Re:Freezing Chapter 46: Dry Flower, a fairy tail fanfic

The Grand Magic Games.

Fairy Tail's participation was decided after making the decision to get back their guild's previous ranking. Despite protests from those mostly excluded from the Tenrou Island fiasco, the choice to participate still came to be after a whole Master-title jump (Gildarts was supposed to be the next Master but he just hopped onto the next train and ping ponged the title back to Master Makarov, so yeah).

Karissa was obviously more informed by thanks to her encounter with Sting and Rogue but it was still interesting to hear her guild's explanation and opinions on it.

Also, she originally planned to join Pandora and Van for a rare chance to train together… that is until she found out she was tagging along with Laxus' group when Van meddled a little. Remembering her conversation with Laxus, she was quick to back away from that trip with a split second smirk directed at Laxus. She was pretty sure he gave her an eye roll.

That led to Lucy, Erza and Gray inviting Karissa to the beach for training.

…

Karissa gave them a suspicious look.

"Training, right?"

"Yeah! It'll be so much fun!" Lucy smiled with fists pumps. Natsu and Happy had already ran home to do some quick packing after they decided on the location. This time, they'd be sure to properly hide their recently earned moola from any thieves. Wendy and Carla were also gone to prepare. And since Karissa wasn't with them when they discussed, they quickly went to ask her before she went off on her own again as she did these days.

Karissa tutted her finger at Lucy. "See, you getting all excited for the beach makes me skeptical about 'training at the beach'."

Gray crossed his arms and leaned his weight on one leg. "Come on, we've got three whole months to prepare. What's the harm of having a little fun while training?"

Erza smiled and put a thoughtful hand on her chin. "Training on sand is good since a change in environment can challenge your body's fundamental strengths."

Karissa deadpanned. No. It was obvious that Erza was clearly looking forward to relaxing at the beach. That would be excused though since Erza was already very tough. Her eyes slid from the scarlet haired mage to the cool faced Gray who just looked a little amused by her unconvinced expression. She knew that he could tell she wasn't sold on the idea. Now, she was waiting for him to give a much more convincing argument.

"Erza's got a point. Doing stuff on sand has an effect on your body."

"Like balance and stuff?"

Gray nodded and held up his arms as if to pretend to block a blow. "Makes it good for combat. You could use it." He stomped his left foot on the floor three times. "The sand will build your leg strength."

"And you know this how?"

He scoffed. "Because I've done it once. It makes a big difference on solid ground." He gave her a look as if to say 'it's worth it'.

Karissa pursed her lips and looked away. Gray would now and then remind her about hand-to-hand combat since he wanted to keep on her toes to avoid her getting rusty. She understood that it was also because he didn't want her getting caught with her pants down if she did get rusty.

Also, she didn't feel like going through the trouble to put 'distance'. It was actually getting annoying despite the good motivation like she told Laxus.

"Come on," Lucy went to her side and nudged her arm. "Having the whole team together could be very beneficial." She grinned with anticipation. "We could improve on our teamwork and such!"

Spending a whole three months at the beach just wasn't going to be possible unless they camped everyday and made trips to get more clothes from home.

Whatever time wasted on fun would already be compensated with her training from the past week. So, technically, she could take the first week off… But since this was the Grand Magic Games, where a bunch of supposedly great mages would participate, it would be a little foolish to think she could take it easy. It was always good to be safe than sorry.

Karissa heaved out a defeated sigh after thinking over it.

"Okay…"

"Perfect." Erza clapped her hands with a satisfied smile. "This will be a wonderful training camp."

"Yep!" Lucy agreed.

"I don't see why you need me to come." Karissa rolled her shoulders back. "I'm not exactly an extrovert. You could do without me."

"Oh, yeah, we know you aren't a ray of sunshine." Gray smirked which only earned him a shrug of agreement.

"It wouldn't be the same if the whole team wasn't there." Erza replied. "As I've said before, you sell yourself short."

"Alright, alright." Karissa waved her hands dismissively. It was time to put a period on this.

After making plans to meet at the train station, Lucy and Erza were leaving the guild together, leaving Gray and Karissa together. The latter figured she might as well pack some clothes now instead of saving it for the last minute.

With a short yawn, she told Gray she was heading out to prepare too. Pandora would probably throw in a sunscreen bottle in her bag along with the stuff she'd remind her to pack.

"Karissa."

Stopping curiously, her head looked over her shoulder and saw Gray looking like he wanted to ask her something. Her body straightened properly while he scrubbed the back of his head with his hand. He looked unsure of what to say. Her face was asking him to go on and ask, patient. But nothing came out. Frustrated with himself, he scratched his head a few times a bit more harshly before dropping his hand to his side.

"It's nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Okay then.

Karissa nodded and continued walking.

Gray sighed and brought up a hand to pinch to bridge of his nose.

Laxus' words were somehow making him doubt.

…

The next day, Karissa showed up at the train station in the morning. Obviously, she showed up a bit earlier as planned because she wanted to avoid any rush. Her person carried a single bag that carried at least five sets of clothes with essential stuff. Pandora was the one who showed her how to magically fold her clothes into a tiny hand towel. How did she learn this?

All she knew is that it created so much space for whatever else she had to bring.

Right now, she was currently sitting on a bench with her headphones on. Arms crossed across her chest with legs crossed was the perfect way to slouch a little and listen to music while waiting.

She paused.

"Hold on…"

Her body twisted a bit to reach for her backpack. There was something she remembered. In her bag had to be a specific magic book that she had been studying for a while. Yes, she made sure to throw it in before going to bed, but perhaps she made a mistake to throw in another book instead?

It was probably her overthinking it though…

Her fingers dropped in and felt around for the edges of the book. She didn't have to pull it out to know the book. The cover had a certain texture that was unmistakable.

That feels like the title letters…

Karissa wondered if she should just pull it out to be sure.

…

While Karissa was busy feeling for her book, Gray was walking further into the station to reach his platform after he purchased his ticket. He came a little earlier in hopes that a certain someone would be there. He was so familiar with her habits. It would almost be unlikely she wouldn't be there earlier than everyone else. As he stepped off the stairs, he spotted her form sitting on a bench by herself. Trying not to look eager, he made a beeline for her.

He didn't have a reason to believe she was avoiding him. The last time they interacted, they were clearly on good terms.

But if she were avoiding him, he couldn't know why. They never really got into any serious argument. What could suddenly change the good relationship they always had?

