The party at the guild was still going strong, everyone was humming and drinking everything they could, and, of course, some fights were going on in the hall. Ryker was sitting at the bar while Mirajane wiped some dishes, between comings and goings to take orders to his customers.
Ryker saw Mira's effort and dedication to service and care for everyone, even during a party. It was impressive for him, but something was not right. "You never stop?", He said to the white-haired girl.
Mira looked at him and smiled, in her charming way. "It's my job, after all."
"The master should have someone help you, every now and then," she said, eliciting a laugh from the young woman.
He was drinking beer, which by the way was one more thing to put on his list that was better than in his homeland. Despite the noise and excitement he was not as bothered as he thought he would be. The newbie looked to the side and couldn't help but notice a brunette, wearing only a bra, on the top of her body, at the other end of the counter, to his left, with a huge barrel of beer. She had been looking at him for a while and that, yes, was starting to bother him.
"Hey Mira," she caught her eye. "Who is that weird girl? She doesn't stop looking over here," he said, nodding at the brunette.
Mira looked at the direction he pointed and laughed. "She is Cana. The guild's drunkard."
"That she drinks you can tell. But why the hell does she not stop looking over here?", He said irritably.
"She's looking at you," Mira replied, as she motioned for Cana to come and join them.
"Wait! What are you doing?", Ryker said indignantly.
Cana got up from where she was sitting and walked towards them, already a little drunk. She sat next to Ryker looking deeply at him, something that made him uncomfortable, especially because of the way Cana was dressed.
"Hello!" Said Cana, gesturing with her arms and hands, towards Ryker and Mira.
"Hi Cana", Mira greeted back.
"What's up," he said, a little disinterestedly.
"So you're the rookie? What do you do?", Cana said, leaning on the counter with one hand and the other holding the barrel of beer. She was looking at him with a dirty look.
He looked at him for a while without understanding anything that was going on. "What!?".
"HAHAHAHA", Cana laughed heartily. "You're funny"
He looked at Mira with a totally confused look, without extending anything that was happening, but saw that Mira was just laughing. He guessed that it all came from drinking and that it was probably her standard behavior. Since he was drinking straight from a barrel. Who does that !?
"I want to know what your magic is, silly," ask the brunette, running her index finger over his shirt, which made him uncomfortable.
He decided to reveal Cana's behavior, imagining that it would not lead to confrontation in any way, knowing very well how drunks work. So he just left things as they are and take the situation. He realized that Mira was calm and smiling, it was commonplace, there was no reason to go against it.
"I think I blow things up," he replied, not wanting to give too many details and shorten the conversation as little as possible. Maybe until she fills up and moves on to another one.
"Ah!" was Cana's only intervention. "I read letters. Do you want me to read your luck?", she said, leaning over him, showing her full breasts and her face full of malice. What did not go unnoticed by Ryker, who blushed heavily.
"I'm not interested in this nonsense!", he shouted rudely, wanting to get rid of the drunken mage.
Cana leaned even closer to her, standing just inches from her face and looked at him with her dirty look from before. "Are you afraid I discover something about your past or your future?" finally, she winked at him.
He looked at her angrily, an anger that even scared Mirajane. With his left hand he pushed her away hard, but gently, turning his face forward and with a serious look he drank from his cold beer, calming down a little. He didn't want to cause anything on his first day as a member of the guild. He took a deep breath and sighed, trying to control himself.
"Don't want to know about my past. And as for my future ... I don't care, and nobody does too", he looked sideways at Cana. "So be quiet in your corner, right"
"Uhn! Sulky," Cana sat back and looked bored as she drank her beer.
Ryker sighed and looked at Mira and shook his head slightly. This for some reason made Mira smile. "Is it always like this here?" He asked Mira.
"Most of the time. But you get used to it"
"Actually, it's ... a little familiar," he replied with a slight smile.
Mira was happy with her new partner, she watched him drink his beer, he seemed to be enjoying the party, he seemed calmer and his gaze, always serious and intense, and I was now calmer and more relaxed. Of course, he was not the happiest person in the world who was in front of her, but it was already a small progress in a short time.
