Hey all! Would have posted yesterday, but I had to update my Transformers story as well and it took. All. Day. Long. to edit it. Thus, this one got grudgingly rescheduled to today. Anyway, on to the responses and chapter!
Review Response: Dear CorpulentCatfish, greetings! Glad to hear it, thank you for patiently waiting, and enjoy the newest update!
Dear Dragon Lord Draco, hello there! Thank you, I do my best. Hmm, I'm actually not sure what Wren's presence is going to change in that arc. It may not happen at all, it may come very close to happening, or it might happen anyway, but with key changes. We're just going to have to wait and see, I suppose.
Dear Hazel tree09, hi! The Raijinshū do appear to be an already tight-knit group, don't they? Even though their roster isn't full yet. On the Fairy Tail recovery period, I have a theory actually. One, I think that having magic makes them naturally more durable and have a naturally faster/more powerful healing factor that increases based on how much magic they have. Second, wasn't it stated in the Tenrou island arc that all Fairy Tail members are granted some kind of anti-death protection from the Tenrou tree? I know the directors only meant that for members while on the island, but what if it had a long-range affect of accelerating their ability to regenerate magic and thus, heal faster? Plus they have Fairy Heart right underneath their feet, no doubt giving off magic radiation of some kind... (shrugs) Just my personal theory. Cool, that's one vote for a one-shot collection! I'm thinking of calling it Amongst Untrodden Ways: Detours. As for my writing, thank you for the compliment! Writing is one of my favorite activities, so I practice a lot. You're welcome and I hope this next one pleases you as well!
Dear Guest, greetings! Why, thank you! Sometime's it's fun to start from the bad guy's perspective. Oh-ho-ho, I have plans for Freed's and Evergreen's appearances. Big plans. Just how much the characters will work with me on those plans has yet to be seen though... Yeah, Rihanna has some PTSD from the event that sent her here, but luckily Bickslow is there to calm her down even if he doesn't know why she's panicking. Most of the training, including training her eye magic, happens offscreen, but it does happen on a daily basis barring long-term missions. Just something to remember as they become better at using their magic. You bring up a very good idea with Warren, one I've already been toying with. But I won't be bringing him in for a while. There's no point in giving Wren a disability like being mute, only to magically (literally) remove it within a handful of chapters. Still, it's something I'll keep in mind for the future.
Dear Guest, hello! Yay! A second vote for a one-shot collection. Your desire to see the lost gold incident has been noted for future reference, by the way, it may even end up being the first one-shot I do. But we'll have to wait and see. I get the impression that every Fairy Tail member as their own kind of Luck that combines and grows whenever members take missions together. Thus, why the missions that only have say, Natsu, Happy, and Lucy, are not as chaotic as the ones where Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Carla tag along as well. So, yeah, Wren and Bickslow will probably have their own kind of luck, but it won't show up very often because they'll be hanging out with Laxus so often. Thank you, I'm glad the chapter lived up to expectations! The Raijinshū are arguably my favorite set of characters next to Crime Sorciere (Jellal is eleven kinds of adorable ninja awesome sometimes), so I wanted to give them a nice debut. They aren't quite complete though, so keep an eye out for when the last two members show up in a future chapter!
Dear YumiKnowsBest, hey there! Thank you! I'm not 100% when Freed and Evergreen will show up, mostly because I'm not sure how long I want the Raijinshū to just be Laxus, Bickslow, and Wren. I have to give those three enough time to bond, but not so much as they become un-accomidating to new members. It won't be until sometime after chapter seventeen at the earliest though. As for how they'll act ... well. One is an OCD rule lover and the other is like a fussy cat with a superiority complex while Wren is a no-nonsense adult in the body of a child half their ages. Somehow, I don't see the first few weeks of association being ... smooth.
Dear Silverwater, greetings! Aw, thank you! I practice a lot. Hope you like the newest update!