However, the more he thought about it, he soon started correlating her refusal to go on a job with him as a sign. And soon, that led to him thinking back to when he was wondering where she was just before he went on a job and met her by chance at Magnolia station.

If that was the case, then wasn't she basically avoiding him for a week?

But he didn't have any proof. He was just trying to fit pieces into the puzzle that concluded Karissa avoiding him. He would have to ask her directly what was wrong.

Gray just hoped Laxus was messing with him for fun.

The tall dark haired ice mage stopped behind the smaller one and tilted his head to peek at what she was doing. There was no sign from her to show that she noticed him. It looked like she was checking inside her bag. Quietly, he slowly sat down next to her, keeping in mind even the slightest noise could alert her even if her ears were covered. He brought his bag on his lap and put an arm on the backrest behind them opposite from her. He waited.

He waited and listened to her zip her bag closed. Once she turned to rest her back properly, her head made a quick turn to him when she sensed him in her peripheral vision. She didn't even see who it was. Her body jerked away and she took a jump away to put space between the stranger and herself. Gray snorted with a hand up to his mouth, shoulders shaking as he suppressed small laughs. He could already tell she was glaring at him.

With a nudge from her head, her headphones lid off her head and hooked around her neck.

"You like scaring me?"

"Just a little," he held up a little space between his thumb and index. "Because you're a bit jumpy."

"I'm about to jump and drop kick you onto these rails." Karissa spat, nudging her head to the train rail behind her. As if to feign anger, she put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't be mean." Gray patted the spot next to him. There was nothing wrong with her response. She simply went back to her seat and sat in the same spot she was in before she jumped away. There wasn't any sign of her wanting to move away from him.

Ergo, there wasn't any obvious sign of her avoiding him.

And yet, he couldn't help but keep the pieces of presumed signs still tight in his hands, unsure whether or not to throw them away.

…

"You better get your shit together with Karissa. If she's still avoiding you by tomorrow, you'll regret it."

…

Remembering the older man's words had him scratching his head once again.

It was better to just ask.

They were both adults now so they should be able to communicate properly.

Karissa was about to put her headphones back on until she heard Gray speak to her. The words didn't quite register in her mind so she looked at him with lifted eyebrows.

"What?"

Gray lifted a leg to cross, leaning sideways against the bench to rest his arm on the backrest. "Is everything alright with you?"

Karissa blinked. A nod. "Yeah, why?" Pure confusion laced her voice. Did he think she was upset over something? What gave him that idea?

Gray let out another sigh. He might as well just get straight to the point instead of beating around the bush. "Laxus said something about you avoiding me. Is that true?"

For a split second, her eyes slid away while his words sank in properly. Laxus did what? He opened his mouth? And for what? Annoyance flooded her mind, and a half irritated crossed her face while her head move a little. Laxus' unnecessary meddling would just create a stupid domino effect that she had no interest in participating in!

Gray's dark blue eyes blinked twice. The response he expected was one that would promptly dismiss his concern to prove she was fine. She didn't deny it. "Wait… you were? He was serious?" he lowered his leg and put his hand on his lap. "Why, what happened? Did I do something?"

Karissa lightly shook her head, shaking her bangs. "You didn't do anything." She quickly assured. The last thing she wanted was for him to move cogs over an assumption. It was already too late to lie about the 'avoiding' part. Too much had been said despite having said so little. The only way to proceed was to continue the bridge… and maybe deviate from the proper route to find another lie.

But…

…

"Love and emotions are fucking annoying."

A big hand landed on her head, two gentle taps came. Confused by the gesture, she looked at him with curious eyes.

"I think you might have it bad." He pulled away, avoiding the smack aimed for his hand the moment she growled. He got up and took her arm to try to pull her up. "If you want my opinion, I think you should still tell him. What better way to move on than get a plain rejection in your face? But that's something you can think about tomorrow." When she refused to get up and just frowned on the bench, he rolled his eyes. One strong tug was all it took to force her out of her seat and up on her feet. He had to drag her along with him when she dragged her shoes. "For now, it's time to sleep or else I'll leave you on the train when you doze off."

Karissa huffed. Playfully, she stuck her tongue out for that little threat.

…

She considered still telling him after her talk with Laxus because of the potential closure. She might be able to properly to stuff her feelings away in an envelope and stamp a nice seal of rejection before sending it off. It would properly end the chapter of her needless and complicated feelings of love.

And just like Cana and Laxus said, life is too short and she might regret not taking a chance to say anything.

Yeah… maybe I should just say it…

I know what the answer is so there's nothing to be afraid of.

A rejection to my face.

Take my heart and drop it into pieces, please.

Karissa sighed and removed her headphones from her neck. Her headphones hooked awkwardly around her thigh.

The first thing to do would be to dismiss and clarify things.

"You and Laxus could call it avoiding… but I wouldn't. I would call it putting some distance because I needed time for… let's say a personal problem that just happened to involve you. But like I said, you didn't do anything."

I might as well just be a little honest instead of taking detours.

"You weren't just busy." Gray spoke. "You really were avoiding me. No, that might be beyond avoiding if you disappeared from everyone else." This wasn't just something she had to keep to herself in the faces of others. "You tell me I didn't do anything, so what was it about me that made you put 'distance'?"

"Ah… it's not that easy to say." Karissa scratched her neck. It really isn't. No matter how much she says stuff about love like it's not a big deal, it was actually hard to live up to her own expectations. "I almost feel like dying with it. Almost. How do I put this…? It involves you, yeah, but it's mostly about me? I don't if that makes sense."

Gray scooted closer and gave her a concerned look. "You can tell me. I can help you if you want." His voice was soft now. Karissa couldn't help but smile a little like a little fool for that. "Yeah, I know." She looked at him with a little grin. "Because we're best ancient, pre-historic, childhood friends, right?" She exaggerated.

The friendzone terms made him mentally stagger. Oh, how he wished that truly wasn't the case. But not knowing what she truly felt just lessened the blow. With that in mind, he closed his eyes and forced a smile as he nodded. "Yeah."

Of course, he'd agree.

"Is it serious?" Gray was just worried that she was a bottling something up again. He didn't want her to crumble in silence.

"Nah, but it's important to me, I guess."

Gray stared at her eyes as if to gauge whether or not she was lying through her teeth. "But you're okay?"

