Operation Bosco: New Arrivals, Part I

The safe-house, currently, was nothing more than a little bricked house in the dead of nowhere, close to the boarder, but distant from the towns that speckled it. There was a peace found there, a calm in the land it set upon, mostly abandoned prior to its currently usage.

In another life, a family had certain resided inside its walls. Up in the attic, there still sat boxes with the assorted personal affects that had been left behind, some framed photographs and the like, not of interest to its current inhabitants. It was a small place, just a thrown together home by its original inhabitants. There was a garden on one portion of the land and even a barn, now used to house extra weaponry and equipment (and, occasionally, to sleep those who were turned away from the main house). Clearly, at one point, whoever lived here had been there for the long haul.

But they weren't there anymore. And were of no concern in the early days of summer, when the sweltering heat drove everyone outside, to spread across the surrounding field, busy in their own ways. They were in an awkward period currently, where the house wasn't bursting at the seams, but they also weren't partaking any any covert missions across the boarder.

No.

There had been an incident. Or perhaps quite a few, spread across the span of over a year, failures, really, and a lack of faith had been instilled in those who previously believed so heavily in the proposed uprising.

It was in this downward spiral, this awkward period, that one of the larger guilds in the Kingdom chose to descend aid. Fairy Tail was rather well respected and when there was word of them sending two of their best, a bit of anticipation spread among those it awaited. By the time they arrived, however, a few months later, anxiety had slipped away from those who remained and turned more into sour feelings.

Not that the people who arrived were exactly who were promised. Yes, one claimed to be of the highest rank among the Fairy Tail guild, but he was widely unknown and appeared to be nothing more than a glorified medic, while the other, though claiming much prowess, inspired little faith.

But they sported the crests of one of the most respected guilds in the lands and, of that guild, two of the most legendary surnames.

Had they arrived only months before, perhaps there would have been more hope given. These days, however, only the most embittered remained and though they had quite the passion for the work they were doing, they were also rather stubborn in their ways.

Three weeks had gone by since the two Fairy Tail mages arrived and, while they were all slowly becoming adjusted to one another, growing pains were still abound.

Locke Redfox was the newest of the superior rank in Fairy Tail and had been excited (though nervous) in this new venture. Master Erza had hand picked it for both he and his girlfriend, in something close to a showing of goodwill, and while it was hardly a topic he was well versed in, it was rather fascinating to find himself not entangled.

The first night he and his girlfriend arrived in the closest nearby town, he was a bit hesitant about the directions they had been given by their Master, but led the way regardless, both rather stiff after a day and a half of train travel. They got lost a bit, in the woods, and were both kind of arguing with one another when they spotted the soft lights of the house in the distance, and hedged their bets that it was the right place.

He showed off his guild marking as they approached, after being requested, as they stepped out of the woods. Someone was keeping guard over the property, but rather than handling out a hand, brimming with magic, it was the end of a buck rifle shoved in their faces.

After some tense words, the man doing so lowered the gun with a grin of his own and Locke returned it easily, laughing with a bit of unease while his girlfriend, at his side, only eyed what laid in the dim light before them.

Bosco wasn't something that was spoken about frequently. A neighboring kingdom, there was some trade going between it and Fiore, but nothing that would concern either's standard citizens. Honestly, as a child in Fiore, you most often heard of Bosco when threatened by your parents for a plethora of things. Break curfew? Be careful; someone could snatch you up, right off the street, and drag you to Bosco. Defaming or not revering the King or Queen enough? Don't you realize how much better you have it? With your king and queen? Than they do in Bosco?

It felt like a boogeyman, a dark, mythic place that you should never venture, ever, or risk getting caught up in the seedy underworld it enabled. Bosco was where you went when no guild would take you, when you had no other skill left to offer, or, in the rare case you had the money to fund yourself, to partake in despicable practices.

Once, long enough now that it almost felt like a life time ago, Haven Dreyar had found herself within its border. She'd been taken across by some people looking for someone unafraid of electrical lacrima manipulations and, though she had no previous training in that, she more than showed her worth in the electrical realm. She was, after all, Raijin's daughter.

She'd heard the stories about Bosco before. Some of the older wizards in Fairy Tail had visited or dealt with some of its shady beneficiaries. Of course, their stories were no doubt inflated, as was the standard for bar stories, but she did have a pit in her stomach, when she boarded that boat to Bosco.

It wasn't as if she were doing anything illegal. But it was certainly something she would no longer consider, would have counseled her younger self against, but at the time she was a teen, a homeless one, who was trying to make a name for herself. A paid trip to another Kingdom with the promise of further pay was the exact thing she was looking for.

Honestly, things weren't so bad there. From the outside perspective she was given, at least. She was viewed as a guest, hired help, and considering she'd gone the legal route across the boarder, had something close to the protection of Fiore on her side.

The Kingdom was vast, not unlike the one she was leaving behind, and the part she visited wasn't too deep within the border. It was grasslands, just stretching out for miles, with rows of fields speckling the countryside. She imagined, back then, that it was a lot like what her mother grew up in, from all her stories of life before Magnolia. It comforted her then, for the few weeks she spent in Bosco.

It didn't feel seedy or underground as everyone always talked it up to be. Until, well, you took notice of the silent 'help' that seemed to float about.

She always kind of imagined it to be outright horrific or, maybe, done in the shadows, but instead, it just seemed to be the standard. The man who'd hired her for the electric work made a small reference to her, in regards to not making a big deal of it to the client and she honestly was able to reconcile the concept a bit. Or at least tired to. Bosco was its own Kingdom with its own customs and her entire focus, in her original time away from the guild, was on being an adult. No one else was making a big deal of the issue and, being in such an unfamiliar land, it felt best to just keep her head down.

But...if there was any key point about Haven, it was that she couldn't do that. Just go with the flow. Stay in line. She was an upriser and, having grown up in a wizard guild, where the idea of a moral code wasn't only implemented, but also expressed as your job to uphold, it was only a matter of time before she had enough of the goings on.

She thought about it constantly, when she was finally able to return to her rightful kingdom. All that had gone on while she was in Bosco. Even years out, while accompanying Ravan on the Monster Gauntlet, there was deep desire she held, not only to for revenge, but also to do something about the injustice she'd observed. It went back to that naturally imposed moral code; once you see something, it stays with you. But unlike her older counterparts who traded the tales for war stories, she actually wanted to do something about it.

Which is why she could tell the it was all bunk, that first night she and Locke were welcomed into the brood. If you could even call it that. Honestly, there were so few of them that it felt much less like an underground agency bent on overthrowing a sadistic, antiquated practice and far more like a group of people who, for some reason, just liked hanging out in the middle of nowhere with people they hardly tolerated.

It was Xavier, the youngest of the resistance it seemed, puffing out his chest that first night, as he swung his rifle around quite dangerously, Locke felt, that took them up to the house. He was a young kid, shaved head, and a rather pale complexion. His dark eyes were wide though, when he studied the guild marking Locke presented him (perhaps even more so when Haven revealed where hers laid upon her chest) and he stumbled over himself some, as he led the pair to base.

Astra was who he took them to first, the leader of sorts. She was seated out on the back porch of the tiny house, on a step, smoking something that smelled sweet. Standing at their approach, the women looked them both over with a bit of a knowing smile placed upon her lips.

"The two Fairy Tail wizards have arrived, hm?" She looked sad though, in the moonlight, as her smoke hung between two fingers, glowing slightly as it burned. "What an honor."

Haven could feel it, the way Locke straightened up. Tensed. And it had less to do with their introduction and more with who they were being introduced to. She was older than them, Astra was, but not by much. Maybe not even thirty yet. Tall, far taller than Haven, either even or perhaps even slightly more than Locke. She held herself well though, her posture straight as her hair, looking brown in the soft moonlight, but when she shifted some, back on her feet, the porch light above them caught it more and it appeared more red.

She was striking. Beautiful. And Locke clearly took notice.

It was hardly an interest to Haven, however, as she questioned, "So when do we go to Bosco?"