Author's Note: So. The idea of a one-shot collection seems to have been met with favor or neutrality in general, therefore, I will attempt to set it up soon. In other news, the house that Wren and Bickslow eventually buy can actually be seen in the anime. If you hunt around for screenshots of Magnolia, particularly during the Fantasia arc, you should be able to spot it behind and to the left of the Fairy Tail building. You'll know better what I mean when you read about it and you certainly don't have to go looking, I just thought it was a nice fun fact that the building is technically canon. Even if its use isn't. Lastly, I reference another anime quite blatantly in this chapter and I would like it to be known that I do not intend to insult said anime in any way with my reference. I'm just poking good-natured fun at how similar yet different it is with Fairy Tail in certain respects. You'll be seeing that sort of thing from me repeatedly in this story, because I personally get a kick out of referencing other anime in this manner. Hope you enjoy it too, and kudos if you figure out which anime I mean on the first hint!
Copyright Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, or any references made in this story. The only things I own are my OCs and the plot.
Chapter Fourteen - Lighthouses and Homes
(One month, three weeks since joining Guild)
Laxus stood beside the genial realtor Samson-san, watching Bickslow and Rihanna inspect the apartment, his expression conveying that he already knew what their answer would be even before they said it. When the two finally returned to the living room, Laxus raised an eyebrow, "Still not the one?"
Rihanna shook her head mournfully while Bickslow shoved his hands in his pockets moodily, "No. It's really nice and all, but … it's just not right somehow."
Samson-san nodded slowly, chewing his bottom lip thoughtfully as he said, "I suppose I can understand your reasoning, Bickslow-san, I recall the criteria listed on your request papers. However, I am running out of potential homes to show you. You will probably have to look into renting one at this rate."
Bickslow shifted uncomfortably, "How would we do that?"
Samson-san launched into details about how to search for a suitable rented home and Rihanna tuned him out after the first five sentences. The process was mostly identical to her world's methods after all, she didn't need the lesson. Glancing over at Bickslow, she saw a vaguely glazed look in his eyes and realized with a silent chuckle that he was unintentionally tuning out as well. Samson-san, while a friendly and nice man, was a bit of a rambler. Eventually, Laxus managed to politely halt Samson-san's rambles and bid him goodbye for the day so that the Raijinshū could head back to the guild and pick up a mission.
Bickslow idly kicked a loose pebble down the street, his three tiki dolls drooping low to the ground in disappointment as he muttered, "Man, that stinks. How can it be so hard to find a place in a city this big?"
Laxus shrugged, "You could try being a little less picky, you know. That last apartment seemed fine to me."
Bickslow shook his head stubbornly, "It wasn't. It just … It didn't feel safe, none of them do."
Laxus looked over at Bickslow curiously and Rihanna mentally perked up, this was the first time Bickslow had openly stated his reason for refusing so many potential homes. While Rihanna would have chosen among a few of the ones Samson-san had been showing them over the past few days, Bickslow had stubbornly turned down each and every one of them without exception and Rihanna had been unable to figure out why even as she reluctantly catered to her brother.
Shoving his hands in his pockets and slouching in a way reminiscent of his future self, Laxus asked, "What do you mean? How were they not safe? Was it a Figure Eyes thing?"
Bickslow scowled from behind the sunglasses Laxus had given him several days ago after reading up on safety measures for eye magic users, "It has nothing to do with my eyes! I think…"
Laxus hummed, "Then why didn't those places feel safe?"
Bickslow shrugged helplessly, "I … it's hard to explain. I just, some of those places were too open and some were too crowded. I felt like I could be spied on or attacked at any moment. I wasn't lying or anything when I said Wren didn't like some of the places or that they were too far away for both our liking, but all of them just felt … unsafe. Like they were missing something that was really important. Don't really know why."
Laxus frowned in contemplation and Rihanna tilted her head back to stare thoughtfully at the sky as they walked. Not safe, huh? I suppose I can see why he would feel like that. After so long on the streets, the thought of moving out of the guild building scares even me. Still, not sure what I can do about it to make him feel better, if anything, and we really do need to find a place of our own soon. I'm pretty sure Laxus will get tired of helping us house hunt eventually and we can't stay at the guild building forever.
The last house Samson-san had shown them wasn't all that far from Fairy Tail and Rihanna soon found herself dragged out of her thoughts by the sight of the familiar building. Laxus threw open the doors casually, as if he wasn't a mere thirteen-year-old boy whipping open two towering double doors that, realistically, should have been incredibly hard to move. Half a second after opening the doors, Laxus bent double, one of his hands whipping out to press against the small of Rihanna's back and make her do the same.
