Karissa shut the door behind her and shut off the lights in her room. With only her memory to guide her, she easily wandered towards her bed and got underneath the covers after settling in.
She was exhausted after the whole Fantasia, she just wanted to sleep.
Karissa nuzzled her face into her pillow.
Earlier, when she came back home, Pandora had given her something. It was a pair of headphones in her favorite colour. It was also a type of model she was looking forward to buying herself. She thought Pandora had bought it for her until she cut off her word of thanks by saying that Laxus was the one who got it for her. She honestly didn't know how to feel when she heard that. Did she want to cry? No. But she remembered feeling so shocked and speechless. She just had a hard time believing that he would give her another.
According to her sister, he was too much of a coward to give to her in person.
Laxus had gotten her a new pair of headphones because hers was old. She didn't think he would notice that it was all cracked up before it broke. The cracks were usually hidden away because they weren't visible when it was placed on her head or around her neck. There was no way he would have known. Why would he go through all the trouble in the first place? Unless he did notice it somehow?
She didn't think she'd find the answer unless she asked him.
However, she sort of found the answer after tinkering around with it. The flat lacrima crystal situated on the outer side were meant to be replaced if they were to break. That meant that it wouldn't have the same problem as her old ones since those ones had lacrima crystals on the inside. She would be able to keep her new pair without worrying too much about the lacrima.
…
…
…
Seated at her desk, Karissa knitted her brows as she carefully took out the lacrima on the right side. They were shaped like coins. Gently, she placed them on her desk and went to do the same for the left. To her surprise, it was much easier to take off compared to the right one. It felt like it wasn't properly placed inside. But when she removed it, a small piece of paper fell out. It was folded.
She blinked and tipped her head. "… the heck?"
She put down the other lacrima and gingerly picked up the small paper that was folded at least three times horizontally.
Her eyes widened.
There were only two words written across the small paper that was the size of a fortune paper from a fortune cookie.
It was his handwriting.
I'm sorry
That's it. That was all it said. And yet, it was enough.
She let go of it and it soundlessly fell on her desk. With a heavy sigh, she dropped her head forward and ran her fingers in her hair messily. This was not what she expecting at all. Her dark brown eyes were shut tightly. What if she found out about it in a distant future when the lacrima needed to be replaced?
Gray helped her finally accept that people just change and bonds don't always last. However, now she realized that it didn't mean that the person stopped caring. It was the same with Lyon. She may not have the same relationship with him, but she still cared about him because of their history.
Laxus cared about her, and he apologized through his gift for causing her to feel small around him.
It wasn't a random gift either. He chose a model that she only spoke of liking several years ago in a colour that she liked.
Karissa laughed a little. Knowing that the two still clearly cared for each other brought a small smile on her lips.
"It's okay."
…
…
…
The next day, she arrived at the guild and talked a little with Cana at some table. Their conversation didn't last very long since the brunette was feeling like absolute garbage from her hangover. She had to go get some water and some pain killers. Karissa didn't know when she would return since she had to go out and buy some pain killers since the guild ran out. That left Karissa on her own listening to her music with her new headphones. It had been a while since she could listen to her music since she didn't have time to buy herself a new pair.
She wore black slip-on shoes, black fitted pants, a t-shirt that was hidden under a black sweater that had sleeves longer than her arms. Her hood was evenly divided in the middle in cyan and red colours.
There was a lot of commotion in the guild for a reason she wasn't aware of. She didn't want to risk getting something wet thrown at her head if a fight occurred so she put on her hood over her head and hummed the rhythm of her music. That is until fingers pinched the back of her hood and took it off her head.
Confused, she looked around and found Gray holding a soda. Juvia was standing behind him.
"Hi." Karissa greeted simply, not paying mind as to why Juvia was with him.
"Those new?" Gray took a seat next to her and set his soda on the table while Juvia sat across from them. He was wearing loose black pants and a white t-shirt that had brown laces in the front.
"Yep." Karissa took it off her head placed it on the table for him to see. Gray curiously took it in his hands and then tested it out himself. They were comfy. He took it off and gave it back to her.
"When'd you get it?"
Karissa lips curved a little. "Someone gave it to me. And no, it wasn't Pandora or Van."
He raised a brow. "These aren't exactly cheap… It's not just a gift you give someone on a whim." He lifted the can to his lips.
"Laxus gave it to me." she answered almost too fast.
Gray stiffened and moved away his drink so he could glance to the side at her. "Seriously? When?"
Karissa resisted the urge to smile, however, Gray could tell she was feeling happy. "Sometime after the Fantasia. Pandora told me he gave it to her because he didn't want to."
He smirked. "Wow, he usually has no problem showing up and doing whatever he wants, but he has restraint when it comes to you? He really is softy for you."
"Is Karissa-san close to Laxus-san?" Juvia spoke out of curiosity, she wanted to know how someone who threaten the lives of his fellow guildmembers was close to someone like Karissa who cared about those lives. So far, the only things she has heard about Laxus was nothing but negative.
The two ice mages looked at her when she did. Gray didn't answer the question, he just tipped his head and thought about how to answer it.
Karissa just shrugged. "We're not as close as we used to be… but," she brushed her thumb against a lacrima with soft eyes. "We still care about each other."
The blue haired mage only blinked curiously. It was a little confusing since she didn't have much of the details.
Gray let out a sound of satisfaction when he stopped drinking, his head turned around to glance at everyone who was all excited. "Anyway, what's up with everyone today? Fantasia's over."
