are going to be okay.
It was a comforting thought. Much less comforting was the bottle that hurled at her, almost smashing against her face.
Time to dodge now.
There was a problem with that though.
A middle sized problem.
Doding could only last for so long. Starting fighting or find somewhere to hide.
The corner it was!
The corner Gisela had made it to was occupied.
Chico was in it.
Chico who went on missions with them whenever they were in Magnolia. Chico who was practically one of her partners.
Suddenly all the energy in Gisela's veins turned to ice. Stupid. "Sorry Chico", Gisela apologized as the noises of the brawl continued, a sort of soothing background music.
"Why?".
"We took a job you can't go on". It wasn't fair, Gisela couldn't imagine having a magic that trapped her like Chico's did.
A magic that got weaker if she traveled. Even the idea of it was awful.
Chico huffed and Gisela could feel Chico's hand around her wrist. "I'm going to show you something. Come on".
Gisela acquiesced to the hand, and they slipped out of one of the windows and made their way downtown.
At first Gisela thought Chico had wanted to show her the Carida Cathedral, and they did go there but they went other places too.
The route was winding and Chico took her in and out of street, dragging Gisela to shop after shop and park after park.
It was kind of like doing rounds with the temple, checking in on people and trying to see how everyone was doing.
How long has it been since I prayed? Gisela made a note to thank Qosasis, she still wasn't sure about the gods and had mostly stopped thinking about them but maybe.
Maybe.
Besides, it didn't hurt to be polite. For now through Gisela pushed that out of her head, instead trying to be in the present.
Chico seemed to know everyone. They all had questions for her about how she was doing and what was going on with Fairy Tail and if Chico was going to come by again and if she would like something to drink and 'who is the person with you? Is she a new member?'.
Chico had questions for them too, questions about kids and parents and school and shops and fashion and everything.
As they day went on Gisela began to feel a funny sort of emotion, it was only as she watched Chico playfully plop her cat cap on a kids head and spin him around that Gisela realized what it was.
I'm jealous.
Immediately another wave of guilt hit. Chico has obviously worked hard for all of this, you don't get to be rude about it.
They kept going, stopping at a bar with a plaque about Mavis Vermillion, a bookstore, Chico almost had to drag Gisela out of there, something that made Gisela feel nauseous for the next hour. They walked by a cakestore, stopping for a moment while Chico had a conversation with the baker about strawberry cake and Erza.
They walked by the school just as it was getting out. The children swirled around Chico, babbling while Gisela tried not to be noticed behind a tree.
I look like a total creeper. Gisela just kept breathing, Chico could talk to the children and Gisela would get through this. She had survived worse than a bunch of kids who she would hurt and mess up and ignore and-
Breathe.
Finally Chico came back over, the last of the children dispersed. "They don't bite you know". This time her speech varied in tone, going up and down oddly.
"I just don't do well with kids". Her feet were very interesting, Gisela hadn't realised her boots had gotten so dusty, she would have to clean them soon.
Chico snorted.
Gisela didn't flinch. She was proud of herself for that.
They kept going.
"Are we going anywhere else?", Gisela asked as afternoon started to fade.
"One more place", Chico said quickly. "Lets go".
It was a crepe cafe. Thankfully not the couples cafe that Gisela had accidentally eaten alone at when she had first made it to Magnolia.
Not going to think about that.
"What type of crepe do you like? I'll pay".
"You don't have too". Gisela was the problem, the reason that they were out on the town today.
"I dragged you around all day, it only seems fair.''
"I don't want to be a bother". It came out small.
"I get a discount here anyways, it's no big deal".
People were gathering in line behind them. It made Gisela heart start to beat faster because they were getting in the way and-
Nowhere to go but through.
She picked the first one, reading automatically. "I'll take a chocolate hazelnut one".
Chico took a few minutes to order after Gisela had ducked out of line, watching them cook on surprisingly familiar hot plates. For a moment Gisela was tempted to close her eyes.
If she did that she could have been back Before, it was indoors but it smelled like the farmers market she had been to every friday.
There wasn't time for that though, Chico was back over, Gisela crepe in one hand and her's in the other.
"I know a good bench", Chico said, nearly to fast for Gisela to understand, "let's sit there".
Gisela felt her muscles start to relax as they found seats on a park bench, watching a mermaid fountain spout water.
It was quiet as they ate.
She had never had anything like it before, not even before she was Gisela.
This used to be poison to me. Once, when the person who Gisela had been was three years old she had eaten a walnut.