"Of course!" Karissa puffed her cheeks. "You've seen me! I'm fine! It's just that it's really something I have to deal with before I tell you." She flexed her hands a bit. "By the way, would you… uh, ever like decide to stop being friends with me over a fight or a misunderstanding between us?"

Odd question out of nowhere. But there was no hesitation in his answer. He actually squinted his eyes and moved his head a little as if she told him strawberries were yellow. "What, no. I wouldn't." Whatever fight or misunderstanding they could have could be fixed and amended. She wasn't someone unreasonable and he was in no way someone who couldn't use communication to fix problems. As long as they were willing to, they could always find a way to get a long. They weren't that petty.

Then he paused. "No, actually that depends on what it was about."

Knowing what he was insinuating, she scoffed. "Yes. I'm actually the leader of the dark guild, Eidolon. I've hidden that from you this whole time."

Jesting made the mood lighten up. Just a moment ago, her heart, if it had arms, was dancing around with delight from seeing him while outstretching its arms to him when she sat next to him. And then slowly, as they kept talking, its little arms retreated and wrapped around itself, making itself look smaller to protect itself. Now, it felt safe enough to slowly lower its arms.

"Then I'll get to watch Pandora to give you the biggest ass whooping of your life."

This blunt response made them both laugh. Imagining such image seemed so farfetched yet so realistic knowing the older woman. It really wouldn't be impossible for Pandora not to do that. As long as she was the oldest, she believed she still had the right to discipline those who walked behind her.

"I know you wouldn't just pitch our friendship out the window. I just… I don't know, I felt like asking." Karissa admitted. She tugged her sleeves to hide her hands and then rubbed her thumbs against her index fingers. A nervous gesture, Gray noted. It was something she often used to do whenever she got nervous or if she stood in the back awkwardly as fresh teens. He now knew this question was related to her personal problem. Just what was troubling her enough to separate herself from everyone?

He placed a supporting hand on one of hers and tightened his hold. Puzzled by the gesture, she looked at him for an answer. "I won't." he promised. "It's like I told you before, you're important to me, I won't leave you alone. Since when do I say things I don't mean?" He shifted his eyes away for a second, reconsidering his next choice of words. What came out next was literally a coded version of what he felt. "I'll always be there for you."

She saw him avert his eyes sheepishly. Only for one second. Otherwise, he was looking at her seriously with a reassuring hand on hers.

Ah.

When he says it like that, that just gives me that false hope that I know is stupid.

But besides that, I'm happy for just this.

And because of that, she wished to be properly shut down now.

"Thank you." Came her meek response. She slightly lowered her head and smiled a bit, almost bashfully.

"Do you still need space?"

"I don't need it. I actually miss you guys. And I'd hate to make you cry over missing me." She joked, remembering his jest from that day.

His hand then tousled her hair gently. "Yeah, yeah." This didn't seem to be the case of bottling up troubles. That was a relief. "Is there anything I can do to help at least?"

There were only two things he could do for her.

"Just give me time. I just have to write down all the details by the end of the day."

Just a little lie.

That was her resolve now. She just needed a bit more courage than right now.

Hearing this, Gray frowned. His hand loosed on hers but still lingered on it. "You don't need to rush."

"I want to get it over with." A grin came on her face. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll know exactly what to do when I tell you. And then, I think I'll feel better. This problem has been on my mind for a long time."

If that's what she needed, then that was okay. "… Okay, I'll wait then." Gray then fell silent and looked down. She wondered what he was thinking of right now. Maybe keeping the 'you're the reason I'm like this' was better left unsaid. He didn't have to think too much about it if it wasn't his fault.

With a frown, she lifted her hand and dropped it on his shoulder to pat it. Just as she was about to say something, he lifted his head again and looked at her seriously.

"I, uh, want to tell you something—"

"Gray and Karissa, sitting in a tree,"

The two of them snapped their head to the side to find Happy flying near them. His little hands covered his mouth as he gave them a teasing look.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G~!"

They both deadpanned at the cat.

Gray was the first to move when he reached to lightly swat the cat away. "Shut up!"

"I'm about to make stir-fry cat." Karissa droned.

Fearing for his life, the cat flew away from the two cold mages and rejoined Natsu and Lucy who were still at least five meters away from joining them.

"What were you going to say?"

Gray turned back to look at her. "Huh? Oh, uh." He was just so caught up in the moment that he felt moved to tell her like how he wanted to before, temporarily forgetting his own doubts and insecurities. That would seem maybe selfish of him when she was troubled over something. Like as if reaching his out to something unattainable, his hand falls back down to his side. He represses. Now was absolutely not a good time. "I'll tell you next time."

And maybe he would this time.

Their private conversation was then stopped and reserved for another time. Karissa was actually glad she spoke to him a little about it. It gave her reason to tell him next time. She basically created a time limit for herself to get ready. There was no going back now.

As children, she often used to call him a weirdo.

Today, right now, she was a weirdo.

Just a bit more courage and time for this little coward please.

…

For some reason, Levy, Jet, and Droy were tagging along. She was surprised to see them join. According to those guys, they were participating to train and become the goals for their training. Funny. She had a feeling she could easily blow away Droy with a powerful wind attack though. Lucy was the one who invited Levy. Also, Juvia was there too. But she wasn't surprised about that. Juvia claimed that she could never pass an opportunity to see Gray in his swimsuit. Lucy and Karissa retorted that it was no different than him walking around in his underwear.

Right now, Karissa was dressed in a long white loose cardigan over a blue t-shirt with brown knee shorts and black high knee socks. She was also wearing the fedora that she bought with Evergreen to protect her face from the accursed sun. Hanging on her body was a small bag for a book, her wallet and a water bottle.

"Ah, Karissa! Did you put on sunscreen?"

Karissa stopped when she heard Levy calling her. When she turned around, her eyes spotted the petite girl armed with a bottle of sunscreen.

"Yeah!" She held up an ok sign with her hand. Then she paused. "No, wait I forgot to put it on my face."

Levy giggled a little and waved her over when she saw her turn back to go back to her things. Karissa chuckled and obediently went over to the girl. Levy deadpanned for a second when Karissa just bent her body a whole fifty-five degree angle with her arms tucked behind her back.

"I don't know if I should be offended."

Karissa tipped her head. "You want to jump up to my height? Wanna stand on stool?"

Levy huffed and lightly slapped her cheek with cream which only made her laugh in response. "I should just let you go out and become a burnt pancake."

