A loud thump followed by the crackle of burning wood echoed. "That's so fucking cool!" Lyla laughed maniacally.
"Looks like you're making progress," Laura yelled angrily. She sat on a tall branch of a nearby tree.
Lyla picked up a chopped log of wood, tossed it in the air, and punched it. It lit up in black flames and crackled with the rest of the wood on the ground that she had ignited. The wood piled up like a campfire.
"What if we cooked something over this?" Lyla asked.
Laura scrunched her nose in and shook her head. Lyla shrugged. She took a lacrima from the dirt ground. No magic transferred into her body. It had little-to-no fire magic left. She threw it to Laura, who caught it.
"How're you doing on your telepathic ability?" Lyla asked as she doused the fire in a bucket of water. The smoke left a stench in her nose and water in her eyes.
Laura growled, "Staring at you didn't help. How am I supposed to practice?"
"Fighting didn't do anything?"
"No. It wasn't…" She searched for a word, "intense enough."
Lyla quickly complimented her use of the word "intense" before correcting her, "Maybe knowing your target will actually kill you might help. You know. Fight-or-flight."
Laura shrugged. She slid off of the branch and landed on her bare feet. Her boots by the stump of the tree were worn out. They still wore their tattered clothes. Tairal should have finished by now.
"Oh yeah. Let's go pick up our clothes and get some lunch." Lyla suggested. Laura slipped on her second boot and nodded.
They dropped the bucket off at their house before heading into town. They made some ways down the dirt road before spotting Sorren strolling towards them. Laura sighed. Lyla greeted him. They stopped in front of each other with Sorren beginning the conversation.
"Where are you guys heading?"
"To pick up our clothes. We'll get lunch after." Lyla answered.
"I was wondering if you could help grocery shopping." He said, "My Mom's cooking for a get-together at a friend's house."
"Sure!"
"No."
Lyla snapped back to Laura. The two needed to get along. Though it would take some work for that to happen.
With a push from Lyla, the girls joined Sorren in some shopping. They agreed to pick up clothes first and visited the quiet part of town once more. Tairal greeted them with a bright grin and quickly ran to the back to get their outfits. He returned with the clothes each on a clothing hanger.
"If you like, there's a bathroom in the back you can get dressed in." He offered Laura and Lyla, "Normally I wouldn't provide such services, but I like you two. Hopefully, I can save up for actual dressing rooms…"
"Accepting the money I make from jobs could help." Sorren persisted. It sounded like they've had the discussion one too many times.
Lyla and Laura dressed while Tairal and Sorren bickered. Lyla came out first with a tight purple crop top over black spandex with the legs cut into shorts. Around her rested a white belt in the shape of an 'x'. Her white thigh-high boots had metal soles. Over it all, she wore a white cloak that stopped at her sides. A silver Fairy Tail emblem rested on her chest, keeping the cloak on her shoulders.
Tairal went on about his reasoning for each detail in her outfit. Most she didn't understand. Lyla pulled the loose neck of her spandex over her nose. To her surprise, the built-in mask was so comfortable she didn't feel like taking it off.
While Laura was changing and Sorren busy looking at something, Lyla asked Tairal quietly, "Would you mind repairing my old outfit? It's… got some sentimental value." She made sure no one could hear her request as she asked.
"Of course. Just leave it with me whenever and I'll take care of it."
"Thank you." Lyla breathed a sigh of relief.
Laura walked out a moment later. She wore black full-body spandex with white knee-high boots that had gold trim and wine red soles. She had a matching dress with gold trimming on her sleeves and around her bust.
"You look great!" Lyla complimented, "It looks like you're not homeless for once!"
"Watch it," Laura warned. Lyla giggled.
Tairal went on the same as he did with Lyla's outfit. Laura seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say. Lyla and Sorren let them be while they talked about the plan for the rest of the day. They kept sidetracking back to the new wardrobe.
When Tairal and Laura finished, Tairal stood behind the cash register and discussed prices. They graciously paid him for the high-quality outfits then said their goodbyes to finish their errands.
Tairal stopped Sorren, handing him a clear bag of neatly folded clothes.
"You owe me." He spoke quietly.
"What? No." Sorren denied him. Tairal shoved the bag to Sorren's chest. Sorren reluctantly took it with a "Whatever you say," and joined Lyla at the doorway.
Lyla asked, "So where are you off to now?"
And Sorren responded, "Some vegetables. I might buy some berries too. Oh!" He exclaimed, "My brother, Ruka, works at the shop we're going to. The prices are better there."
A groan traveled down the quiet stone road.
"Come on, you liked Tairal." Lyla reminded Laura, "You might like Ruka too."
Laura didn't believe her, but she still traveled with them.
The morning sun kept the streets calmer than normal. It also had trouble keeping the town warm. Lyla pulled her mask up once more. The material wasn't like normal spandex. It kept her warm. Tairal said the crop top acted as a pop of color. He left her with multiple layers to mix-and-match to her liking. She didn't have gloves. He didn't make gloves. Maybe she should buy some?
Sorren rested his hand on Lyla's shoulder, pulling her from her thoughts. They were back in the market. There were plenty of people in this section of town, but the market was where everyone could buy almost anything. Further down the road were signs by the doorway of a building. Outside stood a chalkboard stand covered in advertisements for fruits and vegetables.
Lyla assumed the building to be their destination and walked in. Luckily, she appeared to be right. Sorren and Laura followed behind her. The single-story store had crates and shelves of different produce. She pulled down her mask.
Counter space across from the front door blocked a pathway to the back. A few other people were shopping with them.
