A/N: FILLER! You know the drill! This chapter is for entertainment purposes! Poor Dreamer needs a break, right? And so does Macbeth after that heart-wrenching reunion with his old guild mates. And hey, you readers deserve a break from all the emotional chaos too! ;) So, sit back and enjoy!
Chapter 43: Girl Date!
Three days later...
Ever since the Oracion Seis left, Dreamer had been in the library all daylight hours, and most of the nights. She was desperately researching—digging through anything she could find related to weapons large enough to wipe out continents, or weapons or artifacts that could be found in the country of Iceberg—anything that might lead her to Resmond.
Midway through day one of searching, Levy joined her. The script mage used her magic glasses to speed up the process, and yet, there simply didn't seem to be any information about a magical weapon in Iceberg. No clues whatsoever.
"Dreamer, I think we should take a break," Levy sighed and closed a book about the soil properties of magical stones in Iceberg.
If Dreamer heard her, she ignored it. She climbed another rung higher on the ladder that leaned against the towering library shelves, reaching for a red-spine book.
"Come on, I'm hungry," the blue-haired mage stood and folded up her reading glasses. "And I know you haven't eaten all day."
"I don't have time," she snapped in response. Her fingers were trembling, possibly weak from the meals she'd been skipping. Because of this, she fumbled the book as she pulled it out, and gasped when it tumbled to the ground with a heavy thud. She instinctively reached out after it and nearly lost her balance.
"Dreamer!" Levy grabbed the bottom of the ladder to steady it. "Seriously, you need a break, girl."
"I can't afford a break." She leaned her head against the books and made a face of frustration and defeat. "I have to find out what he's planning…"
"I don't think an hour break will affect his plans, Dreamer." She appealed to the cream haired wizard again. "Please come down."
Dreamer sighed and gave up. She came down the ladder.
"Atta-girl." Levy rubbed her shoulders when she was finally planted firmly on the ground. "Let's go see if the café is still open. We can get some coffee together."
She looked at the gentle face of her friend and nodded, finally managing a smile. "That sounds nice."
They abandoned their search for the time being, emerging from the dark library for the first time in hours. Dreamer rubbed her eyes at the uncomfortable sensation of sunlight retracting her pupils as it shone through the hall windows. She stretched and cracked her back as they walked. What she wouldn't give for a relaxing, hot bath right about now.
They ventured through the main room, which was bustling with some activity—not nearly as crazy as it could be, but still rowdy. Then through the doors to the patio. To their combined relief, the café hadn't closed down yet. Kinana still stood behind the counter, currently putting ice in a cold coffee for Wakaba.
"An extra shot of caramel," she said cheerily as she handed him the cup.
"Thanks Kina." He bowed his head and walked past Levy and Dreamer with a wave. The two girls went to the counter.
"Hi, Kinana," Levy waved cheerfully and Dreamer smiled.
"Oh, hello, you two!" Kinana adjusted the cupcake-patterned apron she was wearing. "Is there anything I can get for you?"
"Can I have an iced coffee?" Levy asked.
"Iced espresso double-shot, vanilla instead of cream." Dreamer groaned.
"Whoa, going all out, huh D?" Levy giggled and put a comforting arm around her.
"I'll get those for you right away!" Kinana hummed as she got to work. Something about her seemed different than Dreamer remembered. Her round cheeks seemed a bit rosier than usual, and the air around her felt warm… She closed her eyes and tried to identify the feeling. Happiness… Excitement… Nervousness…
"I haven't gotten the chance to ask," Levy said, interrupting her thoughts. She leaned against the counter, resting her chin on her elbows. "How do you feel now that you know about your past?"
Kinana paused, mid-pour. "It's really nice to know the truth," she said honestly.
"Aaaand?" Levy's tone turned devious. "How do you feel about our newest guild employee?"
She actually knocked over the cup and spilled its contents on the floor and her feet.
"I-I… Erik is… He's my best friend. Apparently." She nervously scrambled to clean up the mess.
"How many dragon slayers does that make for Fairy Tail now?" Dreamer asked, losing herself in thought.
"Let's see…" Levy cocked her head and tapped her fingers on the counter. "Gajeel, Natsu, Wendy, now Erik… And there's Laxus, though technically he's not a member. At least not right now…"
"Wow, Fairy Tail just draws them in like moths, doesn't it?" Dreamer giggled. She was about to offer Kinana some help, after watching the girl drop the same cup for the third time in a row, but she didn't get the chance. Her eyes caught the familiar swish of black hair walking toward the doors.
"Syllestra Raine Cumula, what are you doing?" She turned in an instant, taking on mom-face—arms crossed, eyes narrowed, lips carefully pinched just enough to give the illusion of rage.