"I think the hat would protect me though."

"Trust me it's not enough. Sunscreen is safer!"

Eye roll. "Yes, mom."

"I'm not Pandora!" Levy laughed and poked her forehead. "There we go. You sure you wanna wear that outside? It's hot today!"

"Ice mage." Karissa reminded on her way out. She was gonna have to scope around to find a good place with trees. The training she was doing needed to have stuff around her. She didn't want to affect the sand or the water, so she figured that trees and rocks were her best choice. The attire was also because of training. Even as an ice mage with a resistance to cold, there was a certain line that could be considered cold. She was only human after all. She could either be immune or simply resilient. Even she would feel cold if she was dumped into freezing water for hours.

Basically, she was playing with something potentially dangerous.

Lyon would surely disapprove of it.

When she made it close to the exit of the building, she spotted Gray in just swimsuit standing in front of a mirror. He was actually facing his back towards the mirror while looking back at his reflection. There was a bottle of sunscreen on the side. He was trying to cover his back. It was funny how his face twisted with annoyance every time he missed. Without saying anything, she placed herself within the mirror's reflection and stood there, watching him with a grin.

His eyes spotted her.

Gray stretched his arm further back.

"Ah fuuuck!"

He stiffened and lowered his arms. He just gave himself a cramp in his left arm.

"Nice." Karissa breathed a laugh, catching his attention. "You looked like you were trying to lick something off your elbow."

He saw her smirking in the reflection. He turned around and gave her scowl. "What am I, some circus show?"

Might as well be nice to the guy who just cramped himself.

"Alright," she started walking towards him with her hand out. "Hand it over."

"It's fine." Gray waved his other hand dismissively, hissing from the pain. "I can do it on my own. I just gave myself a cramp…"

"Obviously." She didn't wait for him and just snatched the bottle from the counter. She held his shoulder and turned him around for her. "Think of it as a fee for watching you hurt yourself."

"Okay, give it back!"

"I'm joking! Turn around!"

Karissa grinned like a little kid who found a cookie jar while he just scowled at his reflection. At least she'd cover his back within a few seconds. If he did it, it would probably take two minutes.

"By the way, what's with the hat?" Gray wondered curiously. "You usually wear hoods."

"Meh, I actually went shopping with Evergreen and just ended up buying it."

"With Evergreen?"

"I was dragged."

He reached his good arm back to swiftly take it off her head while she was busy. He held it in front of him and flipped it around a few times while holding the wide brim. "It's nice. I think it suits you."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, hold on, look up." Gray put her hat back on her head while still facing the mirror. When he neatly adjusted it on her head, he took a step away to reveal her reflection. She nonchalantly poked her tongue out at him. "Yeah, you look nice." Karissa grinned at the compliment. She was glad he thought the same as when she first wore it. It looked like she made the right choice to buy it.

When she finished putting the coat of sunscreen on his back, she slapped his shoulder blades.

"Ow!"

"Done!"

"That hurt!" he snatched the bottle from her and squeezed out some. One smack to the forehead should do it. With a yelp, she backed away from him and went around a trash can. He narrowly missed!

"I already put some on my face!"

"A second thick coat to the face." Gray offered with a hand full in his palm.

While they played a little game of cat and mouse, they were unaware of a long blue haired mage staring at them with almost a crazy wide eyed look as she gripped the side of the wall.

"Love rival…"

Most of the time, Karissa was hidden away from everyone else to do her training. She spent her hours surrounded by cold as she practiced and studied. When it came to training, she worked hard to keep being a proficient wizard. She mixed up her training a little so she wouldn't be so laser focused on one thing. Ice and wind had their fair share of turns.

Wendy was the one to point out her absence when she found her walking nearby. Karissa was on her way back from buying something to consume during her break, a chocolate chip cookie that was still warm from the oven.

They were currently sitting together with their backs resting against a rock. Karissa had her hat on, so the sun wasn't too unbearable. Wendy was showing her the papers she received from Porlyusica, apparently the Edolas version of her adoptive parent.

Karissa made a choking noise. "Huh? That lady is your dragon's counterpart."

Wendy sheepishly smiled with her papers in front of her mouth. "I was surprised too! But she smelled just like her…"

"… Can a little ant suddenly be the king of Edolas?"

They paused.

That wouldn't actually be impossible if Porlyusica was who she said she was.

"That would actually be amazing." Wendy lowered her papers on her knees. "That's like saying you can be anything in life." She said with optimism.

"In another world though." Karissa added, grinning, little amused by Wendy's hint of innocence.

"Oh, right…" Wendy giggled a bit. She showed Karissa her papers when the older girl wanted to take a closer look. As Wendy observed her, she couldn't help but notice how chilly Karissa's fingers were when they brushed hers. Even though she was an ice mage, she still possessed warmth. And it wasn't like when she created her usual ice. If so, then the chill should have faded by now. No, it was like it was still sticking to her even after fifteen minutes had passed under the sun.

Like as if she had been stuck inside a freezer for hours.

"Karissa-san, why are you so cold?"

"Hm?" she didn't remove her eyes away from the paper. "Oh, y'know… magic stuff." She wanted to keep this goal of hers a secret. Why? Just for fun, that's all. "I guess you could say that I'm like you. I'm working on a secret spell for the Grand Magic Games… well, actually I've been working on it for a week now. I'm just keeping what I'm doing a secret." She put a finger up to her lips as she shifted her head to glance at Wendy, a smirk decorating her face. "It's somehow much more gratifying like that."

"Oh..." Wendy's interest was piqued. "And how have you been doing?"

"I'd say I made good progress. I think I'd be ready to use it during the Grand Magic Games." Karissa grinned. "Hard work brings success. I'm an advocate for that." Deciding it was best to leave Wendy to her own training, she handed the little Dragon Slayer her study papers. "Anyway, good luck. I'm gonna go continue my training." The ice mage started getting back up. "I'm looking forward to whatever you're cooking up."

Hearing Karissa openly cheer for her, the more quieter member of the team, made Wendy smile. She suddenly felt more determined to work hard on her training. "I'll do my best!"

Karissa ruffled her hair. On the way back, she was going to finish her cookie so she can read more from her tome. While walking she spotted Gray and Juvia near the water. It looked like the water mage was offering him a snack.

"I'm not hungry. I'm actually thirsty."