"I dunno." Karissa shrugged.
Juvia smiled at Gray, happy to answer his question. "This morning, the Master spoke of a reporter that was coming today."
Gray seemed indifferent about the news. "Oh yeah?"
"Sorcerer Weeeeekly." Karissa drawled in realization.
"Some people are excited to show off." Gray chuckled and then pointed some guys nearby who were talking loudly about whether or not the reporter was going to be a cute girl.
"IT'S GRAY! IT'S THE REAL GRAY!"
The three of them jerked their heads at the sound of a man yelling in excitement. There was man with blonde hair, with sunglasses resting on his head, dressed in a pink t-shirt that had a camera hanging around his neck, and blue jeans. He quickly pulled out a small notepad as he approached them.
"Speak of the devil." Gray mumbled. "He's already here?"
"Aw man, he looks hella hyper." Karissa reached for her hood and covered her head.
The reporter came to stop in front of them and looked eagerly at the occupants of the table.
"You wouldn't be Juvia, would you?! Cool!"
He brought his attention back to Gray. "So, why do you strip at the drop of a hat?"
Gray shot up from his and slammed bare foot on the table. "I do not!" he snapped. "Stop treating me like some pervert!"
"Gray-sama, your pants!" Juvia shrieked.
"SHIT!"
"Ow!" Karissa glared at Gray and shoved him when his elbow hit her. "Don't freak out and hit me!"
Gray flinched at her voice and sat back down to grab his pants. "My bad…"
"Karissa Sinclost!" The reporter identified with a huge smile. He quickly went around to her side and took a seat next to Juvia so he could sit directly across from her. "It's so cool to meet a Sinclost!"
Karissa sweat dropped at his enthusiasm. Weird guy… too much energy.
"You're known for being quite versatile! You can fight in the air and on the ground from all ranges, like that's super cool!" he fisted his hand and grinned while Karissa stared at him apathetically. "Oh, do you mind if I ask you questions?! I'll ask you in a bit, Gray!"
"Take your time." Gray mumbled, embarrassed for literally being caught with his pants down.
Karissa played with her sleeves. "… Sure."
"What's your favorite food?"
"Mangoes and… noodles?"
"Favorite hobby?"
"Drawing."
"Favorite weather?"
"Something like spring or fall, not too cold and not too hot."
"Favorite colour?"
"Blue."
The reporter suddenly gasped in realization. He looked back and forth between Gray and Karissa before leaning forward a little more. The two ice mages leaned back in response.
"Gray, Karissa, our readers are eager to know! We knew you two were close friends but we recently learned that you two have a long history! How long have you known each other?!"
The two of them paused to think.
Meanwhile, Juvia was gripping the edge of her seat, eager to hear. She heard about their close relationship from Cana. According to her, Gray and Karissa came from the same hometown and have been best friends for years. They've always gotten along with each other and don't ever fight. Needless to say, Juvia felt immensely threaten by Karissa's advantage to the point where she imagined Karissa manipulating her beloved Gray into being her lover with their long friendship. Just thinking about it was a nightmare.
Digging through old Sorcerer Weekly magazines all but fanned the flames of her jealousy.
Gray briefly looked away from the reporter and casually put a hand on his neck. "I'd say… about ten years…?"
"I think it's thirteen." Karissa answered after counting with her fingers.
"That's so cool! A long friendship! Also, the two of you are literally cool, especially when you practice the same magic too!" the reporter grinned excitedly. "You two make such a good pair!"
"I guess..." Gray scratched his cheek with his finger and slid his gaze away while Karissa just stayed quiet and looked at the table. Meanwhile, Juvia was giving off a weird aura that spooked the reporter.
Thankfully, the reporter didn't delve further into the subject of their relationship since he had to go around and ask more questions much to Karissa and Gray's relief. Having to be asked questions and expecting her to answer them out of nowhere kind of threw her off.
…
…
…
But the reporter, whose name she learned was Jason, wasn't done with her. He actually gathered all the Sinclost siblings together and interviewed them together.
"My colleagues are actually eager to get you all photographed for the magazine! Are you interested in doing them?!"
Karissa already had an answer to that. Van and Pandora turned their heads and looked at her since they knew she wasn't the type to have her picture taken like that. They already knew the answer. The ice mage shook her head with her lips pressed tightly. "Sorry… I'm not comfortable doing that."
Van put an arm around her and rubbed her head. "Sorry, man. If she doesn't want to do it then we don't want to force her."
To her surprise, Jason didn't look too disappointed. He just grinned at her. "Well, if you change your mind, let me know! I'd be more than willing to help you guys!"
What a strange guy…
Pandora gave him a polite smile and crossed her legs. "We'll be sure to remember that."
A week had passed since the Harvest Festival. During that time, the guild learned about Laxus' expulsion from the guild. Karissa felt saddened by the news, especially when she learned that Laxus had left Magnolia to go off on his own as freelance mage. However, this punishment was worth his actions against his guildmembers. She couldn't argue with that. She could only hope that he found work despite having no guild to be affiliated with if he chose not to join another.
Pandora did well in masking her emotions when she heard the news. However, the only thing that vaguely hinted her sadness to the news was when she took late night strolls after dinner to simply think back on the past. Van and Karissa knew about her affections for Laxus, so they just let her have some alone time. It was only after learned that she won the Miss Fairy Tail contest that she cheered up somewhat.
During that week, Karissa would go off on her own into a forest and simply train herself her magical abilities. After all, training to get stronger was never a bad thing.
