Magnolia was tense. No one was asking them to leave, and Gisela was so relieved about that, because if Magnolia had decided that they were better off without Fairy Tail then that would have been one fewer thing preventing the Rune Knights from shutting them down.
But still, both Macao and Wakaba were gone, trying to deal with everything.
Kianna hadn't come back.
The guild was somber.
The Grand Magic Games were over. It felt like they had ended with both a whimper and a bang at the same time.
It wasn't the result that she had been hoping for. It wasn't even the result she had been so afraid of.
Guess I always worry about the wrong things.
Next time she would be better prepared.
If there is a next time.
Gisela hadn't bothered to look up the results. To check what Sorcerer's Weekly was saying about them now.
Sometimes it was just too hard, even though she knew keeping a finger on popular opinion was important.
It didn't matter though, because she wasn't going to leave Fairy Tail.
Not this time.
Fairy Tail was somber and Gisela wished it could be otherwise, wished she could be otherwise. She and Mickey hadn't done any jobs since they had come back.
They just kept sitting around. Waiting. Waiting for someone else to tell them what would happen.
Waiting to see if everything was going to be okay.
Suddenly Gisela couldn't take it anymore. She needed to be doing something more than sitting around.
"Let's do a job".
"You sure you're up for it?".
"Better than sitting around". Gisela was tired of feeling useless. "Let's find something that we can do quick".
It ended up being chores.
Lots of chores.
Like cleaning gutters.
They didn't want to leave Magnolia, not when things could change at any minute, something that both limited the job pool and opened up other options.
Options like: "You want to come with us?", Gisela offered, looking at where Mio was sitting, scribbling in a workbook.
"Come with you?".
"Me and Mickey are going to run a couple jobs in Magnolia, we were wondering if you want to come".
Mio slammed the workbook shut. "What's first?".
Gisela was just about to answer when-
"You're taking her with you?", Romeo demanded.
"Yes", Gisela tried. Her voice rose at the end. She hoped it didn't sound too much like a question.
"Got a problem with that", Mio spat back.
"What do you think".
The two other them were glaring at each other, just moments away from getting into some sort of brawl.
Then Mio's fist went flying.
The fight had started. Gisela felt frozen, unsure of what to do as she watched Romeo fly through the air, crashing down on one of the tables and sending plates flying.
A plate was flying towards her and Gisela did the only thing that she could think of.
She deflected it. Allowed it to bounce off summoned clouds.
It was too late when she realized she had forgotten to check the direction. To make sure she was sending the plates in a safe location.
It was already launched when she realized the problem.
When she realized what she had just triggered.
Gisela watched, helpless, as the plate soared through the air.
She knew where it was going to land.
She knew it too late.
The plate finished it's elegant arc just as Max turned around, his mouth wide as he tried to explain something to Alzack and Asuka.
There was no time for a warning. There was no time to do anything but watch in horfield, half disbelieving silence as it slammed into Max's face.
It stuck for a moment, hanging in time like all of Gisela failures.
She knew she shouldn't laugh.
Romeo and Mio were frozen mid kick.
Everyone was staring.
The plate fell down with a clattering noise, though it did not shatter because this was Fairy Tail and they made sure their plates were stronger than average for a reason and a plop off someones face was not going to be what broke it, that rung through the suddenly silent, suddenly tense guild hall.
Max's face was covered in potatoes.
Then they too started to shift, sliding slowly off as Max sat, apparently still imbloblie.
Potatoes slid slowly off.
Plop.
Plop.
Slop.
For a moment the entire guild was still. Are we doing this? Gisela could almost hear like Warren was using his telepathy or something.
Then Max lunged at Gisela only to be intercepted by Nab who had chosen the exact wrong, or right, since he saved Gisela from being attacked by an enraged Max, hands swirling with sand, face still covered in potatoes.
How can he see like that?
Gisela ignored the thought, looking around to see what was about to unfold instead.
Romeo forced himself off the table, a bolt of stinking fire heading towards Mio.
Apparently they were.
For a moment Gisela hesitated.
She had started this one.
Sort of.
Did that mean she had to try and stop it?
She looked at Mio and Romeo, trying to see if they could be talked down.
It only took a moment.
It was a moment too long, distracted by watching to see how Mio's form was doing; she noticed too late as Laki went flying back, crashing on top of her and sending them both tumbling to the floor.
It ached.
That's it.
Gisela threw himself into the brawl, clouds coating her body as armor as she sent herself hurtling at Nab, Laki going in on the other side for a pincer as Nab slashed at them, his magic glowing around his arms in claws as a desperate attempt to fend them both off.
Gisela muscles burned as she tried to push back against Max's sand with her clouds in a not quite maker magic face off.
She knew her grin matched Max's as they faced off, and for the first time since the Rune Knights had come in the middle of the night Gisela felt like laughing.
This was Fairy Tail.
Of course, her and Max's little one off had to be interrupted by Laki sending wood spears flying past both of them.
Gisela was so glad that she had been wearing cloud armor.
It made not getting splinters that much easier.
"That's all you got Gisela, I'm disappointed", Laki shouted.