The child stopped in her tracks. She whipped around quickly to face Dreamer, her hands behind her back.
Her raven hair was pulled back into a ponytail, still long enough to brush her waist. She was wearing a white gown with a red floral pattern on it, white sandals, and a guilty expression.
"Why aren't you in school, young lady?"
Syllest stared at her—overly large pink eyes widening even more. She raised an eyebrow.
"Mom, there's no school today," she pointed out.
"What do you mean there's—"
"Saturday," Levy whispered.
"Well that doesn't—oh…" She regained composure and cleared her throat. "What do you have behind your back?"
Syllest took a step back. "Nothing," she said, too quickly.
"Syllestra…" Dreamer's eyes flashed in warning.
"Nothing, Mom!" She shook her head fiercely. Pink eyes shot at the nearby door.
"Don't. You. Dare."
She looked between Dreamer and the door. Dreamer. Door.
"Young lady, you will be grounded for a week!" Dreamer took a step forward. Syllest took a step back. "Give it to me."
Syllest shook her head wildly, causing her black hair to whip side-to-side. Then... she bolted.
"SYLLEST!" Dreamer shouted after her but she paid her no heed. She was already through the guild hall doors, her secret package held tightly against her chest.
Dreamer was about to chase after the child, but exhaustion weighed heavily on her. That, and Kinana had just slid a very delicious looking iced coffee across the counter.
"Pick your battles…" she grumbled before picking up the cup. "Thank you, Kina."
"Relax, D," Levy leaned against her arm. "It was probably just another present for Romeo."
"Yeah, I know." That was definitely the most likely possibility. "I worry about that kid sometimes…"
"Of course you do," her friend smiled warmly, "you're a good mom."
Warmth filled Dreamer's chest, and she pulled Levy in for a hug. "Hey, you know what? You were right, I do need a break! You wanna walk around town for a little while? Maybe do some shopping?"
"Are you kidding?" Levy clutched both of her hands. "Of course I want to!"
"Kinana, how about you?" Dreamer looked at her. "We could help you close up the café and then all go together?"
"Oh, I don't know…"
"We could pick you out a cute new dress to wear for you-know-who…"
"I-It's not like that! We're best friends!"
With some extra persuasion, they were able to convince Kinana to join them on a walk through town. They helped clean up the café, then headed out…
An hour later…
Romeo's expression was akin to Natsu or Gray's whenever Erza walked into the room: Wide-eyed and horrified.
"Well?" Syllest put her hands on her hips and stared expectantly at him. The walls of the storage closet felt like they were closing in.
"I… uh…" What was he supposed to say? If he said the wrong thing he was going to get slapped, he just knew it. His cheek was already burning in preparation. He swallowed nervously and shrank even more against the shelves behind him, knocking a broom over.
"Be honest!" Her eyes looked almost red in this dim lighting. Red and demonic…
"Well, I…" He winced. What would his dad say? Or Natsu? They understood girls… "Um… I…" He gulped again. "Y-Yeah! Syllest, it's… great!"
She leaned forward, eyes narrowed, nose almost touching his. Her cheeks were puffed out as she analyzed his face to see if he was lying.
Please don't hit me. Please don't hit me!
"Really?"
She was way too close. He felt like he was going to suffocate and die. Die here in a guild storage room and never get the chance to be as cool as Natsu. Killed by a girl. How humiliating…
"Yeah!" he stammered. "S-Seriously, Syllest. Y-You look…" What was the right word? What word was least likely to get him slapped? "C-Cute."
Bingo.
She cracked a wide gin and finally gave him some breathing room. "Really?! Yay! You're the greatest, Romeo!" She crushed him in an embrace. "I had to see if my best friend liked it before I walked around the guild!"
She was going to walk around the guild like that?! Oh no, what had he done…
"A-Ah, well…" He wriggled in her grip. "Maybe that's not a good idea, Syllest…"
"Why not?" She cocked her head to the side, eyelashes fluttering.
"W-Well, you know… What if you get in trouble?"
She rolled her eyes. "My mom's not even here."
"But what about Piper or Macbeth? I mean, didn't you get that from—"
"Macbeth is cleaning the attic with that snake guy," she snapped. "And Piper knows better than to tell on me." She huffed. "If he does, I'll tell Mom that he likes her!"
Romeo blanched. This girl… was seriously evil.
"Move." She shoved him aside so she could open the closet door.
He watched her black ponytail bounce as she pranced into the hallway. He slumped against the broom and breathed a sigh of relief. "She's… crazy."
Another hour later…
"See, Kinana! Aren't you happy you came with us?"
The three women were walking up the stairs to the door of the hall, arms laden with shopping bags.