She was presently lying flat on the ground, staring up at the leaves and enjoying the breeze. Her eyes closed and she inhaled deeply.
Her focus of her training was to reinforce her defense through magic. To protect herself, she often used wind magic as a sixth sense to dodge attacks like when Evergreen tried shooting her magic bullets at her from behind. Surely, she could do more with that.
She was experimenting with her wind magic and trying to find a new way to defend herself, and so far, she was slowly inching towards an idea for a new spell.
...
...
...
To help prevent Lucy from living in the streets, the usual gang had to snatch a good paying job for her rent. At first, Karissa didn't mind help out. Working as a waitress at 8-Island? Okay. Sure. No problem. She worked as a waitress before so she was pretty sure she could handle the stress and nervousness.
That was until she saw the uniform. Shoulders and collar bones exposed? Ah, hell nah. She nearly went back home if not for Gray keeping a tight grip on her hood.
Thankfully, the owner had an alternative uniform ready for her. She was allowed to wear a white dress shirt with a collar that was tied with an orange ribbon. She couldn't get rid of the orange skirt but at least her upper body was fully covered. She was alright with the skirt because it was just above her knee which were covered by white thigh socks. She was also wearing this weird frilly headset and a small apron.
Surprisingly, compared to the bar, she felt stupider in a restaurant get up.
…
…
"Can I have a number four?"
"Me too. Oh, and, uh… I'll get this parfait."
"Is that it?" Karissa spoke apathetically with her pen wriggling between her fingers. Her indifferent attitude and cool behaviour just intimidated the customers since it looked like she wasn't in a good mood even though she was just acting normal.
"Y-Yes…"
Without another word, she walked off, ripping the piece of paper off the notepad with a tired sigh.
I feel so stupid in this outfit. I wanna go home!
After she gave the order, she picked up a tray filled with a few water glasses and made her way to the table assigned to it. When she set them all down without looking at the others, she noticed Lucy fuming.
"Don't throw the serving tray!" she heard Happy reprimand while she approached them on her way back.
"Sometimes dressing up like a waiter is pretty nice." Gray spoke while giving out the drinks ordered.
"Try saying that after you put on the outfit!" Lucy practically shouted which prompted Gray to lean closer to her with a look. "Just whose rent do you think we're doing this for?"
"Urk… sorry!"
"I would have preferred if we went hunting or capturing weird people." Karissa sighed when she passed them by.
"I think most of us would." Gray responded. "But this is what we got instead."
With no other new customers coming or orders ready to be served out, Karissa just stood behind the counter and lazily leaned on it after giving the order to the chef. Yes, such a professional posture. She was definitely not cut out for customer service.
Gray and Natsu were coming to the counter after serving the orders. Karissa's eyes slid to Gray's body that had nothing but his underwear on and bow tie. She arched a brow at the sight. To this day, she couldn't understand how he couldn't realize he was taking off his clothes.
"The steak for table eight is done." The owner, Yajima, spoke from inside the kitchen.
Natsu's eyes lit up. "Ooh, I'll give it!" he answered fast before literally running into the kitchen and coming out with a piece of meat in his mouth. Karissa laughed at the sight. "Natsu," she called him in amusement and he stopped to look at her. "You're not supposed to take a nibble out of the food."
"Ah, who cares? They won't notice if I eat a piece!" He shrugged with a grin before going off to table eight.
Gray scoffed. "Pretty sure they will."
The girl just shook her head and watched him go off.
"Soba for table twelve!"
Gray nudged her when he leaned on the counter. "You go."
"What?" Karissa whined.
"Come on, I just got here."
"But I... Ugh, fine."
He smirked and patted her head. "Try smiling a little while you're at it."
Karissa blew out air and shook her head. Nope. She'd just feel twitchy forcing a smile.
With a sigh, Gray just shrugged and watched her go. Karissa definitely didn't smile all the time like Lucy, but when she did, he always found her smiles quite nice. She really should smile more often.
"Gray-kun, can you give this to table nine?"
The ice mage straightened up and resisted the urge to groan. So much for a little break. He was already getting tired of working and they weren't even through with half the hours.
"Well, thanks for all your hard work! But I never thought that kids today would work as hard as you! Come back any time."
Still dressed in the waitress outfit, Erza nodded her head. "Today was a learning experience."
Karissa, Gray and Natsu were sitting on a bench outside the restaurant with the first two slouching against the wall while Natsu threw his hands up with an inflated stomach packed with food.
"I suddenly feel more sympathetic towards Mira-chan." Gray spoke, exhausted. Karissa had her head on his shoulder, ready to sleep from the mental and physical exhaustion. She was really spent.
"Man, what a feast!"
"You ate too much restaurant food!" Lucy scolded the pink haired mage.
"By the way, Yajima-san… What happened with the Council?" Erza asked him, purely curious about the current affairs.
"Well, I've already retired."
Karissa felt Gray stiffen. "The Council?!" Gray and Natsu repeated, absolutely shocked by the revelation.
"Huh?" Lucy looked her shoulder. "Didn't you know? Yajima-san was originally a member of the Council."
Karissa snickered, a little loopy from the exhaustion, and looked at Lucy. "You really think Natsu and Gray would know anything other than the surface of what the Magic Council is?"
Even if she wasn't invested in politics, she at least knew some key figures of the Council.
"I thought at least Gray would." Lucy sighed.
The little old man rubbed his chin. "Zueg… or was it Zellal?"