Rihanna felt a breeze ripple over her back as poor Reedus went flying out the doors like a woefully screaming missile, still clutching his ruined paintbrush of the week in one hand. Straightening up, Rihanna sidestepped away from the door and its newly opened line of fire in order to safely turn around and check on Reedus. Bickslow idly waved a hand, silently commanding his newest tiki Puppu to blast a sailing chair into sawdust before it could hit him, "Yo, Reedus, you okay?"
Reedus sat up slowly, running a hand through his extremely puffy hair and sighing heavily, "Oui, I'm fine. Alex-san is just getting a little too into it again." Bickslow doubled back to Reedus and politely offered a hand to help him up, making Rihanna internally swell with pride at how far Bickslow was coming when it came to manners and human contact over such a short period of time.
Accepting the hand, Reedus climbed to his feet and looked mournfully down at his ruined paint brush, "You'd think everyone would be too tired from missions to get into fights all the time."
Bickslow gave Reedus a look that clearly stated he thought the older teen was insane just as a bright flash of light emitted through the guild doorway, heralded by a crackle of static and Laxus's slightly maniacal laughter. Rihanna laughed soundlessly at the look on Reedus's face when the teen realized that Laxus had somehow been coaxed into the daily brawl. Shifting nervously, Reedus stammered, "I, uh, I t-think I'll go get one of my spare brushes from home. Yeah. I'll be right back. Goodbye, Bickslow-kun, Wren-chan." So saying, he hurried away from the increasingly loud war zone that was the Fairy Tail guild building.
Bickslow watched Reedus go with a vaguely puzzled look on his face before he shrugged and calmly braved the guild, Rihanna trailing on his heels and his tikis floating a tight, protective formation around them both. Tables were overturned and chairs were flying as various guild members took great pleasure in beating each other to a pulp. All in the name of strengthening non-blood-related familiar bonds, of course.
Eyeing the conflict warily, Rihanna spotted what appeared to be Team Ivory and Team Katt at the epicenter of the conflict and huffed. So those two teams started the fight? How did that happen? Katt is normally so calm and unflappable. I don't see her letting her teammates start anything and Harold couldn't harm a bunny rabbit if it bit him. Alex, an extremely musclebound young man who Rihanna strongly suspected would become an influential figure in Elfman's life when the latter arrived, suddenly rose to the top of the pile, shouting something about eternal love and matrimony. Moments later, his shouting was silenced by Katt, who had also emerged to the temporary top of the brawl and promptly cracked him over the head with her tribal fighting staff and a shriek of, "I'm not going to date you, you imbecile! When will you get it that no means no!"
Ah. That explains it. Alex finally confessed his affections for her in probably the most traumatizing and adorably awkward way imaginable. I wonder if there were sparkles and posing involved? A moment later Rihanna was mentally chastising herself as she took cover behind the bar with Bickslow, stop stereotyping him, Rihanna. Just because he's blond, musclebound, and extremely reminiscent of that character Damian was always showing clips of and laughing at doesn't mean you should compare the two.
There was another loud clap of magic clashing and smoke drifted lazily over the top of the bar while Rihanna shrugged ruefully to herself, Even if he really does seem to act a lot like that giant mustached dude from that freaky anime Damian liked so much. What was it called again? Something Alchemy? No, it involved metal too. Iron Alchemy? Metal Alchemist? No. Come on, Rihanna, think! Damian would be so ranting right now if he knew you'd forgotten … not that he knows. He must think I'm dead by now…
Her suddenly gloomy thoughts were interrupted by another small body hurtling over the top of the bar and landing with a thud and muffled curses on top of Bickslow. Bickslow and the newcomer rolled on the floor for several seconds, Bickslow shouting inappropriate things the entire time before Rihanna saw a flash of patterned paper and Bickslow was suddenly twitching on the floor, static electricity flickering off of his clothes.
Now that Bickslow was no longer flailing and cursing, Cana carefully extricated herself out from under him and smoothed down her sundress with a huff. The card mage's face was the color of a fully matured tomato as she scrambled for another card, "You … you pervert! You touched me!"