"Yeah, that was actually really fun!" Kinana grinned, her cheeks rosy. Levy and Dreamer had helped her choose a short, pale green dress with matching high heels, adorned with layers of lace, frills, and a green bow with a white rose attached to the front of it. She had no idea when she would actually wear it, but it definitely looked cute.
Dreamer usually hated spending money on clothes, but Levy was an enabler. Chimes of "oooh, girl that's so cute," and, "just try it on," ended up costing her the entire reward from her last job. On the plus side, she had six or seven new outfits, each of which she was dying to see how Macbeth would react to.
Wait, did I just think that?
She hoped the other girls didn't see her blush. Luckily, when she glanced at them, they were each hiding their own giddy grins. Apparently she wasn't the only one thinking about a special man in her life…
The doors opened before the girls could reach them. Out walked all three members of the Thunder Legion. Freed, with the green lightning bolt fly-aways catching in the breeze. Bickslow, overdressed for the time of the year in his obscure knight-outfit, laughing gaudily about something with his tongue hanging out. Evergreen, hand placed pompously on her hip.
"Yo, ladieeesss." Bickslow waved at the three girls.
"Oh, hi guys!" Levy waved back. "Where are you headed?"
The legion shared a look with one another. "That isn't important," Freed said. He extended his arm and pointed accusingly at Dreamer, suddenly. "You should be more concerned with supervising that child of yours."
Dreamer blinked. "What?"
"It's hardly proper for a girl of her age—"
Evergreen and Bickslow's hands both closed over his mouth at the same time. In a flash, they were dragging him down the stairs, kicking dust behind them.
"WAIT!" Dreamer called out.
"Later babes!"
They were gone.
"What was that about?" Dreamer looked at Levy and Kinana, who both seemed just as confused as she was. She clenched a fist. "I'm about to find out…"
Dreamer kicked the guild hall door open with the heel of her sandal. Her eyes scanned the crowd. No sign of Syllest… But, Mirajane was behind the bar.
Dreamer marched over to her.
"Mira!" She slammed her bags of clothing onto the counter.
"Ooooh, you went shopping? Can I see?" Mira started rifling through the bags.
"Where's Syllest?" A shadow crossed over her face, a dark aura surrounding her.
"Ah… Dreamer, we're going to go put away our stuff, okay?" Levy laughed awkwardly and slowly walked backward with Kinana. "See you later!"
They bolted.
"Mirajane. Where is she?"
"Oh!" Mira grinned, blue eyes shimmering like oceans in sunlight. "I was surprised you let her do that, Dreamer! But you should have helped her. She looks a bit scary."
"Let her do what exactly?"
"Are you talking about Syllest?" Mira's little sister slid into the seat next to Dreamer. "I'm more surprised Macbeth let her do it, honestly."
"She must really admire him," Mira said with a giggle. "It's like she already sees him as a dad!"
Dreamer felt a blush creeping across her cheeks, but quickly drowned it out with renewed fury. "What are you talking about, Mira?"
"Oh look!" Lisanna pointed. "There she is now!"
Dreamer spun around and spotted Syllest in the crowd. She was standing proudly with her back toward the bar, standing up to a group of laughing members who were cooing at her.
"Syllest!" Dreamer shouted. The girl froze. Without turning back to look at her surrogate mother, she ran.
"STOP THAT KID!" Dreamer dove over a table after her, knocking cups and plates to the ground.
Syllest dove under a table. Dreamer chased after, throwing the table to the side with inhuman strength, only to see black hair whipping around a pillar. She skidded past the pillar after her, to see Syllest sliding underneath Juvia's legs and jumping on the stage. Dreamer ran after her, taking Juvia by surprise, who gasped and took on a water form which Dreamer ran straight through.
Now drenched, she jumped on the stage and slipped. She looked up to see Syllest leaping off the stage and using Natsu's head as a springboard onto Elfman's shoulders, with another bound so that she could grab Happy's feet in the air.
"What's happening?!" Happy shrieked, and his wings vanished, both him and Syllest crashing to the ground.
"MOVE!"
Natsu and Elfman squeaked in horror as Dreamer lunged off the stage. They sidestepped to avoid her rampage.
Syllest screamed and threw Happy at Dreamer's face to buy time. The little blue cat's claws caught in Dreamer's hair.
"Don't kill me!" He cried and jumped into Natsu's arms for safety.
"SYLLEST!" Dreamer kept running as Syllest reached for a side door. Just as her little hand touched the doorknob, a gauntleted fist gripped her by the ponytail and hoisted her into the air.
Dreamer skidded to a halt. She put her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. "Er…za…" She gasped for air. "Thank you."
Erza held the flailing child in the air and scowled. At Dreamer.
"I am disappointed in you Daffodil."
"It's Dreamer."
"—Seven years old is far too young to be wearing makeup. And especially in such a garish manner."