"Jellal." Erza corrected.
"Right! The betrayal of Zellal and Ultear betrayed us. So, now they intend to make the New Magic Council and are making cuts in every sector. It caused problems for you all too. I am really sorry about that."
Karissa listened to Erza dismiss his apology since she knew he opposed to firing the Etherion the entire time. She recalled that moment when the Etherion was fired and the dread she felt when knowing that Natsu and Erza were still in the tower that Jellal had built. Shortly after that, the Etherion was going to explode and cause a massive explosion in which they were going to be caught in. Fear. Intense fear of death coursed through her body while she held Gray's hand in that moment.
It was close, but they managed to survive.
"I'm simply not fit for politics. As I thought, cooking is much more fun for me!" Yajima said after he whipped out a frying pan out of nowhere. Then he looked towards where Gray, Karissa and Natsu were sitting. "By the way, Natsu-kun, Gray-kun, Karissa-san… From here on out, it's going to be a new Council. I won't be there, so there's nobody to defend Fairy Tail anymore. You're going to have to think, then act."
"We will." Gray and Natsu spoke in unison while Karissa mutter about how she didn't cause as much destruction as those two. But when she thought about it, anything that made people complain about Fairy Tail was an issue.
Karissa stepped off the chair after she finished drawing out the last row. She and Reedus were tasked by Mirajane to help draw out the chart of the Balam Alliance so that everyone could get a current update on the alliance's current status and the dark guilds that are affiliated with the alliance. Karissa knew about the Balam Alliance because she researched them out of pure curiosity when she overheard the name.
She set down the light pen and backed away a few steps to get a good look at the chart for dark guilds.
"Their movements these days seem to be coordinated." Mirajane informed everyone. "So, we'll have to build up bonds between our guilds too."
"What's with that big oval there?" Elfman crossed his arms after pointing at the oval in the middle that only had three names inside of it: Oración Seis, Tartaros and Grimoire Heart.
"Juvia knows. They're the most powerful of the dark guilds. The Balam Alliance is made up of the three most powerful guilds… all of them have a number of dark guilds under their direction, and they control the underworld." The water mage explained and then added that Raven Tail was different than the rest since it acted independently.
"Hey! That's Eisenwald!" Lucy exclaimed after seeing their name.
"So it was under the direction of a guild called Oración Seis?" Gray figured out.
"Ah." Van pointed at a guild that was connected to Oración Seis. "That one. Hell Spider. Me and my sisters took that one out on a job once."
Karissa's gasped. "Oh, yeah. I remember that."
"Those guys were annoying." Pandora pushed her bangs out of her face.
"Ghoul Spirits, the one that the Raijin Tribe destroyed, was also one of them." Elfman spoke.
"When Juvia and Gajeel were in Phantom, we crushed a bunch of dark guilds, all under Oración Seis!"
Lucy shuddered in fear, looking like she was already regretting her actions against Eisenwald. "Ohh… I hope they're not too angry about it."
Wakaba laughed and waved his hand dismissively. "From the rumors I hear, they've only got six members!"
Macao scratched the back of his head. "Damn, how small a guild is it?" he wondered with a laugh.
Mirajane, who caught their conversation, was quick to snap them out of their laidback attitude by telling them that only six members is what made them strong in the first place. All of a sudden, an old gravelly voice spoke at the entrance of the guild. It was their guild master.
"Actually, about Oración Seis, we're going to be taking them on."
"Master, just what are those words intended to mean?" Erza stepped forward and looked at the master who went down the stairs to approach them all.
"The other day at the regular meeting, it became a topic of concern that the Oración Seis was moving openly. And so it became something we could not ignore. Some guild or other must go to take them down."
Karissa expelled a sigh as she knew what the master was about to say.
Gray clicked his tongue. "And we drew the short straw again, gramps?"
"And Fairy Tail will take on that role?" Juvia spoke in disbelief.
The master tucked his hands behind his back and shook his head. "No… this time, the enemy is too powerful. If we were the only ones who went after them, then the entire Balam Alliance would then target us alone. And so…" He fisted his hand in front of him. "We've decided to form our own alliance! It will consist of Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale and Cait Shelter. Each of the four guilds will choose members to send, they will combine their strength, and take down Oración Seis."
Karissa's eyebrows rose up and she nodded with a hum. "That actually sounds interesting."
"But we could handle it ourselves, no problem! Or actually, I could even handle it myself!" Natsu piped up with a confident grin.
"Overconfident idiot." Gray said, annoyed.
"The master is concerned with repercussions." Erza reminded him.
"So," Pandora crossed her arms and leaned on one leg. "Do you have an idea about who you will be sending?"
"Yes, in fact, I have already given out the names back at the meeting."
"Already?!" Van gaped. "Wow."
"So?" Gray put his hands in his pockets. "Who're the unlucky members that'll be going?"
"Erza, Natsu, Happy, Karissa, Gray and Lucy."
"Yes!" Natsu cheered loudly, fire shooting out of his mouth from his excitement.
Lucy grabbed her head and stared at the floor, completely flabbergasted with his choice. She couldn't believe the master just chose her to go on such a dangerous mission. She wanted to run away now.
Meanwhile, Karissa looked impassive for being chosen. Sounds like a lot of work…
"We happily accept the duty." Erza nodded proudly.
