Kianna made it back two days later.
Gisela stayed steady gripping the table with one hand as she stood, watching as Kianna and Macao walked in.
Do not run to her do not run to her do not run to her-
The buzz of conversation around them quieted.
Kinanna was there and she looked okay. Her eyes looked maybe a little more tired than normal but she was fine.
She was wearing a coat that looked a little like a trench coat over her habitual tank top, which was good, Gisela had always wondered about if her friend ever got cold in a tank top alone, but she looked okay.
She looked fine.
She was fine and she was back and Gisela really wanted to run to her like Laki was doing, like Mickey was doing, like Max was doing.
Gisela stayed seated.
She didn't even know if Kianna wanted to talk to her. Instead she glazed around, catching Macao from where he hung to the side of the mob around Kianna.
"Are we good?".
"The mage from Twilight Ogre was able to pull through so they can't hold that against us in the same way".
"Anything else".
"Still claiming it was us that started the fight".
Typical. "Anything we can do?".
"Not start anymore fights while we wait for the verdict".
"We'll try". Not that Gisela thought they would. Her Fairy Tail was different from the canon one, at least a little in damage level.
"Thanks for keeping an eye on Mio".
Gisela felt the flush, even if she didn't know if anyone would see it. "No problem".
"It's still good for her to have friends at the guild".
"Yeah, I think she's getting along better with Romeo".
Suddenly Romeo flew past, ejected from the group as Mio dashed after him.
"Maybe a little better".
"We can hope". Gisela was pretty sure she had managed to keep a straight face. "Is everything else going okay?".
"We're doing our best".
"But-".
"I think Kianna wants to talk to you".
Gisela turned, seeing a gap in the shifting crowd. Kianna was standing, looking at her. Gisela felt frozen. Felt like the moment stretched on as her heart pounded in her ears like a bass drum and she didn't know what to say.
"I'm sorry", Gisela blurted out, looking at the scuffed, worn floor.
"Why are you sorry", Kianna's voice exclaimed right before Gisela saw a pair of shoes enter her vision.
Because I got you in trouble and-
It just sounded stupid when she thought it like that. "Because we all left".
There was an awkward silence after that. A silence like Gisela had said something she wasn't supposed too.
"Sorry", she said again.
Then Chico started laughing.
It sent shivers up Gisela's spine. "What's so funny?", Gisela tried to ask.
She wasn't sure if she was audible or not.
Gisela glanced upwards. Chico was still laughing, everyone else looking at her as she bent and put a hand on her knees before supporting herself on the table, waving a hand in a gesture for time.
Gisela really wanted to know what was funny about the whole situation. She was failing to see the joke.
Chico wheezed as she stood back up.
Gisela forced herself not to hover. Chico was not choking, no matter how much sense it would make then laughing.
"You good Chico?", Gisela heard Max ask.
"I'm good", Chico replied pausing for another small chuckle, "it's just we've been feeling guilty this whole time for messing when you all left us to watch the guild and-".
Oh.
That's what's funny.
"You guys did fine", Gisela heard several voices shout. Her own among them.
"You see, we all must have been feeling guilty this whole time, that's kinda funny, isn't it?".
Gisela took a breath. Tried to look at it from outside herself and the mass of misfortune and bad decisions that she could be. "I guess", she tried.
"Chico's right", Kianna interrupted, rejoining the conversation, "we said we'd hold down the guild and we wanted to see you off with a smile. None of what happened was your fault for going to the games".
"Then it wasn't yours either". Gisela wasn't sure if Kianna thought that but-
But-
Carrying blame was hard and Gisela never wanted any of her guildmates to know what it felt like to be crushed under a natural disaster.
She never wanted them to know what it was like to be drowning under the weight of accusing stares.
She never wanted them to know what carrying failure felt like. Gisela met Kianna's eyes with her own.
Tried to hold them steady.
Tried to tell her it was okay. That she was okay.
"Thanks", Kianna said with a small smile.
Gisela hoped that Kianna believed her. She really did.
"You know what this means?"Max was shouting suddenly and Gisela tried not to be glad she could break eye contact to turn and focus.
There never was any good non awkward way of looking away from someone.
"Tell us", Chico shouted.
"Party!", Max shouted to the cheers of the guild as everyone burst back into motion.
"Hey now"-, Macao started. Everyone turned to look at him. Gisela could feel the heavy pressure start to build for a moment as everyone stared, waiting for yet another verdict.
"What the hell", Macao shouted to a chorus of whoops, "lets party!".
That was that. Everything was peaceful for the first minute.
"What did you guys do to my bar!", Kianna's voice shouted. Gisela tried not to wince.
Glad I never tried to bartend.
Gisela retreated to the kitchens. Unfortunately that did mean that she was close enough to hear Kianna as she lectured Max and Warren about bar organization.
Macao as well.
So glad that's not me.
It was a little petty of a thought, but Gisela let herself be distracted by her freedom in the kitchen to avoid the yelling going on.
Maybe I should try and defend them?