"Juvia has water!" The blue haired mage used her magic to shoot water to where she was seated earlier to pick up a resting water bottle near her chair. Once it was in her hands, she presented it to Gray with a major blush on her face. "It's made from Juvia's own water!"

Karissa immediately grimaced. "… Fucking yuck." She laughed to herself just as Gray quickly denied the water. "Water and sweat mixed together." The ice mage chortled to herself just as she stepped into the shadows of the towering trees.

I still got work to do.

As Gray spotted her, he couldn't help but noticed the pep in her step and she went deeper into the little forest.

…

Hour of the rabbit.

All the girls had called it a day and decided to reserve the final hours dedicated to their well being and enjoyment (as if they didn't already do that during the day...) Lucy and Levy had to literally yank Karissa away from her magic tome since she resisted joining the bath and was too focused on reading. Closing the book allowed thoughts that were temporarily stopped to resume their track in her mind while she sat in the water of the hot spring. Like the last time, she was hugging her knees and sitting by a rock while the other girls stretched their arms and expressed relief in their birthday suits.

This uncomfortable setting plus the confession she deliberately forced herself into doing was what preoccupied her mind at the moment.

How the heck am I going to tell him?

All she knew is that she had to tell him today to get rid of it. And she had to do it without Juvia listening in because she didn't need to stir a pot of needless drama sprinkled with endless blue jealousy and suspicion. She might not get any sleep tonight from the embarrassment… but it would be load off her shoulders once she makes it clear that she'll just let her feelings fade away like dry flowers.

"Oiii~! Karissa!"

"What." The black haired girl almost grumpily replied. Lucy giggled a little at the sight of Karissa trying to make herself as small as possible by a rock. "You're so far away!" she said with her hands cupped around her mouth. "Come over here!"

Karissa shook her head furiously. "Too much moonlight."

"Don't worry, you won't turn into a demon. This isn't Galuna Island." Lucy jested while Karissa deadpanned at the blonde.

"Harhar."

The Celestial mage was about to beckon her over but then spotted Juvia hiding behind a rock. Like with the female ice mage, she tried to make her join the spot where most of the girls were gathered. Levy and Erza also tried to coax her out. This only prompted Juvia to hide herself even more while mumbling inaudible words. Juvia was embarrassed. Lucy lowered the hand that was beckoning Juvia over. Her eyes went back and forth between Juvia and Karissa who were the most withdrawn of the group.

"You two are similarly shy with your bodies, huh?" Lucy mused with Levy. Her words slowly had them looking at each other. And then they awkwardly looked away.

Karissa flexed her fingers in the water and rested her chin on her knees. She looked very small in her form, especially with how she stared down at the water to spot the stars in the reflection.

How should I even say it?

'Ay yo, Gray, I have feelings for you but I know you don't feel the same, because why the hell would you? Anyway, just wanted to tell you because I'm sick of my own feelings. Now, your response?'

Karissa smiled to herself. That was silly.

All of a sudden, she heard Lucy scream bloody murder. Freaked, Karissa looked at Lucy who stood in the water with a towel covering her front.

"What is it, Erza?!"

"… Nothing… I sensed intruders. Perhaps it was my imagination."

Karissa deadpanned.

Nope. Time to get out.

"It couldn't be the guys peeping, could it?

"That'd be the worst!"

"Gray-sama would never do such a thing!"

"Eh?! Karissa! Where are you going?!"

Karissa scowled with her towel firmly wrapped around her body. She looked at Lucy who was still protecting her body. "Erza thought there were intruders. I draw the line there. You think I'm gonna risk other people look at me naked even though there isn't anything to look at? Nah, I'm out. I have a dignity to protect." She spat. She couldn't relax with that thought in mind.

Upset, Lucy frowned and glared at the wall. "If that was really the guys, then they really made Karissa upset!" Levy, feeling the effects of Karissa's words, was inching closer to the rock the taller girl was previously situated. The Solid Script made remarked that she might just kill them if she ever found out the guys were indeed there.

"Well then, I suppose we should check and force out an apology." Erza calmly said before marching towards the wall. Displeased by the thought of the guys making Karissa uncomfortable. All the guys at the beach should know full well what kind person Karissa was. If they dared to try it anyway, then Erza had another thing coming for them.

Hearing this, the guys who were indeed on the other side, Natsu, Gray, Jet and Droy, looked at each other in alarm. The first of the three wasted no time bolting away as quietly as possible followed by the quiet yet quick scampering of Gray and Jet, leaving the last to fend for himself. Poor Droy gaped at how fast they disappeared and was about to follow until he felt a drop of water land on his head.

He looked up.

Erza was staring down at him with the most menacing glare.

Current room occupiers of the nearby inn all heard a howl of pain echo throughout the night.

Perhaps it was a wolf?

A wolf caught by red ridding hood who got sliced open?

…

The female ice mage was sitting by the window. She was dressed in her yukata that surprisingly warmed her up after her body felt chilled. Her hair was well brushed and dry as well. Now, she was just sitting and reading her tome with her headphones on. Her free hand was lifted practice a little even more. This spell she was learning was exciting.

Control the cold…

Don't let it spread too much…

Unbeknownst to her, Juvia had entered the room by herself. She had also decided to retreat back to the rooms after her embarrassment meter reached its peak. Her imagination also was a reason. She believed that Karissa was going to be with Gray, because there was no way he was peeking on them after all, she thought that the female ice mage would try to make a move on her beloved Gray.

Well.

She was wrong.

Just as she usually was when she tried to read Karissa.

The black haired mage let out a little sigh as she flipped the page.

Just then, Juvia let out a surprised yelp when a staff of the inn opened the door to deliver their food. Karissa merely nudged her head backwards to slide her headphones down to hook around her neck. Her book made a clear sound as she closed it and set it near the window. She would continue reading later. Perhaps before going to bed. Right now, she was going to help set the table. Juvia thought she never noticed her after she came into the room because she was surprised at the immediate move to help the staff.

"We'll set the table. It's fine." Karissa gently took the tray from the older woman who smiled at her as the tray was easily taken from her.

"You didn't have to go through the trouble."

"It's fine." Karissa repeated, shaking her head. "I have nothing to do anyway but read." She said with mirth colouring her tone. Juvia followed behind her while also reassuring the woman that they could handle it from here. With that, the woman wished them a pleasant evening with their meal and took her leave. She would arrive later to pick up what was left. In silence, the two mages were setting up the table for the others.