"Aw, man." Gray ruffled the back of his hair. "What a pain…"
With only four days before the meeting with the alliance, Karissa used up three days training her magic. She wasn't just focusing on her new spell though; she was also working on her ice magic. It was better to be prepared when she was literally going to face one of three strongest dark guilds out there.
Karissa heaved out a breath that came out as a puff of white because her surrounding area had its temperature dropped from all the ice she created. She wasn't cold though even though she was just wearing a long black t-shirt and black bike shorts and black high knee socks.
"I think I'll do one more and I'll stop."
"Zeal Cyclone." She stepped back and then swung her arm upwards to conjure a whirlwind that launched an ice pillar into the air. She kept her eyes fixed on the flying ice pillar and then generated magic power after putting her hands together for an ice spell. "Ice Make: Ice Cleaver." Two large spikes of ice shot up from the ground at a 45-degree angle when she touched the floor, then slammed onto pillar when it fell within its range.
A loud shattering sound echoed throughout the forest when the ice broke from the harsh impact. Ice flew everywhere, the smaller fragments rained down around her.
Her eyes stared at the broken pieces on the ground.
This one had more impact to it… Most of the pillar was destroyed from it. Not bad.
It was good to reinforce the power of her spells.
She heard a whistle behind her. Curiously, she looked around until she spotted a figure leaning against a tree behind her. It was Gray. He casually made his way closer to her while taking a look at his surroundings, the trees were all frosted, ice shards and water from melted ice everywhere, trees with many cuts on them that was probably from sharp wind.
She brushed off pieces of ice sitting on her body. "What brings you to my sacred land?"
"Just passing along a message from Erza."
Karissa tipped her head curiously, waiting for the message.
"She found out you were training out here and she said not to overwork yourself since we have the Oración Seis to deal with soon."
The black haired girl just yawned in response while waving her hand dismissively. "I'm not crazy. I know when to stop, I'm just getting prepared."
Gray stepped on a piece of ice and crushed it under his shoe. He trusted her on that. Determination and perseverance became part of her character after she made up her mind on making Ur proud as a mage, something he could relate to. When she was determined to improve, she always worked hard to reach her goals. Sometimes she had the habit of completely isolating herself when she was so close to perfecting a new spell, but she knew better than to keep training until she passed out. And failure only fueled her desire to reach her goal. He's seen her work hard to become strong, and he was definitely proud of her after seeing her hard work pay off.
And he didn't have to worry about her too much since she could take care of herself in a fight.
"By the way, can I show you something?" Karissa held her left arm with a hopeful look.
Gray put his hands out of his pockets. "Sure."
With his permission, she smiled a little and dropped her hand. "It's not really perfect yet but I'm trying to make it work. So, step closer to me and try to touch my hand." She lifted her right hand and wiggled her fingers. He slowly lifted his hand and approached her. His eyes darted from her hand to her face when he got closer.
He blinked.
"What the…?"
When his hand was only a few inches away from hers, he found himself having trouble pushing his hand forward. He couldn't touch her. It was like something was pushing his hand back the more he tried to push. He could feel some type of pressure on his hand. He snapped his head towards her with puzzled look. "What did do you do? I know you didn't stop my hand."
"I'm using Wind Magic." Karissa answered obviously. "My idea was to try and create a new spell to defend myself, a strong spell that could make use of the amount of power I have. So, I used condensed wind magic to surrounded my body. It's so condensed and concentrated that you barely feel any breeze when it's active unless you get within range. But that might be because it's still not perfect yet. All you feel is wind or air pressure pushing you back the closer you get because it gets stronger."
Gray's eyes crossed for a moment when noticed the slight swaying of his bangs from the light wind. He tried forcing his hand closer but he only felt a stronger pressure pushing him back.
If she got the hang of this spell, then she'd be untouchable, and surprise attacks might be useless against her.
He looked at her. "Does it burn a lot out of you?"
"I think it will." Karissa shrugged. "But I have a lot in my tank so I should be fine."
"Test it out in a sparring match with someone just to be safe." He told her. Even with her abnormal amount of magic power, he still wanted her to be careful when casting new spells that had the potential of draining her.
"Don't worry. I already asked Pandora and Van to help me out with that."
He laughed inwardly. "At least you're prepared."
She poked her tongue out and held up an 'ok' sign with her hand. "You know that I'm always careful."
"I know, I'm just looking out for you." Gray thrusted his hand hard against the pressure and actually broke through. Karissa let out a small gasp and then she lightly pouted when his palm was flat against hers. He grinned in amusement at her disappointment and they both dropped their hands.
"Like I said," she turned on her heel. "It's not perfect yet!" Gray watched her jog over to a tree branch and jump to snatch the sweater she hung on it. She slipped her arms inside the sleeves and made her way back to him.
She was done training. He didn't even have to ask. Side by side, they walked out of forest while talking about the upcoming alliance gathering.
…
…
…
The day of the allied forces coming together finally arrived. With the time and place given, Team Fairy Tail planned on departing in advance to make sure they made a good impression on the others.
For some reason, Karissa found herself walking next to Gajeel on the way to the train station. No one said anything. They just happen to be walking in the same direction and somehow ended up walking next to each other. Karissa had her headphones around her neck as she walked. She was wearing a dark gray cardigan with thin black stripes that ended mid-thigh over a long blue t-shirt, fitted blue jeans that were folded at the end, and dark blue shoes with white soles.
"Just so you know," Gajeel gruffly spoke, causing Karissa to blink and come back from her thoughts. "I am not following you. I have a mission to do."
"…" Karissa slightly turned her head. "… I didn't say anything."