Gisela peaked at the group as she bent down to pull the cookies from the oven.
Kianna was still yelling.
Nope.
Gisela tried to be brave for many things. She did her best to stand up for what she believed in when she could.
She was not brave enough to face that.
Good luck.
The cookies, and other snacks, were well welcomed when Gisela brought them out. It was nice to see everyone happy.
All the parties and bar fights they had been having were nice, even if Gisela knew it was partly so they could distract themselves from everything going on.
She sat at the table that had somehow become herself, fingers tracing over the old carvings of fish and watched as the chaos unfolded.
Gisela almost didn't notice the holes when she watched Asuka stuff her mouth while her dad tried to stop her, so glad that's not my problem, or Max, who had finally escaped Kianna, get up on the table and start to do some sort of dance.
Pi-chan had stolen a cookie from Nab and was sitting on top of the message board, pecking it too pieces,
Crumbs rained down while Nab stared at the bird.
Unfortunately Gisela had always been good at seeing the holes. Either that or she was just used to looking for ghosts.
Wakaba wasn't with Macao, and even in the merriment Macao was hanging to the side.
"Not enjoying the party?".
"You are?".
"I made cookies", Gisela pointed out.
"They were good".
"You had one?".
"I had four".
It was a warm feeling. Still. Should I? By the time Gisela had thought to question if she should she was already talking "Are you doing the not talking about what is going on and trying to handle it on your own like you two did during the games".
"You really are not going to drop it, are you?".
"Do you think any of us will?".
"Good point".
"So how is Wakaba doing".
Macao sighed. "His best. It looks like the fines will be heavy though".
Gisela thought of the budgets and winced. "Let me know so we can do the numbers".
"Sure".
The Guild will be fine, right?
Gisela didn't have the courage to ask. "You and Wakaba can lean on us you know", she said instead, knowing her voice was awkward but it was a better question then her first one.
"Wakaba's my partner".
"And I fought with more than just Mickey when I was at the Grand Magic Games". It was a try at least.
Macao was silent.
One more thing. Then Gisela promised herself she would stop, "I just think everyone would be happier if they could help".
It hit her what she had done then.
What she had said. Suggested. Why did I say that why did I say that why did I say-
Corners were very nice. Good places to hide when you didn't want to function.
Gisela appreciated them.
Breathe.
Macao hadn't seemed to be mad at her. That was something. And Fairy Tail wasn't the kind of place that would kick her out for something like that.
At least Gisela didn't think it was.
I just wish I could tell them both they are doing fine. Gisela had been studying guild law before she had gotten side tracked by the chaos of the games.
She knew how complicated it was. That was the reason she hadn't tried to help more. Because there was no way her few months of looking could actually be helpful.
I need to keep trying though.
It wouldn't hurt to know for the future.
Maybe she could be less helpless next time.
More useful.
Less of the failure she always was. It was a hope at least, and Gisela had gotten pretty good at holding onto hopes.
Even if the waiting sucked.
Kianna and Mickey started spending more time together when everyone, and it had actually gotten to be a group, Gisela had no idea when that happened when had she started spending time with more people then just Mickey, for Sunday training.
Mio was doing so much better as well.
I taught her that. Gisela thought as she watched Mio swirl smoke through her hands, shape ever shifting.
That was me. And her father as well, Gisela knew she couldn't forget about Wakaba because he had done a lot.
But Gisela could see traces of her magic style in Mio's and that was something alright.
"Has school gotten better?".
Mio looked at her, smoke perfectly still. "It's still summer vacation for me", she said, dead pan.
Right.
"I forgot".
Mio narrowed her eyes. "Why'd you ask?".
"I was just thinking about-", how far we've come. You were so grouchy that day in the alley and now you like your magic and train with me and it's just weird thinking about how far we've come.
Oh right.
Gisela knew she couldn't say that.
And she was worried because Mio had been being bullied that day in the alley so it wasn't stupid to assume it would happen elsewhere as well.
I worry about you and want to make sure you are okay.
Like Gisela knew how to deal with bullies. Running away probably wasn't the right option after all.
Everything she thought of sounded ridiculous. Mio didn't need Gisela to say that. "Just curious, I know you've had trouble before".
"During the summer?". There was the Mio deadpan, Gisela had been wondering when it would start.
Not that I don't deserve it.
Still.
"You mentioned that it was because of Fairy Tail's reputation", at least Gisela thought Mio had mentioned that, it could just have been her weird brain, "so I was worried because of the games".
"It doesn't matter". The smoke around Mio dispersed, swirling away in the wind as she stood firm.
"But-".
"You don't care, do you? How people in Magnolia look at you?". Mio was looking at her like her opinion actually mattered.
Like it was a good idea to think about
Actually I kind of do. Gisela wasn't sure if she was supposed to admit that. "I care less about them than I do about Fairy Tail", she tried instead.
It was honest at least.
"Then I won't either. I'm going to be a Fairy Tail mage and get my mark before neo flame brain does".