"Shall we wait for Lucy-san and the others?" Juvia wondered, staring at the door.

"Well, I'm hungry." Karissa scoffed. The idea of starving any longer seemed mad. "I'll go ahead and eat first. You can wait if you want though." She picked up the chopsticks and grabbed herself a plate.

"Juvia is also hungry." The blue haired mage pouted. She placed a thoughtful hand on her chin. This was a dilemma. She wanted to be a good friend and wait for the others. But she was just as hungry as Karissa. All of today's training was finally catching up to her. Karissa didn't respond. Her mind was focused on that plate of tempura. As soon as she shoved it in her mouth, she smiled blissful like a little kid and got up to jog over to her book. She could read a bit while eating too. Seeing Karissa carefreeness and pleasure while eating her food was what made Juvia finally give up. She sat down on the other side of the table, across from Karissa, and copied her previous actions. As soon as Karissa sat back down, she flipped open the book and went to her bookmark while Juvia helped herself.

"What kind of magic tome is Karissa-san reading?" Juvia finally decided to ask after noticing how absorbed she was getting. Her chopsticks even missed her mouth once.

"I actually don't want to tell anyone the details. It's a secret." She was curt about it.

This has gotta be like one of the most civilized conversations I've had with her.

Perhaps she could try and humour her counterpart for once.

"I left because I don't like peeping toms." Karissa plucked up slices of beef and dropped them on her plate. Her eyes remained glued on her page once more. "Why'd you leave too? Getting too pruny?"

"Juvia didn't like staying in the hot spring for too long. It's very embarrassing." The water mage admitted after she finished chewing. "… Juvia also thought Karissa-san and Gray-sama were going to meet each other when no one was looking."

Karissa paused just as she was about to flip a page. Slowly, her head turned to the water mage. Her chopsticks pointed at her book. "I came to train. I didn't come here to go on a tryst with Gray. Look at the book I'm reading. I'm too focused on this."

Juvia's love rival switch flipped. "Juvia saw you flirting with Gray-sama! You were touching his body suggestively without shame." She reminded. The ice mage didn't even entertain the thought of responding to that. Suddenly, applying sunscreen on a man's body because he couldn't reach is now considered flirting? Wow. When will breathing the same air be considered it too?

"Juvia can never read Karissa-san properly so Juvia needs to make sure her ultimate love rival doesn't get ahead of her!"

"Why are you always like this?" Karissa stabbed her chopsticks into her tempura. "Gray is not your lover."

"But Juvia loves Gray-sama with all her heart! The two of us we're destined to be together! It was determined the moment we met that day he cleared Juvia's gloomy rain! Gray-sama is Juvia's!"

Karissa's eye twitched. "Gray is not an object and he's not yours. Are you dating? No. You can't just write your name on him and claim that he's yours. So stop coming up to me to tell me what I can't do with him or to report to me what I did with him!"

"It's only natural! Juvia needs to know how Gray is at all times-"

"Yes, just like how it's natural for me to be the next Queen of Fiore. How would you like it if some guy started following you around, tried to hold you, tried to hold your arm like a lover, and glared away all your friends like your close friend Gajeel, claiming that he was destined to be your lover just like you do. Would you like that?"

There was a pause. "No, but…" Juvia romantically holds her face. "If Gray-sama did that... Juvia would not be able to take it…!" she all but swooned while Karissa was this close to jabbing her chopsticks into her brain as punishment for even trying to reason with the crazy love mage.

She shoved the tempura in her mouth as she watched Juvia go off on her imagination. It was quite the sight to see. However, she had no desire to take any further part in this conversation. To Juvia, she was just a member of the guild who was a major threat to her fantasy destined relationship with Gray Fullbuster, the guy who had no feelings for Karissa Sinclost whatsoever.

It would be easier to just tell Juvia this…

But a part of her just didn't want to.

Because Juvia was in love with Gray.

Was that considered petty?

Karissa glanced at the bottles of sake on the floor.

Juvia was pulled out of her fantasy when Karissa started speaking again.

"Gray absolutely loves girls who can hold their liquor. He had this relationship with this other girl before and she could drink forever without passing out. He finds that hot. Not to brag or anything but I'm actually second to Cana when it comes to holding liquor in my system." Karissa flipped a page. She didn't have to look at Juvia to know that she basically fired her up. The blue haired mage then announced that they begin a drinking competition.

With a feigned air of arrogance, Karissa glanced at Juvia. "Can you handle it?"

"Juvia can do anything if it's for Gray-sama."

"Okay, then. Let's begin."

…

"What happened here?!"

Karissa looked over her shoulder to see all the girls standing at the door. "Took you guys long enough. It's been like twenty minutes. You guys pruny?"

"We went around— no, wait! Why is Juvia drunk?!"

"Hm? Oh."

Everyone's eyes landed on Juvia Lockser who was just weeping with a bottle of sake in her hands. She was saying something about how she didn't want Karissa to win Gray's heart, and that she loves Gray so much.

"We had a drinking competition."

Erza sputtered at the nonchalant explanation. "You drank?!"

Offended, Karissa squinted her eyes as her face became comically askew. "What, no." she scoffed. "I already said I don't drink." She casually picked up a sake bottle that was sitting next to her. She shook it around to allow the others to hear the liquid sloshing around. "Still full."

Levy blinked dumbly. She and the others were coming into the room to settle around the table. "Why did you even have a drinking contest in the first place?"

Karissa set the bottle down on the table. Her face scowled at Juvia. "She wouldn't stop talking about Gray and all that nonsense so I basically made her think that Gray has the hots for girls who can drink like Cana."

To pretend like she was drinking, she would just freeze the liquid completely and hide them away after she proved that she drank it all. She held it upside down and everything. It also helped that the bottle was opaque.

Lucy was baffled.

"So, basically, this was your way to shut her up." Carla summarized. This didn't really faze her. Somehow, she just knew that this was something Karissa would do.

"Pretty much."

"You know…" Lucy gave her teammate a pointed look. "Under different circumstances... that seems wrong."

Karissa couldn't help but shrug with a grin, appearing carefree on the matter. "She's fine. Look." She pointed her hand towards Juvia, prompting everyone to look at her.

"Gray-samaaaaa….! Juvia will become the perfect woman for youuu! Juvia promisessss!" She cried, her hand feeling around for another bottle.

"See? She's in Gray Land. She's fine."