The demon magician remained at the counter taking orders, as did he, but he did not hear any conversation between them. He was clearly a person of few words and quiet. But who knows with time, this barrier will not be broken and he can integrate more into the guild.
The party continued and went in late, arriving until the beginning of the night. Now there were many drunks and the party was even more lively, some fights were going on, Mira continued her chores, Cana continued to drink as if there was no tomorrow, and from time to time teased the newcomer by his side, this, in turn, was flushed for the drinks consumed, but it was holding up very well. He was aware of his situation perfectly and displayed a high, enviable control.
At that moment the guild's double door opened and a group entered to see that the whole guild was celebrating.
"We're back!", A certain spiky magician with spiky pink hair shouts triumphantly, with a closed fist and with his right arm extended over his head.
"Welcome back!", The guild wizards respond with enthusiasm.
The group observes the party, but not strange, celebrations in the guild were common so it was nothing new. But they were curious to know the reason, there was always a reason for the parties in Fairy Tail, there was also one.
"What is the reason for this party?", A mage with long, straight red hair asks.
"Today we have a new member in the guild," Macao told Erza.
"A new member? And where is he, I want to say hello," Erza replies.
"Is he strong? I'm excited," Natsu says, smiling and clenching his fists against each other.
"Calm down, smoke brain. Don't go pestering the new guy," Gray, the spiky black-haired, shirtless magician he took off at some point, says to Natsu.
"Who's a brain of smoke, an ice cube?", He replies, staring at Gray.
"Do you want to come up?"
"You can be sure," Natsu replies. Both magicians are facing each other, almost starting a fight, when Erza intervenes in the middle of the two.
"Stop you two, now. And let's meet our new mate," Erza says in a firm and intimidating voice, which makes the two stop the teasing and behave.
"Yes ma'am!", They both say at the same time
"Ah! Boys", sighs a young blonde, beautiful and busty, accompanied by a blue cat flying just laughs at the situation.
"So, where's our new friend?", Erza asks Macao.
"There, sitting on the counter next to Mira, wearing that black T-shirt," the other fire wizard indicates.
The group starts to address him, but Natsu takes the lead wanting to be the first to greet and see if he looks strong. He really wanted a new fight partner, and a new member seemed like a good opportunity.
Ryker was sitting at the counter, drinking and nibbling something that Mira had served him and he wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings, other than being a little tall, but he never really let his guard down. In a way he was always ready to react to anything he thought was a threat. That was when he felt a hand tapping his right shoulder. He was not expecting this and reacted almost automatically.
He gets up from the chair where he was sitting, at the same time turning his body and grabbing Natsu's arm with his right hand. He finishes turning, if positioned to trip a slide, with his left foot, unbalancing the Fire Dragon Slayer. Completing the movement, he pulls Natsu's arm back, twisting him, and with his left hand pushes his back and forth, causing him to fall face down. His twisted arm was facing upwards held by de Ryker, who was twisting the Dragon Slayer's hand. Ryker still puts his left foot on Natsu's back, to prevent any reaction. All of this was done in a fraction of a second. It is difficult for many to see what happened.
"Who are you !?" Ryker shouts. "What you want?".
Everyone in the guild looks on in amazement. The way, how easy it was to take down and immobilize one of Fiore's most powerful wizards. The only one who was amused was Gajeel, who, for sure, would use the incident to tease Natsu later.
Mirajane looks shocked and tries to calm the situation. Both Gray and Erza were preparing to defend their teammate and attack Ryker. "Calm down, Ryker! He's part of the guild, he's our friend," says the white-haired mage.
He looks at her suspiciously. "Are you sure? He came after me. Isn't he an impostor?"
"Of course not. Let him go, now!", Mira orders in a firm voice and with a threatening look at him. He has not seen this side of her and is astonished. He looks at her and then at the guy on the floor, who has an expression of pain and awe.
Ryker shrugs. "If you say so," he says as he releases Natsu and raises his hands. This cools the spirits and everything calms down.