Astra looked to her then, the smile that graced her tan flesh not quite reaching her eyes as she remarked, "Eager. It's much appreciated. Had you arrived a few months prior, perhaps there would be better prospects, but unfortunately-"

"Don't dash 'er hopes the first second she gets here."

This came from behind Astra where, from through a screen door, a man was peeking out at them.

"At least let 'em put their shit down, yeah?" The man was moving to open the mesh door then, as if to welcome them inside, "Before we tell them what a colossal failure this all has turned out to be, huh?"

"Shut up, Richard!" Xavier, who had been standing slightly behind Locke and Haven, rifle held across his chest, moved to start up the porch then to glare at the man. "What do you know, huh? We're doing great! We-"

"What are you supposed to be doing right now, Xay?" Astra questioned, moving to block his path with a frown. "Patrolling?"

"But he-"

"Then go patrol." Astra brought her smoke back up, to take a puff, before remarking, "Who knows what other visitors are waiting out there for us, huh?"

He grumbled though, Xavier did, as he slowly backed down and turned from them, to resume his long march across the property. Locke looked to Haven then, uneasy, but her eyes were only on Astra, watching as she turned to climb up the porch in Xavier's place.

"What do you mean?" the blonde question as, when Astra walked into the door Richard, a shit eating grin lighting up his bearded face, continued to hold open. "Is this not the group trying to help free the slaves in Bosco?"

"Thank fuck we are," Astra assured over her shoulder as, directly inside, they stepped into a small kitchen, "'cause if we weren't, youdda just alerted someone else to our presence."

Locke had attempted to follow Haven in, but Richard, at the door, held out his hand as he questioned the younger guy, "Just 'cause a man let's a pretty lady in don't mean he gotta do the same another man."

Sour, Locke frowned at him as he remarked, "That 'pretty lady' is my girlfriend."

"Oh, yeah? Lucky lad." Richard still left his hand where it was, just barely grazing Locke's chest. "But to get into my top secret base here-"

"It's a house."

"A secret house," the other man insisted. "And to get in, I need some sorta payment. Some cigarettes, a cigar, booze. You must have somethin' like that in your pack, eh?"

"N-No." Locke frowned. "What do you mean? Why would I bring anything like that with me?"

"You come from a fuckin' guild, don't ya? We all got our vices, guild wizard's, yeah?"

Not exactly wanting to admit Haven was his vice (much less share her), Locke only shrugged at the guy who groaned before dropping his arm.

"C'mon then," Richard gave in, taking a step back. As the door started to swing shut, Locke was certain to weasel his way in before it closed him out. "I'll let ya through just this once."

Inside was no rougher than the out. The house was outdated and, though patched up, clearly wasn't up to snuff. The wallpaper was stained and tearing and the kitchen floor tiles were either cracked or missing all together, showing the cold hard cement foundation beneath. As Locke noted the grime, Haven continued to only have eyes for Astra who, at the moment, had gone to stand over the kitchen table.

"So you are who we're looking for," Haven insisted and Astra nodded some as, after a last, long inhale, she moved to snuff out the smoke into an ashtray on the table.

Over her shoulder, she remarked, "We're just going through a downturn, is all. Things have been a bit...stagnant, of late. To say the least."

"There's a lot fucking more to say and you know it."

Haven and Locke's eyes both shot to the doorway of the kitchen where another new person stood, a far less playful glint in their eyes.

Astra rolled her own eyes deeply though they didn't dart that way as she instead only remarked, "Thought you were sleeping? Shae?"

The woman, Shae, strode into the kitchen with her arms folded while her bright green eyes glared both Haven and Locke up and down. Her black, freckled face was marred a bit, above the cheek bone, from some sort of scarring that seemed to trace her right eye socket. As se came to a stop before them, her height topping out right about even with Haven and, she glared at the blonde in particular, it was returned in spades.

Locke, thankful to finally see someone their age, held out his hand with a grin. This seemed to catch the woman off guard, just a bit as, without even waiting for her to take his hand, he began to introduce himself.

"This," he said with a nod at his side, "is Haven. And I'm Locke. We're from the Fairy Tail guild. Are you guys all from guilds too? Or-"

"No," Astra answered as, slowly, Shae did move to take his hand, shaking it with a bit of unease. "We're all...something else."

"Speak for yourself, eh?" Richard came over to retrieve Astra's discarded smoke. Producing a lighter from his pocket, he seemed insistence on getting a few puffs of his own as, around this, he remarked, "Ain't nothin' fancy like your prized Fairy Tail, but I hail from a guild, yeah? 'fore I came 'round, I was pretty well known. Used to have a sayin' and everything. 'Oh, you fucked up now. Here comes the Dick!'"

"That's," Astra questioned, sounding bored as she glanced over at him, "what they'd say?"

"That's what they'd say."

Haven's glares were failing now as, realizing they were bringing her no benefit, she took instead to huff and questioning, "Are more of you? Like, in Bosco right now? Are you guys just the, like, b-team or something? Because I think I should definitely be moved up. Locke can stay-"

"Haven," he griped with a frown.

"-but I definitely belong on the A-Team," she finished. Then, with consideration to the 'new her' she had spent the past few months trying to foster, she added,"No offense."

"While I'd love to send you far away, across the boarder," Astra assured her as Haven felt all their glares then, "but if there's an A-Team, you're looking at them. And no one here's agreed you can even stick around. No offense."

With a snort, Haven looked off before retorting, "So what did we come all this way here for then? Are you guys...giving up? Or-"

"Rebuild," Richard took over then, his tone not as tense as the women. He grinned at Locke and Haven then as he told them both, "Perhaps it's a good thing you've both arrived now. Caught us at a bad moment, but c'mon; let's all get along, yeah? Two of them might even be helpful in getting things back on track, Astra."

But the woman in question only shook her head a bit before saying, "You're here now. Both of you. I met her once, your master. Erza Scarlet. If she thinks that the two of you can be of help to us, then I welcome it. But right now… I think a few days are in order, for the two of you to familiarize yourselves with the rest of us, as well as get your bearings. I'm working on something at the moment that will hopefully be coming together soon. Maybe it'll involve one of you. Maybe not. But for tonight… I guess we should merely welcome you. It's not much, but for right now, this is base. Make yourself at home."

When she finished talking, Astra merely nodded at both Haven and Locke in turn before walking off, towards the doorway Shae had just come through, little care paid to the eyes on her back.

Locke, who didn't do well in awkward situations, was clearly apprehensive, but Haven had spent plenty of time, those three or so years she was out on the streets, in similar circumstances. They were hardly the first group she'd crashed with close to their demise.

Still, they were a group she hadn't wished this on and, as Astra disappeared into the hallway, she looked to Richard.

"Now what?" she questioned simply and only moved to hold the smoke out to her.

"Relax," he suggested. "Look around. Careful though, outside- Xavier's a bit, uh, touchy, yeah? Might blast a whole right through ya."

When Haven didn't take the smoke, he laughed, walking off with it, back into the hallway as well. Now that there were three, Locke took to smiling at Shae once more, but again, she only glared at Haven before turning off as well.

"Barn's empty," she suggested over her shoulder. "Maybe you'd be more comfortable out there."

Alone now, Locke looked to Haven with a bit of hesitation, clearly feeling like their whole trip had been for not, and though Haven feared this as well, she also didn't take well to hazing. Which was surely what they were undergoing at the moment. Being treated like outsiders because they were, you know, outsiders. And while she definitely planned on bailing before this all went to shit, Haven was nothing if not resilient (and insistent).

They weren't going to drive her out. No way. She'd fought hard to be here and no one was going to take it from her.

"Haven," Locke started, but she didn't particularly want to hear what he had to say over the whole thing and, instead, ventured further into the house.

"They said make ourselves at home." Haven walked into the hallway, glanced down it, and noted the three closed doors. Straight across from the kitchen, however, seemed to be a tiny living room and, walking in there, she finally slung her pack off her back. "So let's do that."