Not wanting to see what Cana would unleash on her brother for the perceived perverted acts, Rihanna carefully caught Cana's hand with a shadow tendril, preventing her from slapping the newest card on Bickslow's forehead. Cana tugged against it before turning to face the source of her restraint. She saw Rihanna staring with bland expectance and turned an even darker shade of red, "Wren-chan. I need you to let me go so I can teach your big brother a very important lesson. He shouldn't be swearing like that in front of you anyway! Let alone acting like a pervert!"
Bickslow sat up suddenly, the effect of the paralysis card wearing off, "Pervert? You're the one who landed on top of me! I didn't even know who you were!" Tell me this conversation is not actually happening.
Cana folded her arms protectively over her chest, "You still shouldn't have touched me there, Ero-baka!"
Bickslow flung his hands up in the air as he scooted away from her moodily, "Touched you where? What are you talking about, Same-boke? And don't call me Ero-baka!"
Cana was stubbornly not looking at Bickslow, "You .. you … ugh! You should already know, Aho!" Oh, Pantherlilies it is. How does she even know about perverts anyway? Wait, she's an eight-year-old who goes off on magic jobs all the time, Makarov or another member probably gave her a strict talk about what guys can and cannot do around her. Still, I am in a fictional world, hiding behind a bar to avoid a magical brawl, while two children sit next to me and have a spat over … when did they start arguing about the stupidity level of different shades of hair color? Check that, when did this become my life?
With a low sigh, Rihanna utilized her near reflex Shadow Slap to break up the fight. Obediently, both Cana and Bickslow stopped fighting and turned to look at her. Crossing her arms over her chest, Rihanna gestured to Cana questioningly, not even bothering attempting to whistle over the racket going on just on the other side of their hiding place.
Scooting farther away from Bickslow, Cana pulled out a crumpled poster from her purse and answered, "Well, I was trying to get this job off of the request board and escape the guild until this fight settles down. But the fight is blocking the door and I had to hide somewhere to keep Martel from grabbing me and using me as a shield instead of the chair."
Rihanna nodded sympathetically. Martel was their resident Item Mage, specializing in using magical items instead of caster magic, and as such he had a funny habit of grabbing whatever was close at hand and using it as a weapon.
Unfortunately, he was a big enough man that he could pick up kids as well as furniture and was blind enough when his glasses were missing, or smashed, to not be able to tell the difference when involved in the daily bar fight. Even Bickslow had suffered from Martel's eyesight problem and Rihanna had only avoided that fate because of her ever useful Shadow Form spell.
Pippi suddenly deviated from its normal formation to swoop by Cana's shoulder, scan the poster, and then return to Bickslow's side. Ignoring Cana's protests, Bickslow listened to the tiki doll's whispered report before sitting back on his heels in confusion, "Why'd you pick that job? You won't be any help moving heavy stuff. Especially not all the way to Hargeon Town."
Cana puffed her cheeks at Bickslow, "I will too! I can use my Card Dimension to move everything all by myself! Besides, Sandow-san is a friend of mine and I want to help him out."
Bickslow looked ready to argue the point, but Rihanna hissed pointedly at him and he grudgingly chose to ask another question rather than antagonize Cana, "Why does this … Sandow-san person need to move his belongings anyway?"
Cana possessively held the poster closer to her chest, "Sandow-san's moving. He's getting too old to make the trip from his house to town and back all the time, so he's going to sell his old one and move to Hargeon where his son and grandchildren live." Sell? Rihanna mentally honed in on that comment, curiosity prickling at her mind as she moved to ask about the house he was selling.
Surprisingly, Bickslow beat her to it, his head cocking to one side as he asked, "Sell his house? For how much?"
Cana shrugged, "I don't know, I didn't ask. Wait, you two are still looking for a house, right?" Both of them nodded and Cana looked vaguely mollified, "Well, if we could get out of the guild building without getting dragged into that fight, I'd introduce you to him…"
Bickslow immediately grinned at Rihanna, "Well, Imōto? Think you can handle two passengers?" Rihanna considered Bickslow's request while Cana frowned in confusion.
