On the outskirts of Constance Forest, Ichiya and I were setting up what he called, "The Parfum Zone." It was basically a table with an assortment of flasks and vials filled with different types of colored liquids.

"So, what is it you need exactly?" I asked.

"It's quite simple!" He didn't look up from his organizing but responded nonetheless. "You, my friend, are going to write down the effects of my parfums in this notebook." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notepad and pencil. The notepad had the Blue Pegasus logo on it, and Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki written below that.

"I get that, but how will we test them? I can't imagine you want to use them on yourself." I placed the notepad and pencil down on the table, looking out over the clearing we were in. No medical equipment and no emergency contacts. Unless I was supposed to be the emergency contact, in which case we were both screwed.

Luckily, Ichiya shook his head. Looks like he wasn't that dumb. "Last time I tried that, it didn't go well, men." I stand corrected. "We are actually waiting on some extra help."

"Oh?" I tried to look around and see if I could spot anybody, but no one was there.

"They will arrive soon." He said. "Why not take a look at the parfum of previous ventures?" Eh, it couldn't hurt anything. I picked the notepad back up and started going through it.

Ugh, chemistry. The first quarter of the book was filled with brainstorming, ratios, potential mixtures, and ingredients. Many of this was just theory crafting, however, which I had no clue what to do with, so I just skipped ahead.

Opening up to a random page around halfway through, this one seemed much more organized. At the top of the page and underlined, there were the words, "Poison Parfum." Under it was a labeled sketch, showing what the perfume was supposed to look like. It had different markings attached to it, such as pointing out the liquid having pink bubbles in an otherwise violet sea.

Under that sketch were more notes, listing the ingredients used to make it. What surprised me about these was that there were a few separate sections for different levels of lethality. The least deadly was, from what I could tell, basically chlorine gas, while the most was a mixture of ground-up nightshade berries and tobacco leaves. There was another note under that last one that read, "Not deadly unless consumed. Use magic to force into noses. Only use when necessary!"

That was… frightening. Sure, I knew Ichiya had a poison perfume, but something about having and reading the notes for perfume that could very easily kill someone was disconcerting to say the least. I looked back over at Ichiya, humming a tune and sticking labels on vials. This man could kill someone. Very easily, at that.

If Ichiya tried to kill me, I wouldn't be able to fight back. He has perfumes for paralyzing, poison, speed, healing, you name it. All of these frightening abilities and possibilities, and the one who has access to them is Ichiya, the comic relief character.

Does reality have comic relief characters?

Part of me doesn't want the answer to that.

"Ah!" Ichiya piped up all of a sudden, making me jump a little. "There they are!" I looked over at where he was pointing, and saw Jun Akatsuki, along with a little toddler who looked a lot like him.

"Ichiya-kun, you didn't tell me Eris-chan would be joining us." He greeted.

Ichiya chuckled. "I figured Ren-kun would want a playmate, men."

Wait, that's the real reason!? You dick! Sure, I wasn't upset about note-taking, but this? I should just- wait a second. "Ren-kun?" I asked. Wow, it was weird to say an honorific.

The little boy standing next to Jun piped up. "Hi! I'm Ren Akatsuki."

When I looked at Jun for an explanation, he said, "He's my nephew."

"Uh." I faltered a bit. Sure, I figured Jun was related to Ren in some way after I met him, but still, Ren here is just a little kid! He was twenty when he first appeared in the show. He's a baby! I turned back to Ren and said, "Uh, my name is Eris Actaea."

"You're pretty!" He complimented me with a wink.

"Uh." Once again, I looked at Jun again, who this time looked sheepish. Yeah, you should be ashamed, teaching your baby nephew to flirt. "Thanks…" Doing my best to avoid the rest of this situation, I picked up the pencil off the table and pointed it at Ichiya. "Are we ready to start then?"

"Hm." Ichiya looked over all the flasks and such. "We should be. I don't foresee needing any monsters to test on."

"Monsters?" I asked.

He just nodded. "If I need to test a dangerous parfum, such as my Poison Parfum, I ask Jun-san to bring a monster, men."

I suppose that makes sense, though it does make me wonder about animal cruelty laws in this world. I mean, monsters do go out of their way to attack humans, so perhaps it's justified? Wait, are monsters sentient?

Yet another question I'd rather not know the answer to.

"Very well!" Ichiya struck a pose. "Parfum Test! Begiiiiiin, MEN!"

Test #1: Fight Loss Parfum

In the vial was a yellow-green liquid that looked quite dubious.

I was proven right when Ichiya uncapped it, and suddenly the air was filled with possibly the foulest odor I've ever smelt. Good lord I can barely stand! It smells so bad it's making me dizzy. Looking around, I saw Ren and Jun fairing not much better.

I crumpled to the ground as I began to write down notes.

Stinky as hell! Odor removes the will to fight from anyone who can smell. Might as well call it something like Armpit Parfum.