"What do you think you were doing !?", Natsu yells at him as he gets up and looks at him with a nervous face. "Is that a way to receive a guildmate by chance!?"
Everyone ends up laughing in the guild, seeing that everything had ended well.
"You shouldn't be coming in from behind like that. It's not safe," Ryker says with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I was just trying to say hello, you idiot!".
"Uhn! It should be more subtle, then"
"Whaaaaattt!? Now it's my fault !?"
More laughter runs around the guild with the Seine, and the argument between them, which in a way ended up being comical with angry Natsu and calm Ryker. The Fire Dragon Slayer folds his arms and stands sideways with an angry but comical face as the other members approach to greet the newcomer.
A beautiful red-haired woman approaches and reaches out to him to greet him. "It's a pleasure Ryker, welcome to Fairy Tail," she says with her right hand extended to him. He looks at her and accepts the compliments, shaking the hand of Erza, who was in his conventional armor. When they touch, they feel the energy running through their bodies, both of whom notice that the other is not just an ordinary magician. They both stare at each other for a while, their hands together squeezing more and more, trying to analyze each aspect, but they finally let go of their hands.
"The pleasure is mine," he says politely. "And what's your name? "
"Erza, Erza Scarlet. And this one is Natsu," she says, pointing at the nervous pink hair in a nearby corner.
"I'm Gray Fullbuster," he introduces himself.
"Pleasure "
"GRAY-SAMAAAA!", A shout was heard by the guild, while a girl with blue hair ran and clung to the ice wizard.
"And this is Juvia," Gray says, embarrassed by the girl's attitude.
"I'm glad you came back safe, my love", Juvia says holding on to him, without calling the other people around her.
Ryker just looked at it with a 'what a weird thing' face.
"I am Lucy, it is very nice to meet you", says the blonde in a polite and sweet way to him, with her right hand placed on her left chest, almost in awe.
"What's up", Ryker says with a wave of the hand to the blonde.
"I'm Happy, at your service. Do you want a fish?"
The novice looks up from where the voice was coming from and looks at the flying cat. He couldn't believe it, and his eyes were wide and his mouth was open. He was incredulous at what he was seeing.
"What the fuck!? A flying cat!"
"The same reaction from everyone ...", Lucy says, while everyone laughs.
The party progressed into the night, with a lot of drinking, chatter and fights. In short a common party in the guild. Ryker did not move from the counter, did not want to socialize with anyone and also did not talk much with Mira who was always close, he really wanted to be quiet in her corner. He just keeps drinking and nibbling some delicacies that Mira brought. The party ended late, he accompanied Mira to her house, after all he was staying with her.
"Here," Mira says, putting a shirt on the bed. "You can wear this shirt of my brother. I think you would be more comfortable changing the one you are wearing."
"Ah, yes. Thanks Mira."
"Well ... they are, good night," Mirajane says leaving the room.
"Good night. It was a ... hectic day, wasn't it?"
"You get used to it", answers the magician with a beautiful smile, leaves and closes the bedroom door.
Ryker looks at the shirt and then turns his attention to the window in his room and the view of the city he had. He opens it and lets the cold air in, relieving some of the drunkenness he had in the guild and imagine what his life will be like going forward. He wasn't sure, in fact, he didn't even know, if he really wanted to be there, but it was the only place he could be right now. However, he knew that, tonight, he would not sleep again.
In the morning Mira was setting up the breakfast table, happy as usual. Meanwhile, Ryker, changed after a good shower and prepared to go down to the kitchen.
"Good morning, Mira," said the newcomer.
"Good morning," he replied with a smile. Ryker sat at the table to eat his first meal of the day. He looked at her as if he wanted to say something.
"Sorry for ... for taking your friend down yesterday, it was a reflex. I didn't think, I acted on impulse," he said in regret.
"Don't worry about it," she said cheerfully. "This will yield days of jokes with Natsu for the guild, especially for Gray and Gajeel."
He looked at the girl and smiled slightly. "If you are saying...".
"This girl hides more than she lets on," he thought to himself, remembering the threatening face she had made for him the day before.