His unease was palpable, but Haven only slammed down on the room's couch, arms folded over her chest as she glared towards the doorway, waiting for someone else to come around to continue the gauche scene they'd only just escaped. When no one came though, she eventually did relax, back into the couch, watching as Locke squatted down on he knees and began to release his sleeping bag from where it hung, snapped into the bottom of his pack.

"Did you wanna stay in here?" he questioned his girlfriend before he unrolled his sleeping bag. "Or the barn?"

She gave him a look then. "I'm not sleeping in the fucking barn."

"I dunno," he sighed, unfurling the sleeping bag. "Might be more comfortable."

"A barn?"

"Away from people actively acting like they don't want us here."

Somewhat sympathetic then, she offered, "A lot of people pretend like they don't want me around at first. I think it's a coping mechanism for when they see how great I am. They don't wanna spoil themselves."

"Yeah, Have, I really don't think it's that."

There was very little movement in the house the rest of the night. Locke stretched out on the floor and Haven was kind enough to turn the lamp lighting the room off, for his benefit, but she didn't follow suit. No. She sat up, on the couch, silent mostly, waiting for there to be some sort of movement.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Richard did emerge from one of the back rooms. He didn't even glancing in on where Haven and Locke were, instead heading into the kitchen and just as quickly out the backdoor.

Not one to let a moment pass her by, Haven was quick on her feet, thankful for Locke's passing out, as it gave her the ease of escape without much internal debate.

"Hey, wait up." She made no show of hiding herself though, as she slipped out the backdoor after the man, him glancing over his broad shoulder with a bit of a bemused grin. "I want to talk to you."

"You're in luck," he offered with a nod as, though he didn't stop, he did slow down some, allowing her to catch up as they made their way across the desolate property. "I'm 'bout to not have much to do, other than walk around this place. You can join me. Get a feel for it. Won't be long til Astra's got you doin' it too."

It was a warm night out, but not muggy, though the overgrown grass did feel a bit marshy beneath their boots. Richard seemed uncertain of where he was heading, changing slight direction a few times, before, in the distance, they could see a soft white light slowly swaying around.

"Hit the sack, X," Richard called out as they approached it. "Takin' over watch, yeah? Me and my pretty lady friend here."

Typically, Xavier would head into the house, not stopping to confer with whoever relieved him of watch, but that final sentence made him head right over to where Richard and Haven stood, his shining flashlight in the darkness making them both squint some.

"Sorry," the teen apologized, lowering the light while Haven mostly eyed the hunting rifle he now had slung over his back, the butt sticking up over his scrawny right shoulder. "But how did things go with Astra? What did she say? Now that they're here, are we going to-"

"Nothing's changed worth noting," Richard told him simply. "Astra and Shae sealed themselves off in a room to sulk. What else is new, eh? Women."

Xavier's face darkened though as he glared up at the man, retorting simply, "Astra knows what she's doing. Of course she does! Why did you even stick around if you don't think so?"

But Richard only grinned, that same shit eating one he'd exhibited since Haven's arrival, as he told the teen, "A man has his reasons."

As Xavier narrowed his eyes, Haven only broke her rare silence by questioning the teen, "How old are you? Anyways?"

And he puffed out his chest then, after taking a step back from the man, to address Haven with the deepest she'd heard his voice so far, remarking, "Fourteen. But almost fifteen, really. Fifteen. Practically."

When she laughed down at the ground, he deflated, looking hurt, but Haven was quick to shake her head and assure him, "That practically is fifteen, yeah. Hey, let me see your flashlight for a second, huh?"

He was still frowning, but did as asked (he seemed to think highly of her, though they'd just met; Haven imagined it had something to do with her guild marking), handing over the flashlight with a bit of a shaking hand. Taking it, Haven only flipped open the bottom, which hid a tiny, internal lacrima.

"Your lacrima," she said simply as, as Richard snickered and Xavier's eyes light up, her hand began to illuminate and spark, "is going out. It's why it's not too bright. Let me recharge it for you."

The light it shone then was far more brilliant and Xavier thanked her, softly, when he reclaimed the tool before questioning, "Is that your...magic? Electricity?"

Nodding, Haven was sure to add, "Part of it, yeah."

"Go to sleep, X," Richard ordered, his tone a bit more serious then with the young teen, nodding back towards the house. "You can have plenty of time to get our new members in the morning, huh? And be quiet going in- Don't want Astra or Shae on ya."

They watched together, Richard and Haven did, as the light disappeared across the property, back up to the house, leaving them alone in the darkness. When the man began to walk once more, Haven was quick to follow.

"What are you guys even on the look out for?" she thought to ask then, but like with most else, Richard only gave a soft laugh and a shrug.

"We got a little heat, from the capital, about a year ago," he told her simply. "People at the top don't like much when you start meddling in the affairs of other top people; even when they're from an entirely different kingdom. But that was back when we had members. Real, solid number of members. Sneaking back and forth across the boarder. Thinking we were accomplishin' somethin'."

"What happened?" she questioned softly and there was no grin this time to accompany the shrug.

"Weren't actually accomplishin' much, actually," he told her simply as they walked then, together, along the treeline. "There was another guy here, you just missed him, who used to run things. Astra and him were real tight. They put it all together with one another. She comes from money, yeah? Lots of jewels. In Bosco. They both fled it together, to start this group. A...liberation of sorts. Been at it for three, four years now. Nothin' was comin' of it. Fiore started comin' down on us and eventually…people just started leavin'. Can't blame 'em. Been pretty stagnant, things have been, of late."

"But what do you guys even do?" Haven continued to insist. "Like...what were you doing? In Bosco?"

"In the beginning? Raising awareness. Get members across the boarder, spread the word among the people. To those we thought would help us. Got a lotta members that way. Not everybody in the country agrees with the practice. A lotta the practice, really, that the King decrees. Not hard to find dissenters; you just gotta cast a line." Richard looked up then, at the moon shining overhead, and grinned. "But wha' do ya do from there, huh? It's a kingdom; ain't gonna win an audience or argument with the top brass. Not when you're talkin' about completely toppling their economy. So what do you do? Stage few protests, some uprisings, maybe some, uh, magical interference here or there, but… We're just at a crossroads, eh? Depending on which way Astra goes..."

"So every just...left?"

"Mostly," he agreed with a nod of his head. "'cept for those of us who ain't got nowhere to go."

"You said you're from a guild."

"Also said I got my own reasons for stickin' around." Glancing down at her, he said, "I'm guessin' you got your own for comin' all this way, huh? A day too late. Well, a lotta them, maybe, but-"

But Haven only said, "Your leader...Astra… What's her next move?"

"Dunno."

"But she said she's working towards something."

"We're all working towards somethin'."

"You can't just give up."

"Who's givin' up?" Richard questioned back. "We're out here, tryin' to figure it all out again. If we don't, we don't; but we're still tryin'."

And Haven wanted to argue back, because there was an extreme defeated attitude that she'd noted, already, surrounding those on the property, but at the same time, trying was her new motto.

It was difficult to scold for someone else doing the same.

"Maybe...you're focused in on the wrong thing."

"Eh?"

Haven wasn't looking at him, frowning instead as she said, "My...friend told me once, when I was talking to him about wanting to help the slaves in Bosco, that it wasn't my fight. That it was theirs. And nothing would change from some outsider from Fiore starting things. You guys have been trying to get to, like, citizens and things, but it's not their fight. Maybe some of them aren't comfortable and you could use their help, yeah, but first, you gotta make some other people uncomfortable. If you're not a part of a solution, then you're part of the problem. They're not who we want to save."

"What do you know about Bosco?" he asked softly, his voice sounding small then, but maybe Haven just couldn't hear it, over her own thoughts.

"I...went once. I worked there. For awhile. For one of those top brass you were talking about." Haven squeezed a fist tightly. "Ira Ewing. I worked on his manor. I saw what he did. I...got caught up in what he did. And now… I fucking know enough about Bosco."

Richard let out a soft hum of sorts, but offered nothing else up, and maybe it was for the better.

