She's nearing her thousandth year. Fairy Tail is still kicking and it's a surprise to almost everyone that the guild just won't fade away. The world is advancing- there's electric televisions and lamps and streetlights that don't require lacrima. Yet there will always be tyrants to overthrow and monsters to slay, so the mages keep fighting until the new dawn. Ria looks fifteen now and is covered in magical tattoos. Elfman's beast on her right arm to give her strength, a paw print on her thigh giving her speed, her ama's famous wings covered her back, and her father's lightning curling into a dragon along her collar- protecting her star orb. Her siblings line her ribs, One and Two over each of her lungs and the others below, protecting her organs. Engraved with ink made from what little mana reservoirs she had kept from them.

Asvoria Strauss Dreyar is covered in tats.

Walking around in nothing but a crop top and shorts leave them all bare to the probing eyes, but Ria can't force herself to care. It's summer and hot as hell and she needed a cold drink yesterday. So she forces her way into the closest bar, forces her ears not to flinch at the piercing sound of the ringing bell, and plops herself onto the barstool closest to the cooling unit.

"What can I getcha, kiddo?"

"I am a millennia old and just want something cold. I don't care what's in it…" Ria grumbles with a hiss, ears merging into her hair.

A wave of body heat is next to her and a mixture of words are trying to filter into Ria's ears. The kitsune twitches, ears trying to process, and nose wrinkling at the smell of booze and tobacco smoke. She blinks her eyes blearily. What did this guy ask her? Porcelain skin cracks as dark sigils burst across the kitsune's skin when the smell invades her nose as the man grazes her cheeks. He draws back with a yelp, the urine smell of fear permeating Ria's senses as her fangs bare in the low light. Her skin clears as the creep runs off and Ria turns at the faint sound of chuckling next to her.

"Good on ya. If you didn't almost bite 'em, I would've had my pops do it for ya. Name's Beset… you look kind of familiar. Are you some famous neko cosplayer or something?" the young tween asks as she pushes her face closer to Ria, examining her face.

"I'm a kitsune, human. I'm not some dumb catgirl!"

"Don't patronize the patrons, kid," the barkeep scolds and pulls at the girl's ponytail.

"You're so boring, old man. I'm not patronizing anyone!"

"And stop sneaking drinks! You're too young! Do you want your mother to murder both of us in our sleep?!"

The two squabble loudly and Beset pushes her dad away and almost knocks him onto his back. Ria's ears twitch up straight, her eyes glow with a silver ring. A small smile makes its way across her face- there's no mistaking Cana and Gildarts, especially when they're bickering. A pitched snicker draws the attention of the two whose fighting has turned rather loud.

"You're the best thing I've run into in years."

The best thing since Ever's last reincarnation returned to the ether with Asvoria faithfully by her side. The last moments are the most bittersweet because a hint of recognition always bursts through when the soul starts breaking free of mortal restraints. Ria doesn't find Ever in all her reincarnations and always stays on the edges of her life; it's not a near immortal's place to insert themselves in a mortal's life over and over. She's always there at the end though and Evergreen always pets her ears and whispers memories into them.

"Well, aren't you a flatterer," Cana, no Beset, grins with rosy cheeks. A stack of cards enters Ria's sight with a flutter of wind. "Well, miss kitsune, how about you make my night and do a round with me."

"Mmm, okay. But I am nine hundred and seventy two years old, so don't feel bad if you lose."

Asvoria loses the match, and she loses every match after. She doesn't really mind. No one beats Cana at cards, even this non-magic version of her.

"You know, kid," Beset ignores Ria's eye roll and reminder that she is older than her great-great-great grandparents, "I always need a good drinking buddy. So you better roll your furry tail in here whenever you are in town, ya got that?"

The kitsune nods her head and then spills out a promise, heart crossed and all when Beset slams her mug on the counter and levels her with a serious look.

Ria returns at least once a year. Beset makes her a drink, typically some sort of fruity thing because Asvoria's nose is sick and tired of mead and beer, and they play cards. The kitsune always loses, mostly because no one beats Cana and sometimes because she lets this version of Cana win. Once in a while, Ria makes it a point to win at least one round because Beset gets this look in her eye that seems almost familiar. The woman always shakes her head and the moment passes, but Ria always gets smothered in a hug before she leaves. It's a guilty pleasure.

"It's always great to see you, Ria," Beset says with a smile as she opens the pub's door.

It's late, the chairs are stacked on the tables and the kitsune can smell the cleaning solutions used before closing. If Beset is bothered by the late night visit, she doesn't say anything as she takes a clean mug and tinkers with its contents at the counter. The swirl of an aerosol can sounds in Ria's ears before a steaming mug of hot cocoa slides over the wooden counter towards the never aging kitsune.

"You know I'm not supposed to have this."

"Who's here to tell you no? You're a thousand years old, aren't ya kid?"

"That joke got old when you were twelve," Ria jokes as she scoops some of the whipped cream off with a finger. The sweetness settles on her tongue.

"Well, my dear immortal, since I am now twenty-two I can say it all I want because I don't get ID checked everywhere I go."

"You know, when I was a kid," Ria stage whispers as if somebody was around to hear the secret, "you could drink at fourteen and almost no one would say anything!"

"Really? Ha," the bartender laughs. "Oh, I can see it now. Damn, that would be crazy nowadays."

"S'not like it ever stopped you!" Ria snickers and relishes the warmth of the mug in her hands. "Yeah, the invention of non-magic, motorized cars kind of made that way of life kick the bucket."

"Must've been a time to be alive. Hey, if you figure out time traveling magic, take me with you, okay?"

"Yeah, that stuff is locked away for a reason you know."

"Wait! It's real?!" Beset screeches. "No way, you got to tell me more. Ria, you could go back and see your family."

"Nuh uh," the kitsune shakes her head, "terrible idea. Massive no! Time travel always goes wrong."

"But… ugh, if you would just let my family adopt you this wouldn't be a problem! I don't want to think about you being alone all the time."

"Then don't think about it."

"RIA!"

Silver hair shakes with the kitsune's head. Some things never change. Fairies never want to be alone- never want their family to be alone either. Ria drags a hand through her hair where the ribbon ties it into a ponytail.

"I'm not alone and you never will be either. I'll be here for the rest of your life, Beset. Even when you cross over, I'll be right by your side."

"Well geez, that's kind of morbid… but thanks."

"We're family, right?"

"Yeah, of course, we are, kid."

"I'm going to run out of skin if you family members keep popping up."

Ria smiles and takes another sip of her drink. Never in her million years did she expect her wine aunt to return. She half figured Cana would stay up top with barrels of ethereal beer. Now she's going to have to figure out where to put a new tattoo.