Over the course of training under Laxus, Rihanna had figured out several new spells with her Shadow Magic. One of those things was short range teleportation through shadows, though that severely exhausted her after about three uses. Rihanna suspected it was how she'd managed to get Mest away from the bandits during that near-disastrous mission. Another one, and the one Bickslow was referring to, was Rihanna's ability to use her Shadow Form spell on other people.
The time limit was small and it was straining, but as long as Rihanna had a good grip on someone, she could use Shadow Form on both herself and her "passenger" to move to a new location unimpeded. So far, she'd only ever moved one person with her, but Cana was small and the distance from the bar to the doors was even shorter than most of the test runs Laxus had had her do, so…
Rihanna nodded shortly and reached out to grab Bickslow's and Cana's wrists. Cana was still frowning in confusion, "Passengers? What passengers? What are you talking about?"
Rihanna looked pointedly at Bickslow, waiting for him to explain so that Cana would know to run once she started the Shadow Form spell. Bickslow caught her look and sighed before turning to Cana, "You know how Wren can turn into a shadow?" Is that what it looks like? Huh. Guess that explains the spell's name.
Cana, unaware of Rihanna's musing, nodded slowly and Bickslow continued, "Well, if Wren is holding onto someone, she can turn them into a shadow for a short time too. So, if we're really fast, Wren can turn us into shadows and we can run out the door without getting caught up in-" Alex's voice rose above the din in a roar of outrage, something about not letting the hands of another man touch "his precious Katt-sama" and Bickslow thumbed lazily over his shoulder, "That."
Pappa, Pippi, and Puppu all dryly chorused, "that, that, that" and Cana shot them a thoughtful look, "What about your babies?"
Bickslow wrinkled his nose, "Eew. Okay, one, they are not my 'babies'. Two, they'll be fine, they can just fly over it all."
Cana snorted at Bickslow declaration, "They might as well be, you treat them like it. Always polishing them and talking to them and-"
Okay, that's enough. Cutting this off before it get's out of control again! Rihanna squeezed their wrists pointedly and tugged them to their feet, mentally priming her magic as she gave them both a warning look. Getting the message, Bickslow and Cana shifted into better running positions and they all faced in the direction they needed to go. Rihanna took a deep, bracing breath, reached out to the shadows, and pulled.
The color scale of the world went through a familiar greying out, her magic already pushing and straining at holding two other people in the world of shadows with her. It was like the shadows were pushing against them, welcoming her but not Bickslow and Cana, trying to force the other two out despite Rihanna's own wishes. Cana gasped from Rihanna's left, "Whoa…" Rihanna pulled the two of them firmly, pushing through the door to the bar and sprinting for the exit to Fairy Tail before her magic could run out.
Bickslow quickly outpaced her, his longer legs bringing him into the lead as they all instinctively, if unnecessarily, ducked and wove around legs, fists, and flying bodies. Cana, still astonished by how the world looked in Shadow Form, straggled at the rear of their group, being dragged along by both Rihanna and Bickslow as they rushed for the door.
The moment they crossed the threshold of the door and were safely outside, Rihanna let go of her tight hold on the shadows and gasped as they were forcibly shoved back into the normal world. Cana stumbled and fell to her knees in surprise at the sudden shift while Bickslow, mildly used to it after accompanying Rihanna several times previously, just wobbled a bit on his feet and exhaled heavily, "That's never going to feel any less weird, is it?"
Rihanna carefully regulated her panting enough to ask, "Feel weird?"
Bickslow nodded and idly stroked his escaped tikis, "Yeah, it's like wading through really deep water, only it's all around and even over my head but I can still breathe. Sound is all messed up in there too, like everything's echoing. I don't know how you can stand doing it so often." He saw the puzzled look Rihanna was giving him and asked, "It doesn't feel that way for you?"
Rihanna shook her head, it didn't feel that way to her at all. It felt more like … being wrapped up in a thick velvet cloak that no one else could see through. Unless she was trying to teleport through the shadows, then things started to feel weird.
Turning her attention away from the odd differences in how a Shadow Mage experienced Shadow Form compared to a non-shadow mage, Rihanna reached over and gently patted the gasping Cana's shoulder, waiting for the vertigo to pass for the other girl. When Cana finally stood up, she carefully smoothed out her sundress before saying shakily, "Well … that was … not fun. I wonder if that's how stuff in my cards feel during a Card Dimension spell. I hope not. Anyway, thank's for that Wren-chan, Sandow-san's house is this way."
