A/N: Ah, only half a year late. That might be a new record. Expect updates (for real this time) for the next two weeks.
xvi.
Jellal had almost forgotten just how nice it once was to spend time with Meredy, alone. Back when Ultear was, well, Ultear, the two of them would spend time alone as a sort of "bonding exercise" in order to gain the trust needed to work as a team. Although younger Meredy was a precocious little brat, once Jellal began to understand her usual tendencies and quirks she was an excellent partner to have around.
Which is perhaps part of the reason he mourned the loss of Meredy more than the loss of the adult Ultear. Meredy–while no stranger to the occasional emotional outburst–usually held a fairly grounded and reasonable attitude. With Ultear as she was, she'd transformed into a hyper-sensitive being who focused almost exclusively on Ultear and her wants and needs. Jellal could no longer confide in her, every statement an attack on her decisions in Meredy's eyes.
So when the Oracion Seis appeared and began to build Meredy's trust again, a small spark of hope ignited in Jellal's chest. Whenever he saw Meredy's shoulders relax as Richard played with Ultear, or smile as Sorano helped her clean her up at the end of the day, Jellal could feel the old bits of Meredy return. The paranoid mother figure gave way to the normal, slightly childish, slightly ridiculous girl.
It made him feel like maybe he could get his friend back.
The catalyst for all of this arrived when Sorano made the two of them go on patrol together. Originally it would have been Meredy and her, but Ultear became weirdly clingy about the way Sorano did her hair. Seeing a way to avoid going on patrol, Sorano gave a small excuse to how she "totally couldn't leave" before finishing with Ultear and pushed the two away. The independent guild leader realized that he hadn't been alone with Meredy properly since before the Oracion Seis joined…or perhaps it was truly before even the events of the Grand Magic Games.
He shook his head. It was getting colder out now, so even with their relatively sturdy capes the feeling of the approaching winter weighed heavy in the air. He hoped Meredy wasn't too cold. Maybe it was the Jellal of seven years ago thinking, but he still saw her in part as the small child who shivered endless during the winter and cuddled up against Ultear any chance she got.
"Coming? It's still a bit of a ways around." Meredy spoke. She turned to look at him, a hand beckoning forward. Despite the breath that hung in the air when she spoke her red eyes appeared bright and focused. The same eyes that could look at him with such fear or such joy. He mentally refocused from his memories to the person in front of him and nodded.
For now, he wanted to appreciate this rare opportunity stretched out before him.