This chapter has a side story!
IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT CHAPTER 17: "A MUCH MORE WONDERFUL MAGE"!: I rewrote part of it! However I am going to put the new version in as a new chapter and leave the original so that people can still read the original (because that's something I might want to look back on again someday and others might too) (now to go update it because i still haven't gotten around to that on this site because ypu can't add pictures to your story on ff like you can on wattpad and AO3 so I can't just add the screen shot of the original in because that would be WAY TOO convenient... alwell it's fine... this time... lol
Okay. I know I made a bit of a joke about this two chapters ago... but for those who might be confused here is a quick explanation regarding why I refer to Grey as both a boy and a girl...
Well, I figured... we know Grey is a girl but the Bulls don't yet, so when they talk about her they refer to her with male pronouns. But because the narrator now knows that she's a girl they (the narrator) refers to her with female pronouns. So anytime someone talks or thinks about her it's going to be he/his/him but when it's the narrator describing things, like what Grey is doing, it's she/her/hers. I did it this way because I "revealed" to the audience that she is in fact a girl but not anyone else thus... because we know the narrator knows.
Think of it like when you're watching a show or movie with twins that look similar to the point that you can tell they're related and twins just by looking at them but different enough that the audience knows who is who but the characters still mix them up all the time (take Ruffnut and Toughnut from How To Train Your Dragon for example (if you've ever watched it)
Is That a Challenge I hear?
"That's mean Captain!" Finral whined.
"C-Captain... Would you mind letting go now? You're getting dog drool in my hair," Grey asked.
"Speaking of which... Why are you covered in drool, Finral?"
"The dog licked me," Finral replied flatly. "Then it laughed at me."
Yami laughed, "that explains the smell. Give him an extra piece of meat when you feed them tonight."
"What for?" Finral asked tilting his head to the side.
"A reward, for messing with you," Yami laughed again.
"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that and go get a bath now," Finral replied, lazily opening a portal and walking through it. "Oh. Hey, Gordon. We've been wondering where you went." He said finding the silent mage putting on his hat, having just finished getting dressed from his own bath. "The stupid dog decided to lick me again," he answered when Gordon gave him a slightly concerned look and muttered something. "It's better then him trying to eat me but it still smells."
Gordon nodded in agreement then left the room, leaving Finral to get cleaned up.
You call him stupid but you can't deny that you like those beasts, Fatry teased.
"I know," Finral replied aloud, deeming it safe now that Gordon was gone. "They're just a bit of a pain some times." He let out a sigh before adding, "I forgot a change of clothes..."
I noticed.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
Because you where talking to Gordon.
He opened a portal to his closet and reached his hand in to grab an outfit.
If that's all you were going to do then why'd you complain about forgetting it? Fatry chuckled.
"Because I felt like it and I'm a little tired from running around the hideout all day."
You complain too much, Fatry teased. But then again... Latry used to say that to me all the time.
"Really? I've never once heard you complain about anything."
That's because you're doing most of the work, Fatry admitted with a chuckled.
"Oh, I see how you are. Make me do all the work just like Yami does."
Would you hurry up and get that drool cleaned up, mister sarcastic.
"I'm sarcastic?! Have you met my little brother? ...Oh... wait... no... that was sarcasm."
Aaand you just killed my mood.
"F-Fatry! I'm just stating the facts! Langris is way more sarcastic then I'll ever be!"
Still don't like him and still in a bad mood.
"You're just upset because I mentioned him!"
Just get in the bath already.
"I AM GETTING IN THE BATH! Alright! You're spending time with Vanessa if we get the chance to switch places later. Until then I'm ignoring you."
Not in the mood.
Finral ignored him as he removed his Black Bulls robe.
Finral finished with his bath and returned to the living room through a portal, shacking the water out of his hair.
"Hey! Cut that out Finral!" Yami said, having gotten sprayed with the excess water. "Why can't you ever dry your hair of before coming out of the bathroom?"
"Towels are harsh on hair," Finral replied.
"Then use a t-shirt or something."
"I think I'd rather let it air dry. If it means I can slash more water on you. Vanessa, can you come here a few minutes?"
"Sure," she said from her seat at the bar.
Finral closed the portal and opened another one as Vanessa walked over.
"Now hold on! I'm not done talk to you, Finral!" Yami said as Finral followed Vanessa through, ignoring his captain.
"Finral... why are we on the roof?"
"Because I like it up here. And I know Yami's not going to come looking for me all the way up here, especially because it would mean using a broom."
"That is true. What is it you need?"
"Can you talk to Fatry a minute. I made him mad."
I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at your brother. Having the nerve to look like my brother and act like that.
"You say that as if he knows you or that he looks like you're brother."
He might as well know.
"What's wrong?" Vanessa asked when Finral's face went white.
"H-h-he c-can't know... h-h-he'd... he'd t-t-tell..."
Wait... Hold on Finral. Fatry said as Finral's breathing began to speed up.
"H-he'd t-tell F-father..."
"Finral, you need to calm down. Whatever Fatry just said, I'm sure he didn't mean it like you're taking it," Vanessa tried to reason.
"Y-you wouldn't... you w-wouldn't t-tell him...?"
Of course not! I don't even like your brother. Why would I want to tell him.
"Y-you made me tell Vanessa..."
I didn't make you do anything. You know we both have to be in agreement in order to switch places.
"Finral, I thought you wanted me to talk to Fatry, not talk you down from a panic attack. Nobody is going to tell your family anything. Fatry is your closest friend, right?" Vanessa said grabbing Finral by the shoulders. "He'd never intentionally do anything that would cause you harm, right?"
"Mmhmm," Finral nodded, trying to bring his breathing back under control.
"Just don't mistake Fatry for me, you're best friend, got it?"
"Aren't 'closest friend' and 'best friend' the same thing?" He quietly chuckled.
"Don't sweat the details, kid," Vanessa said lightly punching him in the arm. "Besides, in your case it is different. Fatry is your closest friend because he's sharing your body, but that doesn't make him your best friend."
Alright... switch me... we need a serious talk.
"Huuuuh?!"
I'm serious.
"Fatry wants to talk."
"Isn't that why we're on the roof?"
Finral sighed and Vanessa waited a moment as the two switched.
"Was that a challenge?" Fatry asked calmly, yet threateningly, only inches from Vanessa's face.
"Oh Fatry, I was teasing... But if it's a challenge you want... then why don't we fight to see who's Finral's best friend really is?" she winked.
"Alright, I'm always up for a good challenge. You can blame my brother for that. I may have complained about it but I enjoyed our daily challenges. It meant spending time with my little brother."
"Alright then. Let this little competition begin," Vanessa said and the shook hands.
Finral stood there dumbfounded when he and Fatry switch back, "W-what just happened?"
No... seriously... what just happened? ...much to literally everyone's surprise (maybe, maybe not)... including my own... Fatry and Vanessa now have a "little" rivalry of their own going on... Had some writers block after the bathroom scene (and a little during it) but one I finally got to "Hey! Cut that out Finral!" the chapter took on a almost literal mind of it's own and now here we are, yet another direction I didn't plan... but then again Latry's and Fatry's daily competitions had to come up again at some point, right? And Tabata's liking for friendly rivalries.