Both fed on the abundance and cleaned up what they had soiled before leaving the house and heading for the guild. The trip was quiet, as it had been before. They arrived and opened the guild, which was a mess. The magician wasted no time and started cleaning, as she always did, and Ryker took a squeegee with a cloth and also started cleaning.
"You don't have to help me, Ryker. I can handle it myself"
"I said I was going to help you and besides that I have nothing better to do", she smiles with her attitude. Both continued to clean the guild hall.
Mira was clearing the tables until she stopped for a moment and watched her companion. It had been two days in the guild in all, and he hadn't said much about anything. This disturbed her, not even in her house there was much talk during this period, he did not even say anything about himself. Then curiosity spoke louder and she decided to ask why the silence. "Hey, Ryker"
"What's it?"
"You don't talk much. Do you have a special reason for that?", She said with a note of concern in her voice.
Ryker stopped what he was doing and turned his torso to Mirajane. "No, nothing special. I just have nothing to say"
But everyone has something to tell in some way. What was he hiding or what did he not want to talk about? Mira decided to try harder. "You must have some stories. I mean, you look strong and ... and trained. You must have had a lot of adventures in your life. Well, you're not a kid either."
Ryker was annoyed by her insistence, but he didn't let her annoyance speak for him, since she has been very kind and even let him stay at her home. So he decided to respond kindly. "None that are worth telling and none that I want to tell ... yet." With that he hoped to end this unnecessary conversation.
She got the message, and nodded and looked a little disappointed. They continued to clean the hall, which lasted longer than expected, but was done in silence. Finally after finishing cleaning she went to the bar and he sat down at it. He just stood there, waiting for the guild to fill up with people.
It was past noon and the guild was full, but it was not noisy, there were many hangover wizards, which prevented confusion, in a way. So it was a very peaceful day.
Makarov decided to appear in the lounge and go up to the bar to observe the surroundings, he had a paper in his hand. He looks at the direction of a particular table. Erza, Gray, Natsu, Happy and Lucy sat there. Natsu was clearly uneasy since arriving at the salon, obviously he wanted to settle accounts with Ryker, but was being stopped by Titania, who did not want him to bother the newcomer anytime soon.
"Erza! Please come here, daughter," said the master.
She then got up immediately and went towards the master at the bar. "How can I help master?"
"It's good to see your disposition, Erza," he said, smiling. "I have this mission that arrived today. It is nothing too complicated, and I would like you and your team to do it"
"Yes, it will be a pleasure, master".
"Great! Now, I want Ryker to come with you."
"What!?", Ryker said looking at both of them, who were beside him talking.
Makarov turned to the newcomer and said assertively, "In our guild it is common for new members to do their first missions with the older ones. So you can understand how we do things here. I hope this will not be a problem for you. ".
"No sir," he said as he sipped his coffee.
"And for you, Erza?"
"Not at all. It will be very interesting to see what he is capable of."
"Great! Here is the mission. Go as soon as possible, the customer is in a hurry", the master said as he left the bar and returned to his office.
"Come on Ryker, we need to discuss the mission. Sit down with us, will you?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said, finishing his coffee and heading to the team table.
Natsu got up and went towards the new member, when they arrived at the table, but was repelled by Erza, with just a look, which made him return to his place. This impressed Ryker. "She is not an ordinary woman, not even na common gauge, "he thought.
"We have a mission," she told everyone.
"But did we just come back from one yesterday? I haven't even recovered yet," Lucy cried bleakly.
"A new mission !? I'm getting excited again," Natsu said, clapping his fists at each other.
"And what is this mission?" Gary asked.
Erza looked at the paper for a while. "Apparently we have to take a Harpy egg from the mountains and give it to a very wealthy gentleman. It doesn't really seem to be very complicated"
"Is the reward good at least?", Lucy asked, after all she was always worried about paying her rent.
"There are 300,000 jewels," Titânia replied.
"Lucy is always thinking about money," Happy said, laughing.
"It's because I need to pay my bills! And you always end up destroying everything in the missions and using the reward money to pay the losses," she replied, yelling at everyone.