"Juvia-san…!" Wendy fretted as Juvia tried to crawl over to another bottle until one of her wrists gave out, causing her to fall on her big breasts. She bounced on them and started whining about the pain while nursing them.

"Don't worry. I wasn't going to let her out of my sights." Karissa waved her hand dismissively. "I'm not that cruel. Plus, I knew you guys were coming so I figured it wasn't going to be that bad."

Erza bonked Karissa on the head and gave her a half-reprimanding look. "Don't drive Juvia to do impossible feats while using Gray's name. Seriously, she will do it."

Karissa pouted a little at Erza. "Fiine." It felt like she was getting lectured as child for pushing another child at the playground.

After Erza gave Karissa her little scolding, she announced that the other girls might as well begin drinking too. The guys would join them after they finished their baths. It started off well. Everyone was eating their meal, having fun, laughing. Karissa would sometimes glanced back at her book to continue reading a bit (which had Lucy and Erza telling her to just put down the damn book for the day).

It was going fine.

Karissa didn't know where the hell it went wrong.

She went to the restroom for four minutes, because it was pretty far, and came back to see chaos incarnate.

"Oh, what the fuck."

Karissa covered her ears when the volume suddenly increased.

All the girls (and the CAT) was downright wasted. They were talking loudly, maybe even screaming, while holding bottles of sake. It was also a mess to. Empty bottles lying around and the trays flipped over, even the table had flipped.

"… This is why I don't drink."

…

"HAAAAAH?!"

Karissa innocently looked up from her book.

"Wh-Who was it?! WHO LET ALL THE WOMEN DRINK THE BOOZE?!"

Awkwardly, Karissa lifted her hand. "Maybe that would be me…"

The guys finally arrived. And to their shock, all their food and booze was gone. All that was left was six drunk individuals and one quiet ice mage on the side reading her book with her headphones on. Lucy was flirty, Levy was happy, Wendy was dizzy, Erza was angry, Carla was a Do-S, and Juvia was crying. It was a sight to see.

Jet, Droy, Natsu, Happy, and Gray were not happy campers.

"What do you mean 'maybe'?!" Natsu freaked. "You didn't stop this?!" he gestured his arms towards the female members as if it was the most ridiculous sight he'd seen in days. And honestly, it was.

Karissa pursed her lips. "I'm not a babysitter! They all somehow drank thirty times faster when I left to go piss!" She flipped a page.

"What about the food?!" Jet pointed at the empty plates and bowls scattered across the floor. "You didn't stop them from eating all of it?"

"Like I said, I went to go piss."

Natsu's head slowly turned to take in the sight once more. "… Seriously…? Under four minutes… no way."

Gray snapped and look at the girls. "What's wrong with you guys?! So selfish—" An empty bottle struck him on the head. Karissa flinched. She looked at the one who threw it, Erza, as if she was the one who got hit.

"Shuddup, Gray! Get over here and drink! Get us a refill while you're at it! Get a refill on the booze!" Erza all but roared at the poor ice mage who grimaced. Gray nursed his head and looked away from the older woman. He didn't want to deal with her at all.

"Drink what. You guys freaking drank it all—" He didn't see the scarlet haired mage get up and pitch another bottle at his head.

"Okay, Drunk-Erza." Karissa called her out. At this rate, Gray was going to get amnesia or something from those hits. "Stop throwing shit at him!"

"I am not drunk!"

Juvia latched onto Erza to restrain her all while crying tears. "Nooo! Gray-sama is mine! All Juvia's!"

"Let go!"

"This is seriously getting out of hand." Karissa sighed and reached for the water pitcher.

Natsu, who heard her with his keen sense of hearing, whipped his head at her. "It's been out of hand ever since you went to piss!"

"What did you want me to do, piss in a cup and throw it out the window?" Karissa retorted while pouring herself some water. She looked inside the pitcher and noted that she might have to get a refill. Or maybe not… Drinking so much water was probably the reason things ended up the way it did. Seeing as Karissa was evidently the only sane person in the group of girls, Gray hurriedly went over to her and sat next to her. "Did you drink?!" He was just making sure.

"Hell no." Her will was solid. Peer pressure was ineffective against it. Gray watched as his male counterparts started getting roped up in the chaos. For now, he was at the safe haven. "Yeah, I figured. I was just checking."

"And seeing this made me think that choosing not to drink was the right choice." The two ice mages looked at Erza who was roaring like a monster for Juvia to get her hands off her yukata. Oh Mavis, she appeared like a mini ogre as a tiny squirrel climbed around its back.

Just then, Karissa was hyperaware that the two of them were kind of alone. Everyone else was doing their own thing (or getting roped into someone's thing), leaving both of them to each other. All the girls were drunk… none of them would be sober enough to remember and hear what she could utter to Gray secretly. And also, this seemed like a perfect scenario to brush off the pain of his rejection. The chaos of the room was a good distraction. It was unromantic and it was just problematic.

Her fingers gently fingered the page.

She was going to do it now.

Carry a nonchalant tone.

Pretend like you would always do.

Put on a front and act brave. Fool yourself.

Wear an armour of lies.

It was gentle. Gray felt a gentle tug on the sleeve of his yukata. He turned his attention to Karissa was staring at him with a half apathetic and half lazy stare that carried amusement. For what? Maybe the whole room? She was probably going to crack a joke. He leaned closer since the room was noisy. Their hair brushed against each other as he lent his ear.

"Remember that thing I talked about at the train station?"

Oh. Now? Really?

"Yeah?" He paid more attention to her now.

"I lied about writing it down. It's pretty easy to say. I was just stalling because I was a coward."

He shifted his head to look at her face properly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Gray Fullbuster, that I was too much of a scaredy-cat to tell you that—"

"Gray-samaaa!"

Gray shrieked when Juvia glomped him on the side. Karissa's armour fell apart as soon as she interrupted. Now, her face was devoid of emotion.

"J-Juvia?!"

"Wahhhhh! Stay with Juvia! Juvia is lonely without Gray-sama!" She rubbed her cheek against his chest. "Juvia doesn't want Karissa-san to steal Gray-sama! Gray-sama is mine! Gray-samaaa!"

Gray-sama gasped for air when she started squeezing the life out of him. She was beginning to hug him like a body pillow, much like the ones she had in her room. "I can't breathe!"