It wasn't an insult. Somehow Gisela could tell it was only a taunt, "like you're one to speak", she shouted fast, "how long did it take you to fight that Gello guy?".
Laki snarled in wordless rage, and only the spark in the eyes belied her anger as she sent the wood rose up to trap Gisela.
It didn't end until Bisca fired a shot into the ceiling, calling everyone back to order in a shower of sparks.
"We have a job", Mickey said cheerfully, "and it's timed. We'll help clean up when we get back".
Exploiting the Fairy Tail job escape clause to cleaning up after bar brawls was probably not the best thing to do, but there were fireworks in her veins and for the first time since everything went down people were teasing each other and laughing and it was hard to keep a straight face as Pi-chan cheered about it being time to work or as Gisela grabbed the kid's hands and ran out of the guildhall, Mickey watching her back as they escaped the havoc.
It was only when she was already in Magnolia proper that she realized she was holding two sets of hands.
Romeo.
He dropped free, glaring up at her.
Gisela wanted to be worried about that but she had much more pressing concerns then an enmity she already knew about. "I think I started my first guild brawl", she said, half in a daze as they slowed to a walk, probably far enough away to avoid retribution from various guild members.
"You did, nice!".
Mickey raised her hand.
It took Gisela a moment to realize what that meant.
The high five when it came was a satisfying smack. "I don't think I've ever caused a brawl before".
It was a very different feeling being in one. That moment of realizing that she had been the one to set off the domino chain, not just a domino in the chain going with the chaos because it was good fighting practice.
"It was cool", Mio cheered, a true child of Fairy Tail.
"Did you see Max's face?".
The two of them grinned at each other for a moment before they realized they were both grinning at each other and stopped looking away.
Gisela burst out into giggles.
Mickey gave her a worried face.
Somehow that just made things worse, well, worse as in funnier. Because she had just caused a brawl and hadn't had to worry about it at all.
She had sent a plate of mashed potatoes flying like every ridiculous, cliche cartoon ever, and really whatever were the odds of it being mashed potatoes anyways.
It was light and warm and bright. It was comfortable and safe and nothing was okay but in the moment Gisela was fine and the people she was with were happy, even if she was worried about everyone else.
About everyone she couldn't protect.
But Mickey and Pi-chan and Mio and even Romeo who had talked to her without glaring, sort of, were all there and that mattered.
That mattered as well.
Bad was always easier to think about then good, but the good had to matter as well.
What would be the point otherwise?
She didn't want to forget that.
Gisela breathed it in. "Lets go do our job, that is what we are here to do, right?".
Cleaning gutters was so much more fun when she could just levitate. There was no need to worry about crashing to the ground from an unstable ladder.
Mio was with her, summoning swirls of smoke in a container of some sorts as practice in keeping her smoke solid long term.
Romeo was using his fire like a rope and not even burning anything as he pulled himself from window ledge to window ledge.
Gisela was really impressed.
Mickey.
Mickey was having fun directing them. "A little to the left", she shouted out.
"You could help us", Romeo yelled back.
"I am, Pi-chan is my eyes in the sky. You need me to tell you all where to go".
It was true that Pi-chan was flying around, however, Gisela had her doubt on how much that was actually doing.
The argument just got louder.
Mio joined in, "as much as I don't want to agree with the fire head, he, unfortunately, has a point".
"What would you do", Mickey stopped, "little bit more to the left, we need to get that one too", as Romeo summoned another fiery hand, "if i didn't".
"We'd be fine", Mio snapped. "Gisela, what do you think".
She probably couldn't just shrug. Mickey was happy, Pi-chan was happy and she wasn't stuck in loops in her own head, that was what Gisela cared about.
Still, looking at the twin endangered expression on Mio and Romeo's faces Gisela knew that explanation probably wouldn't pass.
Instead-
Gisela glanced at her own waste basket.
It would be a horrible prank. And an awful one.
She would have to pick up afterwards.
Mickey probably wouldn't be mad. And it was true that she could have been doing more work then she was.
This is a horrible idea.
Everyone was still looking at her, expectant but unaware of the idea floating around in her mind.
It was such a bad idea.
Gisela knew it was a bad idea.
Knew it was likely to end in tears when someone got mad.
It was still tempting.
Her cloud basket was still floating there. Mio was opening her mouth to prompt her again.
The plate of mashed potatoes crashed into Max's face in Gisela's memory, the splattering sound played over and over again.
She had gotten away with that one.
Wasn't this the same thing?
Romeo was about to talk as well. Gisela knew Mickey had yet another snarky comment to say.
Now or never.
It happened fast. At least, to everyone else. Gisela knew exactly what was happening as she flung out her hand, the basket of dead leaves, sticks and sludge that had been clogging up the gutters flying out.
And dropping.
Splitting.
Not all the way. Gisela wasn't that cruel, or that willing to clean up another mess, but enough to drench Mickey in gutter water and wads of dead leaves.
For a moment all Mickey could do was splutter.
Gisela felt frozen, heart pounding in her veins as she saw Mio and Romeo frozen in the corner of her eyes.