"Collateral damage is inevitable in combat missions," Ryker said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, with his arms crossed. Everyone looked at him questioningly. They were surprised at his interjection.
"I forgot to say that he is going with us," Erza said after the shock.
"This is great! So I will be able to see him in action and be able to challenge him", the pink haired magician said with a defiant look and pointing a finger at his new rival, who just returned with a disinterested look and shrugged, which further irritated the fire wizard.
"It doesn't matter to me. What's the plan, Erza?" Gray asked.
"We have to go to the mountains and find a nest. It is not far, but by the time we will not arrive until dusk and it is not a good idea to walk through the mountains in the dark. So I think we should take a carriage and drive there and camping on the way. Yes, that's the best ", the redhead replied.
"NO! We can go on foot!", Natsu shouted, obviously he didn't want any means of transport.
"That would be unworkable, smoke brain," Gray replied, with a serious, irritated face to his mate.
"What did you say, frozen princess?", Natsu replied back teasing.
"Do you want to fight your idiot?"
"May come!"
But he doesn't hear a fight, as both were knocked out by Erza in the stomach. "Shut up, you two! Let's get ready. I'll wait for you all in an hour here. Got it!", She said in a voice and an authoritarian and strong attitude.
"Yes, ma'am!" everyone said.
"She's different, and there's something about her ...", Ryker thought looking at Requip's beautiful red-haired magician.
The hour had passed and everyone was in the guild, after picking up their things in their respective homes. Well, except Ryker, who never left, after all everything he needed was with him, or rather, everything he had. As soon as the carriage arrived, everyone entered, despite the reluctance of the pink-haired fire wizard.
On the right of the coach were Ryker and Gray, on the left were Erza, Lucy, Natsu and Happy, who was leaning on Lucy. The Dragon Slayer was melting from being sick, and was being supported by the blonde magician. This behavior intrigued the novice, but he was made aware that he always gets sick in means of transport, but he didn't bother to know why. He just shrugged and closed his eyes to continue the journey.
At one point on the trip Lucy was looking at Ryker and noticed that her right hand was shaking a lot, she just stared at it without understanding anything. He felt he was being watched and opened his eyes to see what was going on and saw the blonde looking at him, a little scared, that's when she noticed his involuntary movements.
"Is everything okay?", the spiritual magician asked with a tone of concern.
He took his hand with the other. "I am, don't worry about it," he said and crossed his arms and closed his eyes again. The trip continued with occasional conversations between members. After a long journey, they decided to stop in a field and set up camp, with night beginning to fall.
"I think we better make a fire," said Gray as he started to gather branches for her.
"Meanwhile, Lucy and I are going to set up the tents, and Natsu !? Light the fire," Erza commanded.
Ryker looked at everyone interacting, they were friends and companions. He remembered Mira's words when they cleaned the room, 'you don't talk much.' Perhaps it is better for him to be a little more sociable, after all he did not want to be upset with others, nor to be seen as rude or a snob who doesn't care about others. Perhaps he could communicate a little more.
"You are too dependent on your magic," he said.
"What do you mean !?", Erza said, looking at him questioningly, just like everyone else. They were looking at the guy, as if what he said was the stupidest thing in the world. How was relying on magic too much?
"I'll show it. Give it to me," he took the branches from Gray. "It can be longer and more complicated, but sometimes doing things without magic sharpens your skills."
He took two pieces of wood, selecting them well so that they were compatible and made a bow in br hollow to light a fire. Then he looked for the right materials to make a nest of dry and highly flammable material.
"The first time I did that I was 10 years old." He knelt down to be in the best position, then placed the drill on the wood and began rubbing it with his hands to create friction.
The movements were rhythmic and repeated for a while. Sweat was running down his face and his hands were starting to turn raw, but he managed to get an ember and stick it in the nest he had prepared beforehand. With rocking back and forth, carefully blowing the material ignited in flames. He pasted the nest on fire on the ground, where the fire would be, and was feeding it with small branches until it was established. Once the campfire is safe, going on its own, it can place the bigger branches. The fire was ready and he was tired, but accomplished with his deed.