Gajeel squinted and kept looking ahead with a grimace. "I'm just saying." he tried his best to speak with indifference despite being embarrassed. The two of them had been walking in awkward silence, and for some reason, he felt like clearing the air and not give her the wrong idea. Man, now he just felt stupid.
Karissa just nodded slowly, unsure how to respond to that. After all that happened with Laxus and seeing how battered Gajeel was when he fought against Laxus with Natsu, her opinion had changed. Perhaps, Master Makarov's influence and decision was helping Gajeel change, slowly changing him into a different person than he was back in Phantom Lord. She felt like she didn't have to feel so on edge around him.
When they arrived at their platform, Karissa slightly narrowed an eye when she spotted Gray sitting on a bench with Juvia sitting next to him. They were talking about something she couldn't tell from where she was. They looked immersed in their conversation. What were they talking about? She was curious.
The water mage had been spending a lot of time around Gray lately. She wasn't blind, but she did choose to ignore it most of the time. But sometimes... that irked her. She figured that was normal because she was protective of her best friend. She had a feeling that Juvia was sticking close to Gray because she might like him. Albeit she lacked experience in the field of romance, Karissa was quite observant. However, even without her observation skills, it was hard not to notice the way Juvia seemed extremely chipper and happy around Gray.
Juvia spotted Gajeel approaching and quickly stood up with her things and waved at him to get his attention. Gray turned and spotted Karissa coming towards them, he lifted his hand for a brief greeting which made Karissa slightly speed up to get to him.
"You're here early." Karissa did a lopsided grin at Gray, and he just shrugged.
"This is an important mission, right? Of course, I'm not going to be late or else Erza will kill me." Gray spoke and then crossed his arms and legs. He actually just got to the station a few minutes before Karissa did, beating her at in early punctuality this time.
"Let's go." Gajeel told Juvia, walking straight towards the train that was about to leave. The water mage nodded and then looked at Gray with a beaming smile. "Be careful, Gray-sama! Juvia will be waiting for your return when Juvia finishes the mission!"
"Yeah. You be careful too." Gray nodded and held his hand up briefly. Karissa turned to look at Juvia who was practically bouncing into the train after hearing his words.
Juvia must like him.
But…
Karissa took her backpack off her shoulder and sat on the spot opposite from where Juvia sat. She dropped her bag between her feet and leaned back on the bench. Her hands fidgeted with each other as she peered at Gray curiously who just looked at her with a raised brow.
"What?"
"Just wondering if you're ready for this whole alliance thing."
Her friend just sighed. "To be honest, I think it's a pain, but I don't really have a choice. The Master picked me."
"Yeah." Karissa chuckled softly. "I could be sleeping in right now, but I guess I'll just sleep on the train."
Gray's also pretty sharp. If she did like him, I wonder if he noticed…
…
…
…
After taking the train, they travelled via carriage the rest of the way to their destination.
Karissa was sitting next to Gray who was stuck in the middle between her and Lucy. The black haired girl had her legs crossed while she sat in front of Natsu who was just dying in front of her. She could make out the conversation her team was having despite having her new headphones on her head that she took out from her bag earlier. Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Karissa's bags were overheard while Erza's huge pack of bags were being dragged along outside.
To be honest, she was a little nervous of having to suddenly team up with a bunch of people she never met before. Then again, she supposed that wasn't really new considering her personality. Thankfully, she wasn't alone in this. During the whole ride, she just played with the hem of her cardigan to ease her nervousness.
"There's the meeting place!" Happy's voice exclaimed outside the carriage. Everyone bar Natsu took a peek outside the front window and saw a large pink building in sight. They spotted a few heart designs around the windows.
Okay... we're finally here. Relax.
Karissa slung her bag on one shoulder and then followed her team inside the building (she didn't know how Erza managed to squeeze in all her things when the door wasn't large enough for it to pass). When she walked behind Gray, she snickered at the sight of him just dropping his pants and shuffling on the carpet with his shirt and white jacket thrown over his shoulder.
Karissa covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. Oh man. This guy.
Sometimes it was just funny to watch him strip without realizing it.
"These decorations give me the creeps…" Lucy admitted when she looked around.
Erza stopped walking and crossed her arms. "It's a retreat house for Master Bob of Blue Pegasus." She explained which only made Gray and Karissa sweat drop from their experience with said master, the cheek pinching and the tight hugs from a man in purple spaghetti-strap shirt.
"Are we there yet…?" Natsu wobbled.
"No, we're still on the train." Karissa quickly replied with a grin.
Happy sighed. "No, we're already here, Natsu."
When everyone fell silent for a moment, the lights shut off and then a random spotlight shined down on sport where three people they never noticed was standing in. "Members of Fairy Tail! We've been waiting for you! We are the chosen ones of Blue Pegasus! The Trimens."
The lights then flashed back on, causing Karissa to look up in confusion. Why are they being so extra?
The one in the middle stepped forward and struck a pose. "I am Hibiki of the Hundred Nights." A tall guy with messy brownish hair spoke.
The person on his right did the same. He was blonde who was the shortest of the three. "I am Eve of the Holy Night."
"I am Ren of the Silent Night." The last one spoke. He was a tanned mage with black hair who was the tallest amongst the three.
Quietly, Karissa snickered and turned her head away towards Gray who looked at her as she quietly sang, "Silent night, holy night~"
"You're dumb." Gray shook his head with a silent laugh.