"I'm-".
There was a shriek of rage as Mickey literally bounded into the air, fiery wings unfolding around her as she merged with Pi-chan shrieking her vengeance as she lunged at Gisela.
Gisela kept going up as she watched her partner, now blazing blue with the need for revenge as the water sizzled away ominously, stand on the roof.
"I thought you couldn't get up there".
There was another shout of rage.
It did make cleaning the gutters that much longer of a project.
It was still worth it.
Gisela flipped from roof to roof, going from deflecting the punches, although weaker then standard in order to avoid actually ruining the roofs in a display of self control Gisela was actually both proud of Mickey and grateful for as it kept her from being pummeled to badly as well.
She slid behind a chimney.
Mio and Romeo were on the other side.
"See, tell you Gisela is awesome", Mio crowed to Romeo in between one of Mickey's salvos.
It made Gisela feel warm.
It was also probably not true.
"So?", Romeo spat out and Gisela could hear so many other things in that silence. Things that echoed the fact that she had pushed Kianna and she didn't remember a transforming snake in the manga or the Rune Knights or-
Romeo's eyes widened as they met her. He opened his mouth.
Gisela braced herself for whatever he wanted to say this time.
Then promptly had to dodge as Mickey came hurtling after her, having apparently tracked her at the same time.
There wasn't much time to think after that. Gisela had to have other priorities.
The sun had started to set by the time that a. Mickey had calmed down from the drenching and actually decided to help, and b. They had finished.
There was a prickle down the back of Gisela's neck.
She turned.
A woman was standing there, sky blue hair in a high ponytail and bright grey eyes. Her clothes looked to be of reasonable quality.
She wasn't anyone that Gisela knew.
Instantly Gisela felt herself still. "Can I help you?", she asked, trying to at least appear functional and not the type of person who would dump gutter water on her friend.
Why did I do that I was so stupid and-
"It's good to see Fairy Tail around".
"Really?". Gisela was tempted to cover her hands with her mouth.
"Of course. We all saw how close to winning you guys were this year and we know Fairy Tail doesn't fight for no reason". The woman stopped for a moment, thinking about what she had just said, "well, not seriously".
The woman had stopped. She was looking at Gisela.
Right. I need to reply. "Yeah, thanks".
Why is she still talking to me what do I say do I ask her name where do I go from here how do I disengage I don't know where what do I-
"Gisela, it's time to go!", Mickey shouted, interrupting Gisela's panic, "or do I need to get even more pay back".
"Excuse me", Gisela tried, ducking back over to the safety of the people she knew.
Except.
Gisela turned back. "Thanks". She wanted to say more but nothing else would come out.
It was like that for her.
"So what'd she say", Mickey asked as soon as Gisela made it back, not even bothering to keep her voice down as Pi-chan settled on Gisela's shoulder.
"Just that she was glad to see Fairy Tail around".
Mickey was silent for a moment. So were Mio and Romeo.
"Of course she is, we're awesome".
"Yeah".
That was a good way to break the silence. "We are pretty cool", at least you guys are. Gisela wasn't so sure about herself.
Kianna was still not at the bar.
It still made Gisela ache to see the empty spot where her friend should have been. Where her friend wasn't because Gisela had pushed her to learn magic and-
So? Romeo had asked and Gisela didn't know what that meant and-
Not going down that road now.
At least not when everyone was glaring at them for the whole destroy and dash thing. Valid.
It had been kind of a mean prank.
I've cleaned up after them plenty through. Even when I didn't start them or was hardly involved with them.
Really, she was just making it even.
Totally.
Still, it was nice to leave after reporting all their tasks done, setting off. The sun had set and there were just the final bits of light on the horizon, it didn't matter though, Pi-chan lit their way rather well.
The many uses of flaming birds, Gisela mused as they walked away from the guild hall, heading down the path that would lead them back home.
"Wait!".
Gisela turned.
It was Romeo running down the path to them. He stopped, standing.
Staring.
"Can I help you?", Gisela tried hoping she didn't sound too awkward about talking to a kid.
Who was she kidding, she was horrible at it.
Romeo was still quiet. Still staring at her with something in his eyes but it was dark out and Gisela knew she wasn't good at reading people on a normal day and it went double for kids.
So? Romeo had asked earlier. What more could he have to say now?
"I don't think you're horrible and you actually fought pretty well in the Grand Magic Games", he started, voice awkwardly trailing of in the middle before picking up strength, "but I still won't forgive you if you give up on everyone", Romeo snapped before running away, not even giving Gisela time to respond.
It probably was a good thing, Gisela didn't know how to respond. Instead she watched his fading back as he ran back to the Guild Hall.
It was such a warm place. Fairy Tail.
It really was.
"Well that was something", Mickey said, blunt and breaking through whatever reverie Gisela had had.
"Yeah".
They kept walking, listening to the quiet sound of the night. It was only when they were almost back at the house that Gisela felt the need to break the silence, everything tumbling around in her head.
"You know Mickey, I think we are going to be okay".
XXX
So wasn't letting me update for a bit but I'm back now~