"Juvia loves Gray-sama…" She nuzzled her face into his chest, ignorant of his pleas for mercy. Thankfully, he was able to shove a hand between them, albeit flat on her chest, much to the rain woman's delight, and gasped for oxygen. Now that he got his wits back, he noticed that Karissa had disappeared from her spot. His eyes darted to the door when he spotted a figure walking towards it in his peripheral vision. There she was. Wait. She had her bag with her. Why? Where was she going?

What were you going to tell me?

"Wait, Karissa!" Gray called her. But she ignored him and slipped out of the room without a sound. He had seen her face right after Juvia tackled him. There was despondence draping on her face. Disappointment and some sort of fatigue. A shadow over her face when she dropped her head, as if to hide all that would show on her face, the truth.

She wanted to tell me something.

She said she was afraid to say it.

She ran off when she lost her chance.

He had to go to her.

He had to know.

He had to give her back that chance to say it.

He just needed be with her right now.

…

She rented a separate room for herself. Because why the hell would she sleep in that place?

Her footsteps echoed in the empty outside corridors that were dark and but slightly illuminated by the moonlight if no shadow was casted.

She had just finished brushing her teeth and was on her way back. Ever since she left the chaotic room, frustration dwelled in her being. She had reinforced an armour of lies to make her meaningless confession easier only to have it crumble away once Juvia interrupted. She lost her nerve. Now, she just felt embarrassed for even trying to confess. It was like she was seeing how stupid it was even though she had decided to tell him even if it were pointless.

She was prepared to do it. If she could simply utter those words and explain herself then she would be free of her secret. Also, she could proudly look back on this and consider herself one of the brave souls who bared their heart so vulnerably to another person, despite the most definite rejection. Hell, she might not even feel the same way about someone like this again. She won't have her feelings reciprocated. That's fine. She's accepted that.

But it all comes crashing down the moment a wrench is thrown in her plans.

A furious scratch to her head and with annoyed groans was what accompanied her on the way back.

I feel like a fucking idiot now.

Jealousy mixed with embarrassment, disappointment and self-reprimands was such a good concoction.

But beneath all of that…

She was also sad.

It still stings.

"I want to sleep."

Good thing her room was right there.

...

"Karissa!"

Her body stiffened. It took two seconds for her to turn around. She could see him. He was diagonally situated from her when she spotted him. He appeared to be jogging a little until he turned around the corner. He walked with a quick pace now that he was only meters away from her.

By some miracle, Gray was able to detangle himself from Juvia's clutches. He was looking for Karissa. Looking nearly became a frantic search. It was ridiculous that it seemed like she straight up vanished into thin air, or perhaps he was just missing her with every turn he took. Relief washed over him when he spotted her form walking down a corridor on the one he was opposite from.

With everything that was said this morning and what she said before combined with expressions she made, he couldn't just sit and wait for the next time she would say something.

Because honestly, he felt like there wouldn't be a next time.

"I was looking for you."

"Oh, what's up? Not hanging around with the drunken party?" Karissa chuckled, easily slipping into her playful side. "You can already tell I'm not a big fan of that." She nudged her head towards the door next to her. "So, I just rented another room for myself because I'm getting tired."

"I'm listening." He was getting right to the chase. Her face seemed to freeze. He wouldn't give her a reason to be afraid under the guise of some other excuse. He had already heard part of what she wanted to say. He would let her continue without interruption this time. "You can tell me this time without worrying about anything. I'm listening."

Gradually, he could almost see a mask of playfulness slowly crumble… and yet, he could feel something walling up. It was quiet as Gray stared at her expectantly while she averted her gaze.

Alright.

Fine.

Karissa nodded slowly with her eyes sliding away. There was no Juvia in sight. It was just the two of them. "What I'm about to tell you won't mean anything though because I won't do anything about it. I'll just let it wither away and die, and then I should be fine." she laughed, playing it cool. "So, don't worry about it, okay?"

She was stalling.

"Stop beating around the bush and just say it."

Oh geez.

Um...

Karissa blinked a few times when she looked away from him, gathering more courage for her to spit it out and be done with it. Her throat suddenly felt dry as fuck. "Okay... I'll tell you. I, uh, like..." she shook her head and shrugged a little with a huff. Spit it out and get it over with. "I like you." She shakily held the door handle with one hand and palmed her face with a shaky laugh. "Holy shit... I said it. Okay. Um." she dropped her hand to stare at the ground.

Once it left her lips, it suddenly felt like one of those 'oh, that wasn't so bad' moments.

He paused.

He must be trying to figure out how to 'gently' tell me 'nah'.

But now that the truth was out…

It just felt easier to talk.

"Like I said, this doesn't mean anything." She quickly reassured him, still staring at the ground because she wasn't able to look at his face just yet. "I won't do anything about my damn feelings that randomly sprouted from god knows where. I'll leave it alone, ignore it, and just act like everything is normal until it finally fades away." She said casually albeit shakily. She knew her voice was soft but the quietness allowed him to hear her loud and clear. "I just need a simple 'nah I don't feel the same' answer and everything should go as planned. Rejection is the best tool for closure, right?"

And as if they were playing a comedic routine, Karissa finally lifted her head put a hand around her ear and grinned with her armour of lies. "And what do you say~?"

What the…

Instead of looking uncomfortable, weirded out, or downright turned off by her feelings… He was staring at her with the widen eyes, a half-open mouth, and hands lifting up slowly, clenching as if trying to grasp onto his invisible words.

"Wait, shut up." Gray quickly said with a hand up to stop her from saying anything else when he saw her open her mouth. Disappointment by his lack of obvious rejection, her hand dropped down to her side while her other still held the door handle. What else was he thinking about other than responding appropriately? What the hell is taking him so long to reject her feelings? She was getting a little irritated now.

What came out of his mouth next completely halted her brain's main thought process.

He took one step closer and dropped his hand.

"I like you too." He replied awkwardly.

…

Karissa gave him the most unconvinced look with a snort.

"No, you don't."

That last line has me picturing Karissa with the Bitch Please face meme.

During the drafting of the confession scene, I had a few ideas (which I actually no longer remember) but some of them consisted of:

1. Drunk Karissa. Immediately scrapped because it wouldn't fit her character. Not gonna make her drunk for shits and giggles and make her confess. This route would actually lead to prolonging their potential relationship.
2. A little argument between them. Nah.
3. Gray being the one to confess. But that wouldn't work either because he's dealing with issues himself.

Anyway, see you in the next one.