I'm not even going to ask about the name. That was probably the safer path. Mio's brown eyes were steady as she stared up at Gisela and she felt a shiver go down her back.
There was resolve in her eyes. So much more resolve then Gisela remembered having when she was Mio's age.
Gisela almost wanted to ruffle her hair. "I'll look forward to it". Gisela tried instead, hoping it fit the tone better. "Now let's get back to work".
"I bet I'll bet you next week", Mio taunted.
"Is that the best taunt you can come up with?".
They got back to work.
I wonder how Aki and Aiko are doing. Gisela made a note to talk to Laki and ask how everyone was doing.
That was all the time she had for distraction.
Gisela was stronger then Mio and had been using magic was longer and had far more practice.\
Mio had drive.
Lots of it.
I don't want to lose this either. Gisela thought as she conjured her clouds, magic sparking as seh smothered Mio's smoke.
Maybe we should work on a way for an easier generation.
It was another plan at least, something else to focus on.
Things were better when she didn't think. Because when she did think then she started to worry and when she started to worry it was so hard to break out of it even when she knew she needed to calm down.
Needed to breathe.
Her worries could always be proved true after all.
A ribbon of smoke lashed out.
It made a wonderful distraction.
Then the ground rose up to meet her, Gisela barely managed to roll out of the way as Mio laughed.
"Not so clever huh".
"I'll show you clever", Gisela muttered.
Note to self: look out for tripwires. It had been a clever idea after all. And speaking on clever ideas-
Gisela probably shouldn't get so much enjoyment from watching a ten year old face plant. "So clever huh?".
Mio let loose another war cry as they continued to clash.
They ended up at the guild for dinner, probably because not one of them, not Mickey or Max or Laki or Kianna or Mio or Bisca or Gisela wanted to cook after that.
Warren had been left as the bar man for the night.
Kianna smiled, "it is nice to be off duty", she said as she stretched, watching Warren dash around the guild in response to telepathic calls for service.
"You could have taken a break before you know", Mickey pointed out.
"Before I wasn't a mage, something good needs to come out of all of this". Kianna popped a fish stick into her mouth. "I won't be so useless next time".
"Don't worry about it so much", Bisca said brightly. Asuka was sitting next to her, well behaved. "We all do what we can to keep this place running, do you see Warren taking the same type of missions as me".
I heard that.
Gisela tried not to shiver at the burst of telepathy. Warren had good manners but it would only take one thought at the wrong time, one thought at the wrong moment and-
Mashed potatoes. Tasty potatoes. Yum.
"-ela?".
"What? Sorry, I was thinking about my potatoes". I just said that. I actually just said that.
I really said that.
The deadpan looks she was getting from the table really showed what everyone else thought about that.
"Thinking about your great victory", Mickey cooed.
"Actually I was just wondering what they would look like on Max's face".
"Why you-".
Max lurched forward as if to get off the bench.
It didn't work.
"Lets eat before I chop you all up", Laki cheerfully threatened.
It was hard not to grin at the expression on Max's face as he fought with whatever restraints Laki had created under the table.
Perks of being a wood mage.
Still, Gisela made a note to be careful, just because Laki was on her side now did not mean she always would be.
That wasn't the way of a Fairy Tail mage after all.
The doors creaked open.
It was normal.
It was so normal that Gisela didn't turn from her plate, from trying to keep a straight face, well as straight as she could be, until she noticed how everyone else had froze.
Wakaba was back.
"Dad", Mio shouted, running over.
When did they mend their relationship?
It wasn't the time for that question.
"What's the news?", Bisca asked, eyes sharp.
"Final decision comes tomorrow".
"How is it looking?".
Gisela tried not to freeze as Wakaba refocused on her. "Did you know the Rune Knights were withholding your rightful findings?", he asked.
"What?".
"From that lab you found that time with Lamia Scale"
"Really, I-".
"What's this have to do with anything", Mickey interrupted.
Wakaba grinned. It was a gleeful smile. "Pointing out that they were doing something like that, attempting to withhold the findings from one guild, would set an unfortunate precedent for trust between the guilds and the Rune Knights. Thankfully they agreed that they wouldn't let this matter go out of hand".
"So things will be okay?".
Wakaba's face was serious again. "They'd better be, I need a break".
"And you were the one who wanted so badly to be guildmaster", Macao shouted. "Remember".
"You were the one who pawned it off on me", Wakaba retorted.
Guess we aren't the only ones who need to blow off steam.
Mostly Gisela just wanted to focus on breathing. The old lab had been interested but there had just been so much to worry about she hadn't followed up like she should have but apparently that was okay.
Maybe.
Macao and Wakaba were about to burst into what looked like a duel.
Let this be enough.
XXX
Sorry for not updating last week, someone in my circle passed away (not of covid) suddenly and I was just sorta out of it. I still kinda am really.
Also this might be going on another short hatius so I can plan out every ahead a little better, I planed the over arching fic when I started writting it, but character rebellion means I want to go over some things and really work out from where everyone is now. I'm sorry for being so unreliable recently...