Wait, that's what he called it in the series, isn't it?

Test #2: Power Parfum

This vial held a blue liquid that bubbled and hissed.

"Uh, is that one safe?" I asked nervously.

"Of course, men!" With only that, he flourished the vial and sniffed it himself.

All of a sudden, he began to grow in size and muscle mass, looking more and more like he was hyped up on steroids. Finally, after he was done growing, he posed and pointed at Jun. "Shall we test, Jun-san?"

Jun stood with his legs crossed and he raised his hand to his sides. "Whenever you are, Ichiya-kun."

Immediately, Ichiya ran straight at Jun and through a straight jab, which he just jumped over. Ichiya twirled on his heel and aimed another jab at the opposing man, who was currently floating above him. Jun dropped just before the punch hit, landed in a crouch right before Ichiya, and elbowed him in the stomach. Ichiya doubled over and landed on the ground with a thud.

"You know," I said. "I'm pretty sure what Ichiya meant was, 'let's test how strong a punch is,' not, 'hey, kick my a-'" I remembered toddler Ren standing right next to me. "Butt."

"Oh," Jun said lamely, looking at Ichiya returning to normal size, still hunched on the ground. "My bad."

I sighed. Might as well write down the stuff about strength increase and muscle mass growth.

Test #3: Thunder Parfum

This time the liquid was a cyan color that fizzled and sparked inside a test tube.

"This one is for sure unsafe," I said, but Ichiya waved me off.

"It may seem so, but I have done some minor testing to make sure it won't be lethal." Sure, because that's reassuring. Regardless, he held the flask up to his nostrils and took a big whiff. Suddenly, he was engulfed in a bright, searing light that cracked and hissed. Underneath the crackling and booming, I was able to hear Ichiya roar with determination.

It looked like he was a ball of pure light, with lightning zapping across the surface. I could only barely make out his shape, let alone any features. Jun was covering Ren's eyes, preventing him from looking at it too long.

"I feel invincible, MEN!" With a mighty laugh, he sprung into the air and-

The lightning sizzled out with a puff, leaving him to fall back to the ground flat on his ass.

Ah, right. Probably should have seen that coming. "Wha-what happened?" Ichiya sputtered, very confused.

"You opened the closed circuit," I told him. Jun, Ren, and Ichiya all looked at me weirdly. Oh, right. This world doesn't use electricity. How to explain it? "So, do you know how lightning works?"

Jun nodded. "Something about positive and negative charge, right?"

"Yes!" Okay, good, they had at least basic knowledge. That makes this easier. "Well, assuming the Thunder Parfum acts similar to normal electricity, what it does is give Ichiya an intense negative charge, forcing the ground to become positive, and creating electricity."

"But how does that explain my disappointing parfum in the air?" Ichiya asked.

"I was getting to that." I chided. "With Ichiya touching the ground, it created a path of least resistance for the electricity to flow, as the air has insulating properties-" Ichiya raised his hand. "It means it was easier for electricity to travel through you than the air." He lowered it. "When he jumped into the air, the path from him into the ground was cut off, forcing the electricity into the air, where it dissipated, removing the charge from the system and removing the lightning."

Ichiya was nodding along rapidly, jotting down notes- wait! When did he take the notebook back!? Jun had a somewhat glazed look in his eye, clearly not paying attention. Ren, meanwhile, was also not clearly paying much attention, but he was a toddler so I expected it.

He surprised me, however, when he said, "Wow, you're smart, big sissy!"

"Big sissy?"

He nodded. "Uncle Jun says Blue Pegasus is a family, and you're part of it, so you're big sissy!"

Jun smiled and nodded along with his nephew. "It's true. Fairy Tail may be famous for that belief, but Master Bob used to be a member of Fairy Tail. That belief came with him."

Finally, Ichiya put his hand on my shoulder. "Every member of Blue Pegasus is our family. That includes you."

A tear fell. How come these corny words are bringing me to tears? Ichiya moved so that instead of patting me on the shoulder, he was hugging me instead.

"Thanks," I whispered to him.

He just nodded.

Ugh, I just cried in front of all of them, Ren included!

"Anything else, Ichiya-kun?" Jun asked, either sensing my embarrassment or completely oblivious to it. Based on his performance earlier today, I'd say the latter is more likely.

Ichiya shook his head. "No, this is the parfum of completion!"

"Huh?" Jun tilted his head, confused. "What parfum?"

Ichiya completely ignored him and began stuffing the remaining vial in his different pouches, muttering to himself.

"What are you muttering about?" I asked him, only realizing a little too late that that may have sounded rude. Whoops.

Luckily he didn't take offense, and said, "Just pondering what parfums I'll mix up next."

"Mix up?" I wondered. "Isn't it just about experimentation?"