"By the way," Karissa smirked and gave Gray a light pat on the stomach. "No clothes."
"What?! Damn it!" Gray freaked and started scrambling for his forgotten clothes on the tiled floor.
While Karissa was busy watching Gray throw his clothes back on and looking at Natsu slump against a pillar, Erza and Lucy were being swept away by Ren and Eve who were showing them to some random couch that had a table with treats and drinks waiting for them. Hibiki noticed that Karissa was being left out of the treatment so he quickly waltzed over to her while she wasn't looking.
Gray scowled when he saw Ren and Eve pampering Lucy and Erza in a corner. "What's with these guys?" he muttered while properly fixing his jacket on him. He looked at Karissa and noticed her looking at him in amusement until the other Trimen slid in between them to block their view.
Gray knitted his brows while Karissa stared at Hibiki oddly, nearly eying him up and down.
"Don't think I forgot about you, Karissa Sinclost."
Oh god…
"Uh… no, it's fine." she spoke a little nervously.
Karissa wanted jerk away from Hibiki the moment he placed an arm around her. He smiled charmingly and motioned to the couch where the others girls sat.
"I'd hate to leave a girl all lonely. Come join us."
Me? Lonely? From what? Only thing I'm feeling right now is creeped out.
The moment he held her hand, she tore it away and nimbly stepped out of his bubble and shook her head with her hands up. "No, I'm alright. You carry on with those two over there." she said calmly and a little quietly which just gave him the wrong idea. Hibiki just didn't seem to take a damn hint as he placed a hand on his chest and gave her a soft look. "Ah, Karissa Sinclost, a shy girl with a cool façade. A breath of spring after the snow melts."
"What the fu…" Karissa mumbled under her breath. Yeah, she was weirded out now, not her cup of tea at all. All his flattery was just bouncing off of her.
Gray narrowed his eyes at the womanizer who wouldn't back off. Couldn't this guy see she wanted no part of it? He was getting annoyed more than he should be.
"A rare beauty, yes. You've stolen my heart."
Karissa deadpanned while Hibiki dramatically posed with sparkles shinning around him. She blinked once, twice, thrice, until she sighed and looked over to Gray, who seemed immensely irritated, and just slightly raised her hands up in defeat, not knowing what to do anymore. Her words were clearly going in one ear and out the other. Guys like him just don't back off with diplomacy.
As someone who didn't have the greatest self-confidence, she just found his compliment a load of dog shit, especially when it was clear to see that he was just womanizer. People like him just spit out pretty words without really meaning it. She was so close to pulling out her headphones and blocking out the noise.
Fed up by his lack of awareness, Gray marched over to them and just stepped in between them so he could stand in front of her. He narrowed his eyes at Hibiki as he stood tall. "You're making her uncomfortable." He stated which made Karissa nod behind him. "Can't you take a hint and stop?"
"Apparently not." Karissa mouthed to herself while also hiding a smile that was threatening to show itself. She wasn't going to lie to herself, it was nice to see Gray stand in front of her like this. Was that bad?
Hibiki's pretty face expressed annoyance at Gray's interference, he crossed his arms. "The only thing annoying is a man who gets in the way when he's not wanted."
Gray's eye twitched. "Hah?!" Was this guy blind or what?
"Oh, dear god." Karissa planted her forehead on his back, tired of the clown fest that was the Trimens.
"Now boys, shall we leave it at that?"
Hibiki, Gray and Karissa looked up together when they heard a deep voice. There was a small figure coming down the stairs at the end of the hall. Ren whipped his head towards the stairs. "It's Ichiya-sama."
"Ichiya?" Erza's strained voice repeated as the Trimens gathered together near the end of the stairs.
"How long has it been, Erza-san?" the figure in a white suit smiled at her as his dark orange wavy hair bounced with each step he took.
Erza sweat dropped at the sight, shaking at the sight of him. "I… I never dreamed you'd be taking part in this…"
The figure stopped midway down the stairs and posed with his left hand up and his right arm extended. "How I've longed to see you again, my honey! Ichiya is here!"
Everyone bar Natsu just looked at the scarlet haired woman who was shaking where she stood.
"So you were Ichiya-sama's girlfriend… We beg your pardon for our rudeness." The three musketeers apologized and bowed together.
"I deny it, with all my might!" Erza raised her voice as she pointed at them.
Karissa slumped while Gray rolled his eyes at the new addition.
"Gray, I've seen the whole circus now. I'm ready to head home."
He just pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled through his nose. "This can't be real."
All of a sudden, Ichiya was yelling at the three other Blue Pegasus members to clean up the stuff they brought out for entertainment. Then he looked at Fairy Tail like nothing happened and smiled at them.
"I have heard much of you all. Erza-san, Lucy-san, Karissa-san… and the rest."
Karissa arched a brow while Gray took major offense to that. She seriously wanted to go home when Ichiya started sniffing the air and then pointed at her and the girls, complimenting them on their wonderful 'perfume'. What did that mean? She had no idea. And she didn't want to know.
"I wanna go home." Karissa looked away, disinterested.
"Oi!" Gray raised his voice, finally reaching his limit. There was only so much clownery he could take before his patience became non-existent. "Listen you crappy Blue Pegasus boy-toys!" he shoved his hands in his pants' pockets and narrowed his eyes at them when they turned to him. "How about you stop making passes at our princesses, huh?"
Karissa pressed her lips in a straight line to stop herself from smirking.
Yes! Shut them up!