Walking in silence for a moment, Haven eventually held up one of her arms, allowing the electricity to flow through it and light up the area around them. To Richard, she said, "How come you don't have your own flashlight? Or borrow that kid's?"

"I kinda like the dark."

"Or do you not really give a shit? About patrolling?"

His grin looked rather eerie, illuminated by her light, as he questioned down at the blonde, "What do we got that someone would wanna take anyways?"

Nothing, it seemed like.

When Haven got back to the house, she thought that Locke would have woken up, or even left to find her, but he was still sleeping and she thought it best to leave him that way. He was always so nervous about shit and, well, she did at least feel somewhat poorly for leading him into this situation. Rather than crashing on the couch, she unrolled her sleeping bag as well, pushing a coffee table out of the way a bit, so she could be right beside the man.

After snoozing the last day and a half away on the train, however, she did little more than lay awake and await daylight.

It felt like it took forever to come. But not comparatively to the rest of their time on the property. Now that stretched on for eternity.

That first morning was awkward, of course, and the day was spent with Locke more than trying to make friends with all those about while Haven observed in the same closed off way she always had. While she'd more than cared for herself, back before she rejoined Fairy Tail, and was able to easily find a way to bounce from place to place, something was just...different, when Locke was around. It all came to him with such an ease, making friends and allies, that her attempts felt silly and childish beside. It didn't help that her immediate response to his attempts at easing tensions was to toss jabs his way, falling back into insulting the man (a favorite pastime), which only increased the awkwardness in most situations.

This felt a little different, however. She and Richard had something of a rapport, the night before, and that Xavier kid seemed thoroughly enthralled with both she and Locke. As was frequently the case for Haven, other women seemed to be her hardest barrier to broach.

This wasn't the case for Locke though. Of course not. Astra seemed rather flustered, that first morning, sighting their arrival as having thrown off her typical attitude (as well as whatever was laced in that smoke she and Richard shared) and she did seem, by all accounts, much warmer in the following days. Not quite what Haven was expecting still, but more approachable.

Shae seemed unimpressed with Haven all together. At first, Haven thought she was annoyed by both she and Locke, perhaps even from some dealings with Fairy Tail or the like, but this didn't seem the be the case. When he spoke to the other woman, she didn't give him those same distant looks or seem to be actively avoiding him, the way Haven was definitely certain she was doing to her.

But it didn't matter.

At all.

Haven had to keep reminding herself of this.

Her mission, after all, and goal was to help Bosco. If the people here turned out not to provide her with a pathway towards that, then she'd just have to find another way.

Locke seemed to become comfortable with his new friends though. He found them all interesting (if not a bit exhausting), but always enjoyed getting to know new people. It was almost easy to forget the immense reason they'd come there in the first place.

Almost.

Astra was illusive, frequently disappearing or locking herself into one of the two bedrooms, to speak softly on a lacrima. Haven stalked around most days, waiting for the woman to finally send her on some sort of...mission or something, but this didn't seem to be coming and eventually, she found a way to get out some of her aggression over this fact.

Though he was rather nervous at first around their new guests, Xavier quickly warmed up to the idea of tussling with Haven. And she was more than ready to throw down. They spent many days in those few weeks tumbling out in the warm grass, training in combat and her sharing (bragging) over previous accomplishments in her guild, as well from her time away.

It felt like a strange sleepover, just wrought over the course of weeks. They all kind of woke around the same time (it was hard not to in such cramped quarters) and the others argued a bit over the food in the fridge.

"How do you guys fund it anyways?" Locke asked eventually after offering, hoping to win over some good faith, to head into town and get some groceries for everyone. He got some light ribbing from Richard, over a request spending his sparse jewels on smokes being denied, but the others seemed rather grateful. "Living like this?"

"Weren't many people around base, before," Richard offered with a shrug. They stood out on the back porch as he gave the younger man directions to the nearest town. "Like I told ya though, Astra comes from money. This was partially her project. She won't let us starve."

"She'd probably let you starve," Shae muttered from where she sat on the porch step, watching in the distance as Haven and Xavier wrestled in the early morning. "At least."

But he only shrugged at Locke before remarking simply, "Women."

Haven and Xavier went out with him to shop and, as the younger teen ran off the second they made it to town, to go explore, the two were finally able to converse alone for the first time.

"So how long are we staying?"

She made a face at her boyfriend, the blonde did, retorting simply, "You're way more cozy here than I am."

"Some of us are social."

"I'm plenty social."

"Sure."

"And what do you want me to do?" she kept up. "Master told us to come here and help."

"There's nothing to help with here," he pointed out. "Everyone is just kinda...hanging around. And we could do that back at home. I was thinking about telling everyone to head back to Magnolia with us and we can work with some of our other friends at making a new task force and-"

"No."

"What do you mean no?"

"I mean no."

They were in the town's market and there were many people (and obstacles) about, but Haven and Locke mostly seemed keyed in on one another.

"I'm not going back to Fairy Tail until I do what I set out to," she kept up. "If we go back now, then Erza will hand it over to someone else. Or spearhead it herself. No way. This is ours. With these guys or without them."

But for all she tried to act indifferent to their new friends, Locke could tell Haven was at least somewhat happy. At times. When she wasn't busy worrying and seething.

The house was old and had no running water to the bathroom, but there was a creek not far away that they all sorta took turns bathing in. It seemed to beat arguing over a shower, at least, Locke thought.

He and Haven usually went down there together.

She'd sit by the edge, tossing rocks into the water as he bathed, both slowly becoming desensitized to the irregularity. It was kinda like when they were kids, maybe, just getting to go out on jobs on their own. They'd camp out a lot, just to get away from home, and taking dips in whatever body of water they could find to drive off the stench was welcome. Especially in the hot summer days when they'd all try, the two of them and Navi and Ravan, of course, to stay away from home from weeks at a time.

It was nice though, just to be away from the others. Even if it was only for an hour or so. There wasn't much to talk about, seeing as there wasn't much going on, but Locke liked when it was Haven's turn to bathe and he'd lay on his back, staring up at the clouds, and try to remember how lucky he was. To be here. With her.

Sometimes, it felt like this weird impasse, this dead end, was never going to end. Every other stage of each of their lives felt like a lesson waiting to be learned and, after gearing up to get bombarded with a bunch of them, Haven and Locke felt like this step had led them right into nothingness.

This all came to a rather sudden end, in one early summer week in particular, while Locke sat in the grass, watching his girlfriend once more spar with Xavier. Or he had been. The two had suddenly stopped, off in the distance, and both taken to lying back in the grass, catching their breaths. He was too far away to hear if they spoke to one another, but was keen to see how long it took for them to get back to their feet (as to gauge if he should head over there and offer some aid, in case Haven had, once more, gone too far on the teen) and this is probably what caused him to jump a bit, surprised when someone joined him in the grass.

It was Shae, a bit of a smile on her as, with little ceremony, she told him simply, "I overheard Astra speaking on the lacrima."

This shouldn't have been hard for her. There were two bedrooms in the house and she seemed to share one of them with the older woman. Richard told him back when there were way more of them, filtering about, it was kind of a 'find a place, sleep, head out to do what you need to', but now, he and Xavier bunked together, while the women did as well.

"Oh, yeah?" he questioned, still staring over at where his girlfriend was trying to catch her breath. While he wouldn't quite call them friends yet, Shae did seem to like him well enough. Locke couldn't quite blame her. Given the options in the house were Richard, who was hard to take, Xavier, who was as exhausting as most teens, Astra, who seemed too busy for most of them, and Haven, who, yeah, he was pretty used to, but could understand why no one else was, he liked to think he was the best catch. "I'm guessing you heard something good?"

But she only shook her head some, smiling while not offering up much else.

Out in the yard, as Haven finally shoved up in the grass, she spotted the other woman sitting beside her boyfriend and frowned some, but just as quickly was moving to pull Xavier back to his feet. As the teen griped a bit, she only shook her head.

"You remind me of my cousin," she said simply. "Ajax."