It had ended badly. Surprise nut allergies tended to. There had been a chance that she had grown out of it as she had grown older but Gisela had never had the courage to check in her old body because there had always been that question, that fear. Even though she was likely to be not allergic anymore it didn't mean that she was.
There was always the chance that she would react to whatever test she took.
She hadn't wanted that to happen. Not at all.
Before she hadn't wanted to remember going into anaphylactic shock, not to mention the years of training in don't eat that, it's not safe. The pure instinctual thought of nope that she had when confronted by a nut. It still made her feel odd and floating, warning alarms of habit blaring in her head as she took each bite.
It's good.
Gisela took another bite, this one far less tentative.
I never would have gotten to eat this before. I can see why people were always so upset when I told them to be careful with the stuff. Or to shut the jar and clean up.
Then again, fatal allergies were fatal allergies and they were one thing that Gisela was less than willing to compromise on.
There at least she knew that she was on solid ground.
"Do you see now?".
Gisela thought for a moment as she watched the sunset make Magnolia glow. "You really love this city".
"I know it. My magic, it's calls the souls of the people tied here. The ones who have lived here and loves this place in years past. Even when the body dies the soul lingers, it's last wishes burned into the stones", Gisela tried really hard not to shiver at that, it was not her place to judge other people's magic, "people who were so deeply sunk into this place they never left. Maybe it's just because I have my magic but I can't see leaving, ever. I don't want too", her speech was slow and steady for once. "My family has owned that crepe shop for over a hundred years, I like being part of it. I might be tied to the city but the city is tied to me. Your magic isn't like that at all. Cloud magic is tied to nowhere".
"It's tied to the sky". Gisela hoped that that didn't sound like a question.
"You do seem to love to fly. Want to give me a ride back?".
"If you want?".
"I left some stuff at the guild, walking there and back again would be a pain. Please?". The please was much higher pitched than the rest of the sentence and seemed to pierce through Gisela's ears.
She hated loud noises sometimes.
For a moment Gisela was tempted to make a snarky response, something like, I thought you were tied to the city. The impulse faded, leaving Gisela feeling sick was shame, a stone in her stomach. "Sure".
Magnolia was beautiful by air as well, the sunset a vivid red in the distance as Gisela guided her cloud back to Fairy Tail.
It was hard to figure out the right pace back. This wasn't a fight, Gisela knew that. She also knew that it was unlikely that Chico would enjoy flying back at combat based speeds, they were not exactly designed for pleasant rides after all.
The goal was not to be hit during a fight.
She also knew that Chico did want to get back to Fairy Tail. The other person likely had stuff that she needed to do and in spending the day showing Gisela around she had lost time. That meant Gisela shouldn't go to slow.
In the end all her worries just meant that her hands ached from the effort of not clenching them.
It was one of the few times that Gisela was glad to land.
I should say something. "Thank you for the day".
"I had fun too, it's always nice to show new Guild members around the city".
"You do this a lot?". Somehow the idea was comforting.
"Fairy Tail was born in Magnolia, when I first got my magic there was no question of which guild I was going to join. Fairy Tail is Magnolia and Magnolia is Fairy Tail, I just like making sure that new members know that". Yet again Chico's tone was steady, serious.
Gisela wasn't sure she liked that. It made something twist with anxiety. Shut up you're always anxious, she tried to tell herself.
It didn't help.
"Still, it did mean a lot to me".
"So you won't be pitying me now", Chico demanded harsly.
It wouldn't be enough, even so, Gisela knew that she had to say it. "I won't. I'm sorry".
"It's all good. I get why'd I'd seem odd to a drifter like you, even if you've decided to stick around for now".
She could breathe again. It was nice.
Then Gisela was back inside the guild hall, Kianna flagging her down urgently.
"What happened".
"You need to go after Mickey".
"Why?".
"She need to talk to someone, your her partner".
"What happened?".
"Mio and her dad got into another fight today about fifteen minutes ago, Mickey got upset, shouted at both of them and then ran out with Pi-chan".
I'll only make things worse. Gisela was smart enough not to say that though.
Breathe.
Breathe.
She could do this.
It was Mickey. It probably wasn't even that big of a deal.
Gisela breathed.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
She felt the world around her. Felt it's magic.
Found you.
It was time to try and talk to her partner.
"Gisela. Gisela". Pi-cah saw her first.
Gisela raised a hand, "can I sit with you?".
Mickey shrugged. "Might as well".
Conversation lagged after that. Giseal tried not to shift as she tried to come up with a way to talk to her friend.