"Sorren, hello!" A young woman called. A green hair clip kept her short black hair out of her face. It matched her apron. Her dark skin and eyes made the color pop.
"Hi! Is Ruka here yet?" Sorren asked her.
"No. He slept in late again…"
Lyla walked around the store, somewhat bored. Laura stayed by the large front window and watched the world outside.
"I was hoping to see him before we left," Sorren told the lady, "I brought my friend since they haven't met yet."
"Buy out our whole berry stock again and he'll get here before we finish packing your order."
They laughed. They weren't friends, but they were on good terms. They must have met each other through Ruka and only talked when Sorren had to shop. He seemed to get along with a lot of people in Magnolia. Staying in one place leads you to know many faces and names. Though Lyla didn't know everyone in the council. Too many people. They came and went.
"Sorry, I'm late! I got held up!" A man's cracked voice apologized loudly from the back. Lyla leaned to the side to catch a glimpse in one of the two rounded doorways. She only saw a large man with dark hair and skin look down at something.
The man shouted a few warnings. Or maybe death threats. They blended in Lyla's experiences.
When he walked away, a man lumbered to join the woman. He had skin like Sorren's with brown hair tied back into a short ponytail. Bangs brushed past his eyebrows.
"Sorren!" He whined, "Please buy something to make my boss happy…"
He held up his pointer finger and pulled Lyla beside him. "First I want you to meet my friend, Lyla." He said, "The friend Mom can't stop talking about."
The lady walked to the back. Meanwhile, the man leaned over the counter and held his hand out. Lyla shook it as he introduced himself.
"Ruka! Second oldest, but I'd say the most fun."
"Hm. So why does the owner hate you?" Sorren teased.
"Because he's scared I'll make him look boring." Ruka said flatly before switching to a perky tone, "Now! Mom wants some food?"
Sorren handed him a piece of paper. Ruka read it and kept his eyes on it as he took a large paper bag from under the counter and walked around the store. He read a line on the paper, locked onto a certain item, and walked over to take a specified amount.
Laura cocked her head at the sight. Then turned to Lyla from across the room.
Lyla then turned to Sorren and asked, "Is this how a food store takes its orders?"
Sorren shook his head, "Nah. He's just careful with my mom's. She's as serious with cooking as she is when I come home drunk."
A clear image of yelling at her sons for ruining the recipe played in Lyla's mind. It could have been as simple as cutting the onions the wrong way. It made her smirk.
"Welcome back, Kireina!" Sorren had a mischievous glint in his eyes as the lady from before returned.
A soft, "Shit!" Followed by a large thud and smaller thunks brought the store's attention to Ruka, who chased vegetables that rolled away to freedom. Sorren relished the moment, Laura helped Ruka, and Lyla grinned at the realization.
"Sorren…" Kireina scolded with a nervous smile. He shrugged as if he was an innocent angel.
Ruka jumped up and thanked Laura for helping. His face had turned into the color of cherries.
He walked up to the counter and handed the bag to Sorren. His lips pulled back into a strained smile.
"You're paying for my next drink." He whispered. Lyla read his lips as he spoke.
Sorren chuckled. He checked the bag in case of any bruises before paying. They thanked Ruka and Kireina, then left.
Sorren invited them to come over to his parent's house. Lyla recalled Uragi still living there. He and his mother were great people. It might be good for Laura to hang around them.
They arrived at the house. Sorren let himself in and announced the guests. His mother prepared food in the kitchen. She greeted Sorren and took the bag of vegetables from him.
Lyla helped herself and plopped onto the couch. Family photos covered the walls. Every time she visited she could find a new one she hadn't spotted before. Tairal's picture Sorren showed her wasn't too far off from some of the older photos.
The wooden floor creaked behind her. She tilted her head back and saw an upside-down Uragi.
"Hey! How's it going?" She smiled.
"Hi, Lyla. How're you doing?" He asked. She shrugged nonchalantly.
Uragi walked over to take the armchair beside the couch. He spotted Laura close to the front door and asked, "Ya doin' hi how?" and almost fell when taking his next step.
Sorren stifled a laugh. Laura gave him a weird look. He sat down and went on as if nothing happened.
Lyla glanced between Uragi and Laura. She stopped on Laura and gave her a smug, toothy grin. Seeing how uncomfortably Laura reacted, Lyla stood up and told the household goodbye. Uragi seemed saddened as they walked out.
"I've had enough people for today." Laura snapped. She stomped ahead.
"What? Come on. Uragi's a nice person." Lyla quickened her pace to catch up.
"I've met three of Sorren's brothers. That's enough Colander for me."
Lyla let herself smile. "Just because you hate Sorren doesn't mean the rest of his family is bad." She said, "Why don't you two get along, anyway?"
Laura slowed. She stared at the ground. The duo's boots tapped on the stone ground. They stayed silent long enough to hear the stone become dirt under their feet.
Lyla sighed and pulled over her mask. Chill winds blew against them from the forest ahead. Their house would be cool the following night. She had no problem sleeping with her spandex on. They were easy to move in.
"Can we work more on our abilities?" Laura asked.
Lyla could absorb magical energy. The fire lacrima made her energized like drinking a cup of coffee. She had to focus, but hopefully, she could do it instantly with some practice. Meanwhile, they haven't made any progress on Laura's mind-reading. She said Cobra could do the same.
Both were special cases with sound magic. Lyla wasn't sure about the science behind it though.
"Yeah, duh," Lyla agreed, "You need to catch up!"
A/N: Sorry about the late update. Things have been busy for me and Syaleo. My work opened back up so I've been working a lot and she just moved so it's a bit chaotic for us both. I hope you enjoyed the update though! If you did, please let us know, we love hearing feedback.