Though this was clearly meant to be a critique, her tone of reflection said otherwise.

But as she and the teen were shaking off their fatigue and preparing to rustle once more, there was a call from up on the property, where the house set, as Astra emerged from the house for the first time that day.

"Hey," the older woman called out from the porch. "I have news."

Oh, Shae knew.

It wasn't as if she were purposely eavesdropping on the woman, early in the day. No. But after going down to the creek to bathe, she came back to the house to put some things away and stopped short, outside the room she shared now with the older woman, catching her airy voice through the paper-thin walls. Usually, Astra would take care to use a much softer voice, but she seemed convinced of her solitude, given Haven, Xavier, and Locke rarely could be found in the house during the day (it could get rather stuffy) while Richard had been sent into town for a mail call and Shae, of course, was meant to be down by the creek.

And maybe, well, Astra was a bit excited herself.

She'd only caught wisps of it, through the door, Shae had, but it felt like more than enough, what she did hear, and when Astra called them to attention that afternoon, she felt like she knew the woman's words before they left her mouth.

"I," Astra began as she stood on the top step, addressing the others gathered around, "have been in contact with some sources across the border and I think I have a new plan of action. Richard and I spoke a few weeks ago on- Is he not back yet?" When all the others could only shake their heads, Astra rolled her eyes, heavily, before saying, "It doesn't matter. He and I had a conversation, a number of weeks ago, that led me down a new path. A change of course. Perhaps, previously, we were going about this all wrong."

"What do you mean?" Xavier asked with a frown, but Haven knew.

Because she'd been the one to have the conversation with the man first.

"I mean," Astra went on, "that I've spent the past few days finalizing what will be the first step in our new objective. There's no place for all of us currently, but after speaking with Luka, I've secured an easy path into Bosco for me and one other person."

Shae took a slight step towards the porch, subconsciously, as she'd heard her, on the lacrima, discussing this. There was no way she'd be taking Xay or Richard with her. No. She mentioned taking another woman and the only, most obvious choice would be-

"Haven." Astra stepped off the top step then, her eyes on the blonde. "I want you to accompany me across the border. From there, we'll-"

"What?" While Haven's heart was stopping in excitement, Shae's felt like it was pounding in her ears. Green eyes darkening, she took a true step forward then as she questioned, "What fucking good would it do to bring her there? Huh? You hardly even know her."

"What does someone need to know about me?" Haven retorted, turning to glare at the other woman. As Locke opened his mouth to caution her, she tossed up an electrified arm before announcing, "I'm the only strongest one around here. Why wouldn't she wanna take me into Bosco with her?"

"It has nothing to do with strength." But Astra wasn't looking at Haven. Frowning sympathetically at Shae, she only said, "She's been to the Ewing manor. Richard told me. And having someone familiar with it, as well as the man himself, is at least somewhat beneficial."

"The Ewing what?" Locke wasn't feeling the jealousy or joy either of the two women on his sides were, no. Instead, his stomach was sinking. "And Haven can't go to Bosco alone. I have to go with her."

"Shut up, Locke," Haven retorted, not even glancing at him. To Astra, she said, "I've been there. And I remember it. A lot of it. I-"

"But Mr. Ewing," Astra questioned, looking back to her, "doesn't know you well, does he?"

She wanted to lie, Haven did, but she was so conformed to doing the opposite in those days that, without even thinking, she answered, "No. I really doubt it."

"Are you sure?" the older woman kept up. "Completely sure?"

"It doesn't matter," Locke kept up. "Haven's not going to-"

"He won't remember me." Haven even sighed some over the fact. "At all."

Surprising the blonde though, Astra only nodded before remarking, "Good. I don't want him to. I need you to be aware of him and nothing more."

"I'd never forget him," Haven assured her, but Shae took the attention of the others then as, letting out a slight groan, she turned to stomp off.

"This is shit," she complained over her shoulder at them. "Fucking bullshit. We can't even trust them and you're taking them across the border? Fuck this."

"Shae," Xavier called after her, but it was no use; she needed to be alone.

While the others looked on in concern, Haven had had her fair share of storm outs and felt this one rather mild. Besides, she was far more concerned with herself (as always) and the flipping in her stomach.

After weeks of nothing, this all felt so sudden.

But fuck if she wasn't ready.

"You're not," Locke hissed at her that night, "going."

"Shuddup, Locke." She wasn't up to combating him as they laid there together, in the darkness of the living room, each in their own sleeping bag. "Go to sleep."

There had been a weird tension in the house, since Astra's announcement, and though Shae came back eventually, she only announced to Xavier (the only person she was willing to talk to it seemed) that she'd be taking first patrol and, well, no one was really fighting for that boredom anyways.

Richard had come back eventually, of course, and upon hearing the news, congratulated Haven on her trip abroad, but there was a bit of a knowing smile and Haven knew it was purely thanks to him that she was being given her chance, finally.

Locke was sour the whole day though, as well as the night. As his girlfriend shutdown every attempt he had at talking her out of going for the first hour, he took to sulking the rest of them, until they were laying there together, separated by their sleepingbags, but not by much.

"I'm not going to just let you," he kept up then as she kept her eyes shut and tried to get some much needed sleep, "just go into Bosco alone. Again. Haven, the point of all this was for us to be together. How can I protect you if we're not together? And why won't you tell me about this Ewing place? Huh? I don't… This isn't what I signed up for."

"You signed up," she retorted, "to help free slaves in Bosco. That was the orders your master gave you."

"I'm your boyfriend," he told her simply. "I'm here for you. Yeah, I give a shit about the situation in Bosco and yes, I want to help, but...this isn't how I envisioned it. I'm not letting you go across the border without me. Ever. At all."

"You don't let me do anything, Locke."

"Haven-"

"I'm going no matter what you say," she pointed out. "So do you want to end on a fight? Or do you wanna be happy for me? For once?"

"You can't be serious."

"You're never happy for me," she kept up. "At all. You're always silently judging me."

"You're full of it."

"Full of hopes and dreams and you dash them constantly."

He shoved up then, from his sleeping back, just so he could glare down at her. But there was no way Haven was going to let him feel such power. Shoving up as well, she pressed her forehead into his from below.

"You're," he told her simply, "not going."

"I am, Locke." Eyes smoldering, she insisted, "Don't make me regret bringing you along with me."

He lost, he'd known the entire time he was going to, but it still hurt when he was the first to fall away, back into his sleeping bag, to pout up at the ceiling alone. And though she was victorious, Haven missed the feeling of his head against her own and instead of falling back into her own sleeping bag, she only leaned over her boyfriend's, a hand pressed against his bare chest as she stared down at his sour face.

"I won't be gone long," she insisted as he refused to give any sign of being alright with this. He wouldn't give her that comfort. "I love you."

"Love you too," he muttered through a sigh because, as much as he wanted to punish her, he'd only a year ago been stuck without ever being to return that vow to her. "Haven."

In the morning, Xavier was the only one that matched Haven's upbeat attitude over her and Astra going away. He walked across the property with them, gun slung over his back, insisting to the blonde that he would keep up with the regimen she'd had him on the past few weeks. Locke, who walked with them as well, kept glaring at the teen, but he didn't seem to recognize it.

"I don't imagine I'll be gone more than a week," Astra remarked to Xavier when, as they happened upon the treeline, Locke pulled Haven into a hug. Allowing them their goodbye, the older woman spoke to the boy instead, saying, "Keep Richard in line and Shae from killing him, alright?"

"Locke," Haven was complaining then, shoving him away when he seemed intent with just burrowing his face in her hair and never emerging. "You heard Astra. A week. At most."

He didn't like it though, how empty his arms felt as he had to take a step back. Still, softly he agreed and nodded, "Yeah. Two weeks."

Together, Astra and Haven headed to the nearest port city, which was only about half a day on foot. Once there, they met up with another woman, about Astra's age, down at the docks.

"Luka," she greeted Haven simply, shaking her hand. Her hair was cropped, bleached an unnatural white, and stuck out from beneath the brim of a cheesy, cliched captain's hat. As the blonde opened her mouth to reply her own name, Luka only dropped her hand before saying, "Cargo doesn't say much."