"Ah," Ichiya made a 'shoo' motion with his hand. "The men have my permission to leave."
Gray gritted his teeth and Karissa could sense the anger radiating off him yet didn't bother to try and cool him down since she actually wanted Gray to speak his mind. To add fuel to the fire, the Trimens just bowed and thanked him for coming as if he was some random guest at a party.
The raven haired male's eye twitched. "They send posers like you on an important mission?! Are you trying to pick a fight?!"
The black haired girl was wondering if she could just slip out and wait outside for the rest of the alliance to show up. That way, she'd have some peace and quiet and pray for the rest to be normal. She actually considered it because she was already facing the other way to the entrance.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Erza's voice echoed in the building.
Just as Karissa was about to turn and look, she felt something fly above her head, scaring the hell out of her while making her evoke a yelp. She clumsily stumbled from her fright and watched Ichiya get his head frozen solid when he came into contact with someone standing at the entrance. They were wearing a long white coat with dark fur around the neck and cuffs on top of a red high-collar tunic with white pants that had a snakeskin design.
Karissa blinked in surprise and her mouth fell slightly open when she realized who stood there. She thought she was seeing things.
It was Lyon Vastia.
"This is quite the greeting." His eyes looked up from Ichiya with annoyance. "You consider yourselves equal to Lamia Scale?"
"Lyon?!" Gray exclaimed in disbelief.
Lyon's eyes widened. "Gray? … and Karissa?"
Natsu, who recovered from his motion sickness, gaped at the familiar face. "You… joined a guild?!"
Lyon didn't respond with a verbal response. Instead, he just threw the short man towards them without a care. Karissa just sidestepped with a grin as Ichiya flew past her and bounced on the ground near Gray and Lucy who moved out of the way. Oh, yes. She liked this better. She nearly thanked Lyon for doing that.
Gray turned back to Lyon. "What do you think you're doing?!"
The older pupil just smirked as he stepped further into the hall, closer to his old classmates who were nearest to the entrance. "You're the ones who started it."
"What do you think you're doing to our General?"
"How awful!"
"I think all the men should just leave."
"Oh? But there's a woman here as well."
A section of the carpet near Lucy started to flutter until it rose and made Lucy stumble before revealing the person responsible. Another familiar face with pink hair and a pink dress appeared with a smirk. It was Sherry, one of Lyon's comrades from Galuna Island.
Karissa stood on the side between Lyon and Gray as they narrowed their eyes at each other. She was ignoring the chaos around her and focusing on the two guys with a small grin. For some reason, she felt a little happy to see Lyon again, especially knowing how he took their advice and joined a guild.
"Lyon…"
"Gray…"
"Throwing him like that wasn't necessary."
"If someone wants to start a fight, then I'll simply fight back."
Karissa snickered and put her hands in her cardigan's pockets, suddenly in a jesting mood. "Ladies, we're here as allies. So, let's not argue with each other, alright?"
Lyon was about to say something until her words sank in. He looked at her with knitted brows. "What did you just call me?"
All of a sudden, a sharp sound echoed throughout the building followed by a booming voice. "Cease this! We are here to unite as allies to defeat the Oración Seis! Is this time for infighting?!"
It was a tall and massive man who wore a strange garb and boots that Karissa could currently describe as ancient-looking. He wore an odd helmet that looked like a crocodile. In his hand was a staff, it was probably what he used to create that sharp loud sound.
Lyon looked at the person with admiration. "Jura-san."
Jura Neekis. One of the Ten Wizard Saints. He was currently the ace of Lamia Scale. To have such a presence in their alliance sure made everyone feel a little at ease.
Jura observed the faces in front of him once they settled down. Even if he didn't recognize all their faces, he knew enough to know that Fairy Tail and Blue Pegasus were accounted for. He nodded. "Now we have three guilds accounted for. All that's left is the group from Cait Shelter."
Ichiya stood up and posed like as if his face and hair wasn't messed up from Lyon's ice and Erza's hits. "You say group… but I have heard it will be only one."
Everyone stilled for a brief moment when he said that.
"They only sent one person for a mission as dangerous as this?"
"Maybe it's someone powerful?" Karissa guessed with a nonchalant shrug. It was the guild master's responsibility to judge who was fit to participate. So, if the guild master of Cait Shelter chose only one person, then maybe one person alone was enough.
"Still…!" Lucy gaped at the possibility. "But then how scary is this person?!"
On cue, a person ran into the building only to trip over their own feet with a squeak, sending their white bag flying across the carpet. Karissa's eyes fixed the person on the floor. It was a child. The sight was different from what she pictured. She tipped her head in wonder.
"That hurt…" the girl whined before getting up on her feet. They quickly fixed their messy blue hair and patted down their little dress after picking up her bag before timidly looking up at everyone. "U-Um… I'm sorry I'm so late!" she tucked her hands behind her back. "I'm from Cait Shelter, I'm Wendy. It's nice to meet all of you!" she offered a polite smile while everyone was just taken back by her.
"A child?!"
"A girl?"
This was the last thing anyone imagined what their finally addition would look like.
Keeping things light with this chapter before we dive further into the Oración Seis Arc. It wasn't planned, but I added little moments of training to show more of Karissa's character.
SnowPaws101Reverie: I'm glad you liked Pandora and Laxus together! They were seriously a last minute decision XD. And yes, I will skip the parts where Karissa isn't involved because this is her story. It would be waste of time to write chapters that's basically a written-version of Fairy Tail just to make the chapter longer.