The three set off through Magnolia once more, leaving the guild building and the sounds of Makarov finally losing his patience with the other members behind. Cana led them down several unfamiliar streets, waving cheerfully to certain people as they walked and arguing with Bickslow until Rihanna threatened them both with her shadows again.
Rihanna felt her eyebrows creep fractionally up her forehead when she realized that Cana was leading them out of town in a direction she rarely went. Instead of toward the train station or the outskirt residential area to the northwest, Cana was leading them out toward the massive lake that bordered Magnolia's southeast side. Bickslow eventually stopped trying to get a rise out of Cana in favor of looking all around them cautiously, his body posture hinting that he was using Figure Eyes from behind his sunglasses.
Turning off of the cobblestone road that led to the lakeside, Cana led them up a steep and winding dirt path that hugged one of the small mountains bordering both Magnolia and the lake. Trees rose around them until they were unable to see either Magnolia or the lake and after almost fifteen minutes of walking in silence, Bickslow asked, "So … where does Sandow-san live again?"
Cana actually smiled over her shoulder at Bickslow, "You'll see. It's not much farther."
Sure enough, after a few more twists and turns, the path leveled out and the trees suddenly cleared to give a sweeping view of Magnolia on their right, the lake in the distance … and the gorgeous lighthouse sitting proudly by the cliffside, its red-topped spire glinting in the afternoon sun like the helm of an old sentinel. Whoa…
Unlike what Rihanna always envisioned when she thought of a lighthouse, it was not simply a tall spire with a door at the bottom to let a person inside, but it had a small house attached to it. The house itself was only one floor, and looked like it couldn't have more than two or three rooms in it total, but it was still more than she'd expected to see attached to a lighthouse. It's so pretty … I wonder if it was built like that, or if the building was added on later.
Bickslow made a low noise of awe in his throat, pushing his sunglasses up to his forehead for a moment to get an unimpeded view, "What … what is that?"
Cana gave Bickslow an odd look, "It's a lighthouse. Haven't you ever seen one before?"
For once, Bickslow was too curious about the building in front of them to snipe at Cana, "No. What's a lighthouse?"
Both Cana and Rihanna stared at Bickslow in mild shock, though Rihanna quickly recovered from it to sigh softly, of course he doesn't know what it is. It isn't as if Aternum had a lighthouse and he couldn't exactly spend time reading storybooks about other places that did have lighthouses now could he?
Seeing the look Cana was giving him, Bickslow lowered his sunglasses back onto his nose and crossed his arms defensively, "Well, are you going to tell me what it is, or don't you know, Shark?"
Cana's gaping mouth clicked shut and she finally answered, "A lighthouse is a building set up on a cliffside or on shores near really rocky areas around big bodies of water, like an ocean or a lake. At night, the lighthouse keeper turns on a big light lacrima at the top of the tower there so that any ships sailing by will know that there's land over that way and to be careful."
She idly fiddled with her purse strap as she continued, "Magnolia may not be a port town like Hargeon, but for the non-mages living here, the fish trade is kinda a big deal. A really long time ago, the town had this lighthouse built because of the fishing trade. But a couple years ago the mayor had a new one commissioned to light up the port area since people hardly come by this shore anymore and so this one was put up for sale. Then Sandow-san bought it for him and his wife and made it into a house."
Huh. A lighthouse turned into an actual house. That's actually really cool. Bickslow made a noise of understanding and Cana led them the rest of the way up the path, past several large boxes and pieces of furniture, to the front door. Cana knocked crisply on the old walnut door and a few moments later, it was opened by an elderly man with a receding hairline and squinting grey eyes. The man looked down at them and he started to smile, "Ah, Cana-chan, good afternoon. I see you've brought friends. Here for one more shogi game before I go?"
Cana practically beamed up at the old man, "Good afternoon, Sandow-san! Actually, I'm here to answer the job request you posted in the guild! I finally got Card Dimension working right, so I thought I could help."