Ichiya gasped, looking positively scandalized. "Absolutely not! Especially not with dangerous parfums like Poison Parfum, or Thunder Parfum! If measured or handled incorrectly, those parfums could nearly kill me!"

"HUH!? I thought your magic protected you from the effects!" How else would the poison mist not affect him?

Ichiya pushed forward the blue flower he always wore on his lapel. "My magic is not Parfum Magic, as you may have assumed. My magic is known as Scent Magic, where I control scents around me. While I am using my parfums, I send the scent from this flower to my nose, protecting me from the adverse effects of my parfums."

"You..." That was simply amazing! Being able to control gasses was near impossible! With no actual form, that means he takes control of the air particles making up the scents and moves them. The amount of focus that must take, while also jumping around and posing as he does. "That's amazing!"

He smiled smugly, which he sort of earned the right to do. "It took quite a while of practice to get it down, but now I can do it with nary a thought, men!"

Tuning into the conversation, Jun said, "You should have seen him a few years ago. A foot or two shorter, and scrunching his face up at the slightest of smells."

"H-Hey!" Ichiya's face lit up bright red. "Don't tell her that!"

"Why? It's true!" Jun chuckled, which caused Ren to laugh as well.

"You're funny, Ichi-san!" He's Ichi-san? Not big bro or anything like that? Wait, is that because he's twelve, and I'm eight? I'm only big sissy because I'm closer in age to him, huh.

"Anyway!" Ichiya yelled, having folded up the table we were using. "Let's return to the Guild! We can get food, men!"

"Yay, food!" Ren cheered, running ahead.

"Hey, wait!" Jun called, chasing after him, and leaving Ichiya to carry the big table by himself.

"Uh." He called weakly to them.

I picked up the other end of it, helping him. "I gotcha!"

"Thanks, Eris-san."

I shook my head. "I think we're past the stage of 'san,' don't you think?"

He nodded. "Eris-kun then."

It still felt weird having such honorifics attached to everything, but I suppose that was the best I was gonna get for now. "To the Guild!" I cheered, and we set off.

Later that night, after I finally got over my embarrassment at crying in front of a three-year-old, a playboy, and the one who was quickly becoming my best friend, I was out in that same area near the woods. It was the furthest out I was allowed to go, so it would have to do. It was at least far enough away to block out light pollution. The night sky was once again a rainbow sea, though I was unable to see the Milky Way, and the Moon was fully out.

Ichiya put in a lot of work to control his magic, Scent Magic. Meanwhile, I've been finding ways to avoid working with mine, simply because it didn't come naturally to me.

"Meditate, and feel the flow of your magic." Master Bob said.

I groaned. "I tried already, and the most I got was another tiny little Sol: Sun Ray."

Master Bob just shook his head. "You shouldn't try and cast a spell, just feel it as it ebbs and flows, like waves."

At the time, I had no clue what that meant, and even now I'm still not sure, but looking up at the Moon, I'm reminded of the ocean and waves. Tides wouldn't exist without her. I reached my hand into the sky, towards Luna. I don't know if this will help at all, but if magic comes and goes in waves, then maybe all I need is the one who makes those waves to help.

I imagined a beach, the ocean crashing against the sand, and the gentle sway of the water as it climbed up the beachfront, only to fall back, and climb once again. I could almost hear the phantom shore as the waves bumped against it. Swoosh, followed by a crash, and back again.

In. Out.

Up. Down.

Forward. Backward.

When I opened my eyes again, I noticed that the world seemed a little brighter. That's weird. I looked around a bit and noticed that the brightness was coming from me.

When I inspected myself, I noticed that it wasn't that the world was brighter, it was that I was glowing! A corona of color that reminded me of the Milky Way spread around me, giving off the faintest of lights with no clear source. Somehow, I knew that was because the source was inside of me.

Trying to feel the magic in me, a heat that felt so foreign before but now felt right, I noticed something else. Before, whenever I got lost in the stars, it felt as if I was being called by them. That Venus and her friends were all beckoning me over to dance with them. I wanted to join them so badly. Now though. Now I felt like I was being pulled. It felt like if I let go, I could just float away, leave this plane, and go dance and frolic with my friends in the heavens.

Yet, something was holding me back.

Something deep within me, perhaps deeper than my desire to play with my friends held me close. It wrapped me in its embrace and protected me from the harshness of space. A call that kept me grounded.

Grounded?

Terra?

I called to that feeling, and the gentle hands guided me back home, back where I belong.

I awoke from my trance with a gasp. The light of my magical aura had disappeared, and I was back near the forest. What was that? It felt like I wasn't in my body anymore. I've never been so calm, so peaceful, so still.

It was terrifying.

I timidly glanced back up at the Moon. Even with that realization, bathing in the moonlight still felt just so right.

It was all so confusing.

Chapter done! I accidentally fell asleep for the whole day, so the chapter is a little late, but that's fine.

I'm not the happiest with this chapter to be perfectly frank, but it is what it is.