"That was impressive," Lucy said, even with some pride in her new partner. Everyone nodded in agreement. Not that they didn't know the procedure, but they never, in fact, needed to perform it, because the Dragon Slayer were with them or had matches, but seeing someone live do it was another thing.
"Did you say you did it for the first time at 10?" Gray asked.
"Yes, it was ... that's when I had to learn. I was taught not to rely solely on magic," he replied looking at his achievement.
"Did your parents teach you?" The heavenly magician asked.
He looked up at her. "No, it was someone else," he replied vaguely. He wanted to communicate more, but there were still things he was not willing to share.
"If I used my magic it would be much faster," Natsu said with his hands on his head.
"No, he's right," the redhead said excitedly. "If we rely only on magic, we will lose certain essential skills." She had fire in her eyes. "What else do you know?"
"A few little things," he said almost snobbishly. "But I'm not going to reveal everything now. What fun would that be," there was a slight smile in the corner of his mouth.
Requip's mage looked a little disappointed, but she moved on. They finished setting up their tents and prepared to eat.
"Hey! Don't you have a tent? Where are you going to sleep?", Gray asked the newbie.
"I look good outdoors. It's not like it's my first time." Gray shrugged his answer and continued to eat his bento, which Juvia made for him, with their hearts and their faces, a little strange to speak the truth. Ryker took his bento with Mira, when he said he would go on his first mission.
"Are you sure you don't need a tent?" Lucy asked with concern.
"No, the night is going to be good. Not too hot, not too cold and it won't rain and I'll be near the fire. There's nothing to worry about"
"It looks like you lived a lot outdoors. You know a lot about these things," Erza said, as if he were asking and looking for something. As if she knew something he wasn't telling or she wanted to throw the bait to catch the fish. He realized her intention, and gave her a small fish to satisfy herself.
"I was trained for this," he said as he got up. "I'm going for a walk and I'll be back"
"Hey! Where are you going? I want to fight you!", Natsu said, all agitated and indignant, pointing his fist in her direction.
He was kind of tired of the pink wizard's taunts. So he decided to provoke a little bit. "I think there's a stream nearby. I'm going to wash up. You ... don't want to see me naked, do you !?"
When saying such a thing, everyone was amazed with wide eyes and open mouth. Even Happy, he went white. But, mainly Natsu, who lost the line.
"Who do you think I am !?", he said, waving his arms, shouting and cursing. Until he calmed down and sat up in disgust. The others realized it was a joke, but the two magicians couldn't help but think about the situation and blush strongly, Ryker smirked and headed for the stream.
"I think I overreacted a little now," he said to himself and laughed a little internally.
He washed and dressed, but did not return immediately, he wanted some solitude, so he lay down on the bank of the watercourse and looked at the stars above him. For a long time he admired the night sky, losing track of time. It was calm and the weather was perfect, and he was feeling good, but nothing lasts forever.
Ryker felt a strong headache, which came suddenly, so strong that he couldn't take it, he held his head in his hands and writhed on the floor. He stayed like that for a few minutes, when the pain started to subside, he knew what was coming ... his heart raced and he started to have palpitations and his breathing became uncontrolled and irregular. He despaired and panicked, his eyes went white and he couldn't see anything, everything was cloudy.
Arrows from his past passed through his eyes, a terrible past that he wanted to forget, but was always remembered. After a long time everything passed, but he no longer had the food in his stomach, he had vomited everything in the middle of his outbreak. He stayed there, lying there doing nothing else.
When he came to, he slammed his fist against the floor, repeatedly. He was hateful of everything, he wanted to scream, break things, blow everything up. He stopped, took a breath and took some of the cool night air to refresh himself before returning. He got up and washed his head and laughed and went back to the camp as if nothing had happened. He didn't know how much time had passed, but when he got there everyone was in their tents and the fire was only burning. He sat facing the fire and stood there looking at it. He didn't sleep the rest of the night, again, and he didn't want to sleep.