Which was how she found herself below deck of a massive ship for a day or so, with only Astra for company. The ship was rather busy, with crew filtering about, and they made two stops, in ports at Bosco, before they arrived at the one they were meant to depart.

In the interim though, as Haven and Astra tried to make themselves at least somewhat comfortable among the crates below deck, they shared something of a camaraderie. They hadn't spoken much, honestly, on their walk, but now alone, with nothing but the swaying of the ship to comfort them, it felt like as good of time as any to get to know one another.

"I guess we didn't get much of a chance to go over the specifics of what we'll be doing," Astra remarked as she sat up on one of the bigger box, perched on it's edge. "Everyone sort of...lost themselves a bit, when I announced I'd be bringing you along."

Haven, who was pacing about, shrugged a bit before saying, "My father was the master of my guild when I was growing up; I'm used to people being jealous."

"Shae wasn't...jealous of you." Astra made a face over at her. "She had ever right to think I wouldn't bring you along. You and your boyfriend just arrived. The only reason I chose you, at all, was because of your ties to Ewing. It'd be stupid of you to underestimate Shae."

Snorting, Haven retorted, "I can sense it. Or not, I mean, I guess. She's not a mage. Xay has some magic, not a lot, and Richard was a mage before this, but Shae-"

"The faster you realize your magic means little here," Astra retorted, "the better."

This got another snort and sneer from the blonde, but it was just as well. Taking in a breath, Astra released it into an uncomfortable smile.

"We're getting," she insisted, "back onto the wrong foot. I didn't bring you out here to scold you, anyways. And I have a good feeling the two of us are going to have a lot of dealings with one another; there's no reason we can't get to know one another better."

Haven stopped her pacing then before glancing over at the older woman with a bit of a frown. "Know one another better how?"

Shrugging, Astra kicked her feet a bit, as they dangled over edge of the crate. "When we got word from Fairy Tail that they would be sending us two higher up mages, I didn't expect...the two of you. But It was for the better, clearly. You're already proving valuable. Your boyfriend though-"

"He's more valuable than me."

Making a face, the older woman said, "Don't devalue yourself."

Haven never had.

Insistent then, she told the woman, "He can raise the dead."

But instead of digging further into that, like Haven expected, Astra only hummed softly as she said, "The two of you seem rather close."

"We are."

"How long have you been together?"

"Forever," Haven answered without much though, but as she caught herself, she decided not to correct it.

Again Astra made that same humming noise before saying, "And you trust him?"

"Of course."

"He's cute, I guess," she offered. "But needy. Most men are though. You grew up in your father's guild? All my teen years were spent on in Bosco, with my father plotting out my future engagement. The boy was nice enough, I guess, and I might even have gone through with it, but… I never found boys to be much interest. Men either." But then, after another hum, she added, "They can be of use though. Especially across the border. In the parts of society my family existed. I'm sure you understand."

Haven thought she did. Maybe.

"The women usually hold most of the power, really, in the upper families," Astra went on. "My mother, her friends… They all control their husbands, and their dealings, from the shadows. Don't forget that, alright? They smile to your face, but they're usually far more vicious. Especially to their slaves."

She was just standing there then, Haven was, staring over at the older woman, when she softly asked, "Did you...own people too?"

Her hum sounded softer then as she said, "It's the way things are. You don't even think about it. When you're a kid. Most of them? The men and women I'm talking about? They don't consider it even when they're grown. They're not...people. They're not us. They're other. And even when you realize, admit, come to terms with the fact that yes, they are, then you make other concessions because, how would life go? Without this barrier? It's...inconceivable. And how bad is it, really? If you treat them properly? Don't force them to… If you're only making them work, under threat, maybe, yes, but not outright action then… I can see it in your face. Haven. You have no sympathy for me."

"No," the blonde agreed with a heavy frown. "I don't."

And how could she? Not only was this sort of thing outlawed in Fiore, it was also detailed as barbaric, archaic, and evil. While she'd known, or at least assumed, after Richard told her Astra hailed from the upper class of Bosco, it felt far heavier to fully recognize the dealings the woman had in the practice.

"You shouldn't," Astra agreed. "It's difficult to reconcile that portion of my life, those memories, even now. But it's something we must get others to realize they too will have to face, within themselves, if we are ever to-"

"Richard told you what I talked with him about, right?" Haven took to pace once more, a fist clenched. "That's not how it has to happen. I don't a fuck about your stupid parents or their friends or any of those families you're talking about. At all. You can all fucking die for all I care. Watch everything burn around you. It's what you fucking deserve. How many people have to suffer while everyone waits around for them to come to the right decision? Fuck that. And fuck them. This isn't about them. This is about all the people you torture and abuse for your benefit. I want to help free them. I want to help save them. Not the rest of you from yourselves."

Astra remained silent, until Haven finished. Upon this, she took to nodding some as she said simply, "Yes. I know. That's part of why I brought you with me. I think I...have too much of a bias. A self interest. When we land, I am going to take you to the Ewing manor. Though I've been ousted from my family, it's not over all of this. When I ran off, it was because of my...preclusion towards my engagement. Still, I have some favor in Bosco. Ira Ewing and his wife will welcome me to stay in their home for a number of nights. I wanted you to accompany me, under the guise of my slave. You'll stay in their quarters and help spread the seeds of discontentment. I printed up something, for you to leave with them, detailing a plan I hope to put into action. Soon. But it will have to be spread among the slaves and kept away from the families. Do you understand? I chose you for a reason, Haven."

Of course she had.

Of course she had.

But there was something sickening about it, when Luka came down from above, the same magical stamp in her hand that Haven had seen before, so long ago, but it didn't feel so long ago, and after questioning if she wanted to go through with this, to which she only nodded her head, Haven felt it pressed into her forearm, marking it, burning it, with a magic that she didn't know how to remove. One that would could keep her bound in the Kingdom of Bosco forever.

As Astra eventually found some sleep, in those dreary hours below deck, Haven just kept staring down at where she had a new marking now, a dark black, separating her from the normal class in Bosco. When she tugged down the collar of her shirt, just a bit, she could see another marking, a better one, staining above her breast. A fairy. That was meant to watch over her and protect her.

It always had.

In Fiore.

But she wasn't in Fiore anymore.

It had all been a mistake, that first time around. When she came to Bosco. She should have never agreed to do the job. But she was hungry and running low on options, and it felt like at the good kind of misadventure she usually found herself in.

But it wasn't.

She wasn't in the Ewing manor. Not at first, no. Originally, she was contracted to assist with electrical for the Hortian family. It wasn't difficult work. But mages weren't as common, in Bosco, and she imagined electricity was hardly an element of choice.

But it was while she was working there, one day in particular, when some of the 'help' as the guy who'd brought her over from Fiore called them were getting scolded by Mr. Hortian. She'd noticed these sorts of things sporadically throughout her few days of having been there and was ready to just advert her gaze, but there was another man there that day as well.

Ira Ewing had been all she heard anyone in the manner talk about since she arrived. As she tinkered in the background on the lacrimas throughout the house, she overheard many speculations as to his arrival. He sounded rather important.

She didn't quite understand the hierarchy of Bosco in those days, but from what she could gather, he belonged up a level, in the families, compared to the one they were currently working for. The guy that hired Haven on made mention of hoping Ira would take notice of their work and invite them back to their manner as well, and even questioned if Haven would be willing to stay on that long, promising the resulting cicles (the currency of Bosco) would be well worth it. Exchange rates did seem to be in their favor and she was kinda excited for the idea too.

Haven was still unsure of what she wanted to be, in those first few months following her fleeing from Magnolia. And while this wasn't the standard work she was used to, it felt good to not have to think much, about things, like you did out on jobs. Consider the variables and all that. And she could kinda see herself then, for however briefly, accumulating jewels in this way.

But then, that day, not soon after Mr. Ewing arrived, Mr. Hortian noted some lackluster cleaning being done by some of his 'help' and was berating them over it while the other man stood by, observing.