Sandow-san chuckled faintly and patted Cana's hair, "Ah, I was hoping someone would come by to answer that request today. Well, thank you very much, Cana-chan, I'm sure you'll do a fine job. But that does not explain what these other two are doing here. Or who they are."
Cana blinked once, "Oh! Right." Turning, she waved a hand at Bickslow and Rihanna in turn, "These are two of my guild mates. You two, this is Sandow-san. Sandow-san, this is Wren-chan and Bickslow-kun, they're here to ask about possibly buying the house."
Sandow-san's squinting eyes crinkled even further as he gave them a broad smile, "Really now? Well, do come in." Sidestepping, he let them into the house, his smile dropping just long enough to give Bickslow a stern glower when it looked as if the boy would enter the house with his shoes on. After a staring match between the two and a hissed explanation from Cana, Bickslow sheepishly removed his shoes before entering the house.
Just through the small foyer where they left their shoes, the house opened up into a cozy living room. Most of the windows she'd seen decorating the sides of the house add-on seemed to be located in the living room, allowing sunlight to stream freely in and offer a beautiful view of Magnolia far below, sprawling out from the cliff.
By the windows were two highly overstuffed armchairs of a deep blue color while across from them hunched a dark blue couch long enough to accommodate three people. The couch was decorated with a few brightly beaded throw pillows and there was a thick, circular woven rug covering the center of the floor. A few lamps sat in various places around the room, offering to shed light from their perches on small circular tables and stands. On the far side of the room, an open doorway beckoned them deeper inside.
Sandow-san made a wide sweeping motion with one hand, "Feel free to look around. Some boys from town already helped me move all the things I wish to take with me out of doors, so anything in here that you see is what you get if you buy the house. Though, I must ask, aren't you two a bit young to be buying your own house? Don't your parents have anything to say on the matter?"
Bickslow scowled briefly at Sandow-san and Rihanna saw Cana wince at the mention of parents. Bickslow grunted, "Don't have any. That's why we're looking for a house. Gotta live somewhere don't we?"
Sandow-san, apparently sensing the soreness of the topic, carefully switched the topic to safer things, "Ah, well, while you two look around and see if you like what you see, how about I just go show Cana-chan what she'll be helping me bring with me to Hargeon Town? Come this way, Cana-chan."
Cana shot the two of them a vaguely unsure look, apparently not trusting Bickslow to not set something on fire with his curiously exploring tiki dolls. Rihanna made genial shooing motions at the girl, urging her to follow Sandow-san back outside. It isn't as if we haven't performed this routine a hundred times before by now. Huh, and I thought house hunting in Chicago was bothersome. Oh well, at least the views in Magnolia are better than anything I could afford back there. Following Bickslow through the doorway and into the short hallway, the two carefully started their inspection.
It was smaller than some of the other places they'd looked at, but Rihanna found herself liking it anyway. The bathroom was clean, the shower looked like it was in working order, and though the bedroom in the house add-on was clearly a rarely-used guest room, it was still respectably clean and neat. Going to the end of the short hallway connecting the add-on to the main lighthouse, they found that the bottom floor of the lighthouse had been converted into a kitchen and pantry. On one side of the wall, the stairs started, curling up the circular side of the interior to disappear into the next floor.
While Bickslow darted up the stairs to see the next room, Rihanna carefully inspected the kitchen. She opened the fridge to see if the interior was actually cold, checked the small freezer in the corner for the same thing, turned on the tap in the sink to make sure it worked, then inspected the oven as best she could without turning it on.
Finally satisfied that there was nothing glaringly wrong, Rihanna headed up the stairs to the next floor. This one had clearly been converted into a study of sorts, with specially built, but now woefully empty, bookshelves nailed to the walls and carpet in the space under the stairs showing signs of there having been furniture there, possibly a desk or another armchair for reading. Still, the carpet was thick and sound-dampening, and the small window slit in the far wall between two bookshelves let sunlight inside the otherwise potentially claustrophobic room.
Moving upstairs again, Rihanna found what had to be the master bedroom. The large bed was still there on the far right side, its sheets and blankets neatly made, as if waiting for its owner to return. I wonder why he's not taking it with him. Not enough room in his new house? He took all of his books though. Maybe he's staying in his son's house instead of getting a new one of his own. It would explain why he's leaving most of the furniture. There were more windows in this room than the previous two, one for each main point on a compass. Arranged around the small room was a nightstand and a wardrobe, with a ladder poking up from the center of the floor and rising up to a trapdoor which no doubt led to the observation deck.