'So I heard you got into a fight?', No that just sounds silly. She knows that I know that she got into a fight.
'So are you okay', she's not okay. That makes absolutely no sense.
Maybe a question wasn't the right way to go.
'Hey, talk to me?'. Gisela couldn't see herself saying that at all.
Why is talking to people so hard? She wanted to scream. Gisela held it in through, she knew enough about social interactions to know that screaming wouldn't help.
Maybe I should hug her? People liked hugs. At least, Gisela liked hugs. Sometimes.
The only lights left were the stars and the moon. Well, those and the lights from Fairy Tail beneath them.
The roof was cool beneath them but it was nice. One perk of cloud magic was a heightened ability to endure the cold.
It was peaceful, or it would be if Gisela didn't know that her partner was upset.
That kind of put a damper on things.
I need to think of something.
"Do you like kids?". Gisela wanted to slap herself. All she had to do was stay quiet.
"What".
No choice. "Do you like kids?".
"Why are you asking that". There was definitely an odd edge to Mickey's tone.
"You seem to be upset at Mio a lot. It's okay if you don't like kids you know, I don't like kids all that much myself, they scare me because I can't predict what will upset them and-"
"I don't hate kids".
"Mio", Gisela pointed out tentatively.
"She's annoying. Her father is willing and trying to teach her the control she needs over her magic and she is not learning it. At least Romeo is trying his best to learn with his dad, even when they don't get along".
"She seemed pretty good to me". That explosion of smoke had been impressive.
"It always seems like that at first. She'll get over confident through and mess up. It always happens that way".
It didn't happen to me. Gisela almost said it.
Than she thought about it.
It did. It had been her over confidence that led to her not picking up on the storm fast enough because she thought she could do it even with the damage.
That had been her overconfidence.
Her failure. "It will be okay".
"You don't really believe that".
"I'm trying to". She was. If she wasn't overconfident, if she kept a level head and did her best than maybe she could stay here.
It was a nice hope.
"Why?".
"This is Fairy Tail. If anywhere can deal with cocky, overconfident baby mages this has to be the place. How many of them have there been here since this place was founded?".
"A lot".
"See. And even if something happens we are not going to leave her. We are going to help her fix whatever happened and make sure that she gets the training she needs when she asks for it". It felt true, solid.
If there was anything they could do then they were going to do it.
"What if she asks you for help?".
"Me?". Where did that idea come from.
"Yeah. Clouds and smoke aren't that different, are they?".
Gisela thought about it for a moment. "We do say clouds of smoke", Gisela tried to explain, "so I guess they are pretty similar. And the effects of Mio's magic do look a lot like mine. It still would never happen though".
"Oh really".
"Yeah. Why would Mio want to learn from me. I'm like barely competent in this whole thing".
"You seem pretty strong to me".
Gisela was proud of the fact that she did not snort. "Maybe. It's not going to happen though".
"If you say so".
They kept sitting.
"We do need to come up with a name for our team".
Should I risk it? "You were part of a team before, right? How'd you name your old team".
There was an apology on Gisela's lip when Mickey spoke. "Tono and I picked it when we were sixteen, I picked Mega-death, he picked young".
"Tono was your partner who left?". Stupid. Stupid.
"Yeah", Mickey leapt up, nearly surprising Gisela off the roof, "but we are going to be an awesome team, I just know it!".
I'm glad one of us has faith. Gisela knew enough not to say that out loud. "How about we are Team Pi-chan. He's the most awesome member of us after all".
"Do it! Do it!", Pi-chan cheered.
Mickey turned somehow twisting to face Gisela without falling off. "That is awesome idea. We're team Pi-chan!".
Gisela felt unstable. Should I chance it. "Ready to get off the roof?".
"Yeah. Team Pi-chan to the ground!".
"Glad you enjoy". It made Gisela feel warm. She had done one good thing today.
There were still people in the guild when they landed. Luckily there wasn't a brawl going on. That was always a chance with Fairy Tail.
"You want something quick?", Kianna called.
"That'd be great", Mickey shouted back before Gisela could find a way to defer.
They were eating bowls of tomato soup when Gisela saw Mio walk into the guild. A chain of thoughts ran through her head.
What's she doing here? I thought she was practicing with her dad. Is she coming towards me?
She's coming towards me!
"Teach me!".
"What?".
"I said, teach me! I need to be taught and I don't want to learn from my dad. Smoke and clouds are similar enough that you should have something to teach and even if you end up injured a lot you seem strong".
"Okay?". It was like she was frozen. The world was cold and hot around her.
"Are you going to teach me?".