"No, no," Ira finally griped a bit as, though the two men in question Mr. Hortian was scolding were staring down at their feet, submissive and silent, he saw fit to take over their punishment. "You must make them realize their mistake and given them a good reason for it to never occur again."

And he...struck them. Each of them. The men. In quick secession. Just rose his dominate hand and slapped them, on the sides of their head, hard enough that the sound reverberated through the hallway she was on the other end of.

It had to have hurt his own hand, even, she was certain.

Haven wasn't sure why it shocked her so much. But it really did. While she'd definitely taken note of the 'help' in the background, she'd yet to see someone in the family do more than gripe at them, hardly even with a raised voice. This felt...violent. And unnecessary.

Which at first was hard to reconcile, considering she was raised by physicality and most discipline stemmed from it in some way.

But these were grown men. Who didn't even look to fight back. Just fell to their knees, after being struck, and it was like some sort of perverse, bizarre display and she couldn't help it.

"Hey," she'd called out, growled, really, as she stalked down the hall, and Ira stared at her in disapproval while Mr. Hortian merely nodded his head.

"We," the latter man informed the other, "have another guest. Guests. From Fiore? Where they are not as...accustomed to-"

"When they reside in our boarders," Ira spoke only to the other man though his eyes were locked with the glare Haven was giving him, "they adhere to our practices. The same as when we visit abroad."

"Yes, Ira, but-"

"I hardly feel the need fear a child, in any advent," the man kept up and Haven snorted at this, her clenched right fist exploding with electricity.

"I am not," she told the man darkly, all of seventeen at the time, "a child. And if I see you touched one of them again-"

"Do not dig yourself further, child," Ira told her simply, his blank stare chilling. "Turn around and busy yourself as you were."

"Leave." Hortian said this to the men still bowed at their feet. "Now. Get back to work."

As they scurried away and Haven eyed Ira, someone else came rushing up. The man who had contracted her. And, as he clamped a hand down on her shoulder, it was with a grin on his lips and some apologies tumbling through them as he forcibly turned to lead her away.

And then it was her getting scolded.

"I get it," he said simply. "I'm from Fiore too. It's a lot to get used to. But you don't want to cross these men. We're not at home."

No.

They weren't.

Which must have been what made it so easy to make the difficult decision for the man. Who she didn't rightly trust, but had been traveling with for a few weeks and seemed to understand what her magic could bring him. Cicles. Jewels. Whichever. But the night following her confronting Ira, as she snoozed in the guest quarters the two had been given, the man was called softly from the chamber, paid off and sent away.

Haven liked to think he hesitated. If only for a moment. But it was like Ira said, wasn't it? Once you were in Bosco's borders, her rules rang supreme.

The monetary value his silence and disappearance, right then, into the night, leaving the blonde behind, was too much. Everyone had a price.

But fuck, if Haven wouldn't kill him if they ever ran into one another again.

She wasn't the heaviest of sleepers, honestly, but all that electrical work really drained her, especially day after day and the slumber she fell in that night must have been a tad too deep as she didn't feel it until it was too late, the stamp burning into the flesh of her forearm.

It was strange, metal contraption, cold on her flesh, and she tumbled out of bed at the feeling of it being pressed there. Two men, one of whom had been standing over her only moments before, applying it to her arm, were in the darkened room with her and in something of a panic that Haven raised her hand, to shoot a blast of lighting their way.

But none came.

She could feel the steady stream of static in her body, being absorbed and exuded naturally, but when she tried to shoot a bolt of lightning out of her open palm, no magic circle appeared.

"Who the fuck are you?" she'd yelled at them and the men weren't mages.

No.

They were henchmen of sorts though, maybe, working for Ira. Not that she knew it at the time. All she really knew was that she wasn't strong enough to fight them off, not without her magic, and they overpowered her easily and as she was drug from the Hortan manor, terrified and alone, she couldn't quite imagine what horrors awaited her at their next destination.

She'd been promised protection, being from Fiore, that nothing bad could happen to her, and had felt like, especially with her magic, it wouldn't matter if someone did try to harm her; she could always protect herself.

But sometimes those things didn't matter.

When you started dabbling in things you weren't comfortable with, you usually ended up facing some harsh realities. And as she laid, restrained, with a new, harsh marking on her forearm that night, in the back of a carriage, headed towards Ewing manor for the first time, it wasn't the protection of her kingdom she wanted; it was her father. And she called out for him, threatened his name, but finally she'd gotten what she wanted; to be somewhere that being a Dreyar meant nothing.

Haven didn't expect the wetness in her eyes as she sat there, below deck, running a hand over the magical ink that, once more, stained her forearm.

Marked.

Marred.

Sealing her magic inside herself.

Astra had Haven leave her pack in the boat, assuring her that Luka would keep safe watch over it. Along with whatever else she brought though, the older woman also reached out to gently tap a finger against the blue gemstone that dangled from her neck.

"Put it in your bag," she told her.

"Locke gave it to me," Haven retorted with a frown. They were above deck now, the port in sight on the horizon. As the crew hurried around them, Astra only continued to eye the blonde who retorted in that moment, "He wouldn't want me to take it off."

"He didn't want you to come here either," Astra pointed out. "And I only don't want someone to snatch it from you, when I'm not around, and you not to be able to fight back. Given your...situation currently. If you want, give it to me; I'll keep it safe until you can put it back on. Swear."

Haven didn't want to. But Astra seemed insistent and what said said made some amount of sense, anyways. The gem wasn't worth much, but it could look that way, maybe, and it was better to part with it momentarily than forever.

There was just a different feel to Bosco. Than Fiore. The air felt different and it was less densely populated. While Fiore could have long stretches between big cities, those were mostly filled with smaller communities; Bosco wasn't this way. There was just land, owned, but not populated, for hundreds of miles at a time. Most everything was either owned by the main houses or the Kingdom, in some sort of class system.

The port they entered through was different form the one she'd used last time she entered the Kingdom (as well as when she was smuggled back out, in a much smaller boat, with the assistance of her treasure hunting acquaintances), but that made sense. Ewing manner was deeper in the Kingdom and they'd more than likely arrived at a more direct point.

"Remember," Luka offered as she watched them depart, "you're in Bosco now, baby."

Yeah.

They were.

And a slave was expected to be as silent as cargo.

Astra paid off a carriage driver to take them to Ewing's providence, sitting up front with the man for most of the journey, while Haven sat alone, in the back, watching the countryside pass them by.

Time was passing much faster now, it felt like, after being at a standstill for so long, and Haven's stomach was in her throat, as she panicked a bit, in the back alone, considering what awaited them. She honestly had no idea if Ewing would remember her or not, though she imagined he wouldn't, given it was a small interaction five or six years prior and though she still looked rather youthful in her early twenties, she'd changed a lot since her teens.

Death would do that to you.

Rather than rolling hills, Ewings manner was set back in the valley surrounded by large mountain ranges, the tallest one's peak seeming to extend into the clouds. While Astra spoke to the man of the carriage she hired, Haven only took to looking around, a sickening feeling forming in the pit of her stomach as the memories of the last time she was here sprang to mind immediately.

"Remember," Astra whispered softly as, while the carriage drove off, they were left with a long, up to the wrought iron gates that surrounded the main buildings on the property. "You're not you, Haven. You're my slave. You are to be quiet and do as I say. Part of what allows me ease to travel between borders is the lack of people who recognize my shift of alliance; don't ruin it."

They weren't greeted by Ira, which was what Haven's clenched stomach was expecting. Rather, as they stood outside the gates, it was the lady of the house that came from it, rushing down the walk being flanked by her daughters, to greet them.

"Astraea," the woman called out as she approached. As a man who'd come out with them rushed ahead, to open the gates, the woman only smiled brightly. "It's so good to see you. How is your mother? Your father?"

"I wouldn't know," she admitted honestly and though the woman's daughters snickered snidely, Mrs. Ewing only came to take Astra into her arms and hug her rather familiarly.