Cozy. Not sure about a house with only one bedroom though. Then again, there's the guest room too, so I guess that really makes two bedrooms. Rihanna glanced around the bedroom again, noting the small stove in the far corner from the stairs, identical to the others she'd noted in the lower floors. So that's how the place is heated. I wonder if it's terribly expensive to use that much wood. Or do they use fire lacrima like in Edolas? Then again, how cold do Magnolia winters get?
Pushing that thought away for the moment, Rihanna climbed up the ladder and through the already open trapdoor to the observation deck. As she'd suspected, Bickslow was already there, staring through the windows at the truly astounding view being so high up afforded them. Rihanna moved around the pedestal in the room that was presumably supposed to house the light lacrima to stand next to Bickslow and marvel.
She could see for miles. All around, the world stretched out below her in a sprawling vista. To one side was the lake, so massive she could barely see the mountains that made up its other shore, its blue waters glittering and rolling under the sunlight like a massive gemstone of some kind. To the right of the lake and slightly behind her, Rihanna could literally see all of Magnolia. She smiled to herself when she realized that Fairy Tail was in the section of town closest to the lighthouse, making the proud building easily identifiable to her even from the side.
To her left and behind was the mountainside and the rolling hills outside of Magnolia, even the tops of the tall trees failing to obscure her view of the land around. All in all, it gave her the impression of being some kind of bird, watching the world from high above, free of any minor troubles of inconveniences that might be found below.
Bickslow broke the almost reverent silence that had fallen over them, "Ne, Wren?" Rihanna looked over at him to see that Bickslow had taken off his sunglasses and was smiling an overawed smile, "This is the one."
Rihanna blinked, taken aback for a moment. Of all the houses they'd looked at, Bickslow wanted this one? Then she cocked her head to one side, weighing the pros and cons. Her contemplation was interrupted by Bickslow's soft plea, "Please, Imōto. Let's get this one. Don't you feel it? It feels safe." …Safe?
Rihanna looked around the observation deck again, trying to pinpoint why, out of all the other potential houses, Bickslow said that this one was the "safe" one. As her gaze lingered on Magnolia, she spotted the high belfries of the cathedral and it suddenly clicked.
Until Mest had rescued them from Aternum, the two of them had only had one true safe haven, the old belfry that served as their home. The old, high belfry from which they could watch the world come and go without risk of being seen in return. Down on the ground, or in amongst buildings, the two had always had to keep a wary lookout. But on the rooftops they'd been able to go mostly unnoticed, and in their belfry, they'd had guaranteed safety from malicious eyes.
Of course … that's why he said the other places didn't feel safe. They weren't up high! Rihanna tilted her head to one side, aware of Bickslow giving her a pleading look from her right. Just as she had let Bickslow turn down previous houses, she also had the right to potentially turn down this one.
But thinking it over, Rihanna found herself less and less inclined to say no. It was near enough to Fairy Tail to not be a hassle. It was private enough that they wouldn't be bothered and in turn wouldn't bother anyone with their training. It was cozy, it had all the rooms they'd need without being too cramped or too spacious, and the view was incredible.
Plus … Bickslow was giving her the puppy eyes, and as the, mentally, older sister, Rihanna just could not deny her brother anything when he was deigning to look so cute. Taking a deep breath, Rihanna pointed at the ladder and whistled, "Let's go get it."
For a moment, Bickslow actually looked confused, then realization dawned and his face split into a huge grin and his tikis started dancing in mid-air, "Yes! Thank's Wren! Come on!" Rihanna followed an eager Bickslow down the ladder, hoping that the house wasn't too expensive. While they'd saved up quite a large sum from their missions, Rihanna didn't like the thought of spending it all on just getting the house when it might need repairs later. Not to mention any furniture or other homely items that might need replacing.
Still, I can't exactly say no when he looks so happy about it. Another thought popped into her mind and she chuckled silently to herself, besides … he just might be right. This place feels safe to me too.
Japanese Translations: Ero-baka - idiot pervert.