It seemed like no one even noticed Haven was there.

But someone had.

The man who opened the gate, a the same marking besmirching his forearm as Haven now sported upon her own, nodded at her curtly and, after Haven returned it, he nodded the other way, off in the distance, towards one of the buildings in the distance. Not the main house. No. A shack by comparison. The housing for the slaves.

Astra noted it though, as she was busy being hugged by each daughter in turn, and was quick to stop this from occurring.

"She stays with me," she remarked easily and there was a bit of a giggle, just as snide, from the daughters then.

Because it hadn't been her kindness towards slaves that got Astra turned away from her family. No. And as well-kept as Haven looked, well, they could base their own judgments on why she would want to keep the blonde close.

But Haven didn't quite understand it. The reason for this ruse had been for her to 'spread seeds', as Astra had said, but she just vetoed her first chance at that. Still, though questions felt heavy on her tongue, she knew better than to let them loose, and only followed with her head bowed, wherever she was led.

It helped that the memories were all swirling back up now, bile clinging to her throat, and maybe Shae would have been better suited for all of this.

"Is your husband home?" Astra questioned as the group was quickly ushered back into the house. "It was him that I wished to speak to while I was here."

"There will be plenty time for that later," Mrs. Ewing assured her. "Come. You must wish to freshen up, after your trip. The girls will show you to your chamber."

If the past few hours had been odd, these were no better. Astra seemed equally as comfortable with the young women she was presented with. They knew one another, seemingly purely through the connections between their families, and given her excommunication from her own, this seemed to make her something of an outsider to them.

Still, they showed her to a nice bathroom, where a bath was drawn by the silent help and eventually, it was only she and Astra in the room, the tub filled with steaming water.

"You," Astra offered to her softly, "would be expected to help undress me now."

"That's not happening," Haven told her simply with a frown.

"Your loss," Astra teased and she didn't know how hard this all was for the blonde, just being back here.

How could she?

The older woman sunk beneath the suds in the bath while Haven, eventually, found herself sitting with her back up against the bathroom counter, counting the tiles on the wall.

"In my bag," Astra eventually instructed, "are copies of those instructions I mentioned to you earlier, that I want you to distribute. Take them out and find somewhere to hide them in the house, until you can get back to them later. Maybe in this bathroom? I'm not sure."

Glad to have something to do, Haven was quick to move over to where Astra had sat her pack, near the tub.

"I'll figure it out," Haven assured her and she caught the smile from the other woman and almost felt herself return it.

Almost.

Haven accompanied Astra to the dining hall (though, of course, she wouldn't be eating there with her), and it was then when it happened. When she saw him again.

And though she doubted his memory of her, all those years later, hers was only reinforced by his presence.

Ira Ewing was a stocky man, sharply dressed, and with a severe face. Some of his daughters, who Haven had seen before interacting with Astra, shared a similar one. But no one wore it like him. His eyes looked dead, almost, as his gaze bore holes into whoever he spoke with, and she couldn't imagine he found pleasure in much of anything that wasn't classified as full out debauchery.

She'd never heard his name before coming to Bosco, but oh, it had been burned into her memory since. He was a head of one of the five main houses, their power directly beneath that of the King. This meant that he controlled one of the five Providences in the Kingdom of Bosco.

If Haven could do as Astra asked and 'spread seeds' of doubt and revolt among those who worked under him...if she could pull it off...if they could…

This felt like far too high a task, right off the bat, but fuck, fuck, if Haven didn't love it. Wasn't exhilarated by the idea. The absolute power move it would be.

Yet…

The bile was all but out of her throat, seeing the man for the first time, and it took everything in Haven not to spark up, right then and there, and kill him. Fuck it all, just kill him, just kill them all, even, really, fuck the consequences, but…

She was sent to the kitchen for dinner, as even Astra couldn't get her into the dining room. It was for the best. Haven felt like she was going to pass out.

But as she was forced to clean up with some other marked women, scrubbing down the kitchen after preparations, all she could really think about was how she was going to spend the next few days here, feeling this way.

Dinner for Astra was tense as well. Not so much the conversation, but what she knew would be accompanying it. And when their plates were cleared away, Ira stood first, nodding at his wife before calling out for Astra to follow him to his office.

To finish discussing their business.

For a woman who'd been so warm to her before, Mrs. Ewing seemed to glare daggers into her back now.

"I know you're not one for formalities," she remarked as, instead of taking a seat, she stood before hers. Not that he took the one behind the desk either, instead going over to where a safe hung, on the wall, and began twisting its dial. "She's to your specifications, I assure you, and your liking. Right?"

"Never," he ordered harshly, not turning to look over his shoulder at her, "take such a relaxed tone with me."

"You don't even wanna know how I found her? Came into possession of her? What I had to give up, to get her, just so you could-"

"Get out of my house." When he turned back around, it was with a rather thick sack of coins. Cicles. Setting it on the desk, he nodded down at it before remarking, "And do not return."

"But what if I run into another cute little blonde?" Astra pressed her luck, a slight grin on her lip as the man smolder. "With blue eyes and magic? Huh? Should I just let her slip between my grasps? Or-"

"Get," he repeated and though there was no play before, somehow, this tone was laced with even less, "out."

Snatching the sack of coins, Astra nodded some, turning to do so. Still, she offered, "If you happen to talk to my father any time soon… Don't let him know you've seen me. Alright?"

Ewing gave no signs of agreement, but she only sneered at his silence and there was no one to bid farewell to her, as there were to greet her. The daughters were gone and the wife would want nothing to do with her, but it was all for the better, as she palmed the sack full of coins.

Night had already befallen the land and, as she started off from the manner, alone now, truly, she only glanced back at it once, swallowed, and nodded her head, knowing she'd made the right choice.

"Don't look so sad," Luka chided the next morning when she found the ship awaiting her, still docked, just as it had been, knowing she wouldn't be gone long. Though Astra was exhausted from her walk, there was clearly something else that was plaguing her thoughts. "Leaders as just like captain, Astra. You don't get to second guess your decisions; you don't have a chance to."

Maybe.

But as she sat below deck now, alone, it was with a soft sigh on her lips, sifting through the coins and doing some rough calculations into jewels.

It was a long, silent journey back to the safe-house.


Alright, so the next saga begins.

Things are going to be a bit different than usual though. Everything dealing with Bosco will be dealt with within this story, if that makes sense, while it breaks up into segments. The first, that we're in right now, is New Arrivals, which will consist of three parts (we just finished Part I). Instead of starting a whole new story when New Arrivals is completed, the next segment (A Call to Arms) will just be added in here, broken up into it's own parts, and so on and so forth.

If that's confusing, don't worry, it basically just means everything encompassing Bosco will take place here, as opposed to it's own one-shots.

Now, since this is only Bosco stuff, there won't really be much (if any) interaction from anything other than OCs. The Remember Me universe isn't just standing around though, while this is all going on, and any one-shots (or other stories) that take place while we deal with this behemoth will contain the normal characters featured, like Laxus or Erza, as well as all the other offspring that aren't Haven and Locke. Like I said, if it's confusing, don't worry, it'll make sense as we go on.

This isn't going to be something goes by fast. Considering this is kind of a set of stories, I'm not just going to bang it out in a week or two. I'm not sure if I'll have a regular upload schedule for it right now, but it is all rough outlined (with New Arrivals getting a full one) and each piece of the story will get filled in as we go. It's gonna be a long one, more story driven than the Remember Me series as a whole, and kind of like a successor to it, in a certain way.

It will, on a whole, be dealing with a lot darker issues that are kinda glossed over in the rest of the Remember Me series. Considering the topic is the slave trade in Bosco, we'll obviously be diving into abuse (both physical and sexual in nature) as well as some other dark concepts, and if you wanna bail, I get it, but this is your trigger warning or whatever. I don't personally think anything will be super graphic, but if those sorts of things aren't your thing, I understand.

Anyways, thanks if you've made it this far and I'm excited to delve deeper into this with the few of you who are into it.