It was only now that Dreamer had the opportunity to see Syllest's face.
The child's lips were colored a dark plum, horribly ragged around the edges, black lipstick almost reaching to her ear on one side. Dark eyeshadow surrounded her eyes like black holes. Mascara clumped in her eyelashes and stained one of her eyebrows.
"Oh Syllest…" Dreamer put her face in her palm with a sigh. "What are you doing?"
Erza dropped her. She scrambled to her feet and put her hands on her hips to face Dreamer. "Romeo said I look cute!"
"He lied to you," Erza and Dreamer said simultaneously.
"Sweetie…" Dreamer stepped forward and crouched in front of her. Syllest shamefully avoided her eyes. "Where did you… Is that Macbeth's makeup?"
Syllest dropped her head in guilt.
"Please don't tell me you snuck into his room and stole his stuff!"
"I had to!" She protested. "You don't wear makeup! Or, at least, you only use that pencil stuff that goes around your eyes, but I really wanted to look cool like Macbeth and I think he's so pretty, he's prettier than any of the girls here anyway, except maybe Auntie Mira, but anyway I knew that he would have—"
"Are you wearing perfume?"
"Yeah! I didn't know which one to use because he has like ten of them, so I just used them all!"
"Oh, Syllest…" Dreamer sighed.
"Am I in trouble?"
She stood up and ruffled Syllest's bangs. "No. But we should probably return Macbeth's things. I can't guarantee you won't be in trouble if he finds out."
She nodded and took Dreamer's hand. They started for the door, and, as luck would have it, ran straight into the Night Terror himself…
He stared down. Tall and imposing, casting a shadow over both of them. Syllest hid behind Dreamer with a tiny squeak.
"M-Macbeth," Dreamer gave a fake smile. Dear Mavis, let him be in a good mood today.
He looked past Dreamer to the trembling form cowering behind her. Wordlessly, he extended a hand.
Syllest reached into the pocket of her dress with shaking fingers. She pulled out a black makeup kit and awkwardly held it out to him.
"I-I'm sorry, Macbeth…"
He took the kit and slid it into the pocket of his coat, but didn't take his eyes of her. He extended his hand again. "Come with me."
Syllest's eyes nearly bugged out of her skull. She looked desperately at Dreamer. "He's going to kill me…" She whispered in terror.
"Are you really afraid of me, Syllestra?" He smirked and cocked his head to the side. A dangling earring caught in the light. "Here I thought you weren't afraid of anything."
The little girl boldly stepped forward and lifted her chin high. "I'm not scared!" She slapped her little hand into his palm. "I was just pretending!"
"Of course you were." He tugged her along, turning his back on Dreamer.
"Hey! Wait! Where are you taking her?!"
He didn't answer her, just continued to lead the clown-faced child out of the guild hall.
"Isn't it obvious, Dreamer?" Mirajane giggled from behind the bar, while examining a dress Dreamer had bought. "He's taking her on a girl date!"
"Yes, that is probably correct," Erza nodded, as if the prospect wasn't totally ridiculous.
"What?! But that's—there's no way…"
At Dreamer and Mirajane's shared home…
Syllest's room was exactly as one would imagine a seven-year-old's room to be. Pink wallpaper covered in colored pencil drawings of flowers. A frilly white comforter on a child's bed, covered from head to foot with plush animals. A plastic vanity with dolls and doll hairbrushes. Children's books and toys strewn across the carpet.
And an ex-assassin sitting cross-legged on a handmade kitty cat rug.
"Purple clashes with your pink eyes," he was explaining, as he brushed white eyeshadow on her eyelids.
Syllest giggled cheerily, like this was the absolute best day of her life. "Can I practice curling my hair next?!"
"Yes. You can practice on mine."
"REALLY?! You'll let me curl your hair, Macbeth?!"
He smirked. His red eyes were uncharacteristically warm.
"Who taught you how to do your makeup?" She asked. "Do you get mad when people think you're a girl? Do you want to be a girl? Gay people wear makeup right? I don't really understand all of that, but you're not gay right? If you are then you can't kiss Mom… I guess you could be with Uncle Piper. Except, wait, he'd have to be gay too, huh? How does that work? How do you straighten the back of your hair if you can't see it in the mirror—does Uncle Piper help you with that? Teehee, I wish I could see him brushing your hair. I don't think it's weird you wear makeup. There are all sorts of weird people at Fairy Tail, so I think you should look like whatever you want to look like. Romeo might look cute with makeup! We should do him next!"
She rambled on and on and on. The two of them spent the next hour or more doing each other's hair, painting each other's nails black and white, and deciding on what earrings to wear.
"Syllest?" Dreamer came home and peered uncertainly into the hall. "Um… Are you in here?"
The girl pranced happily out of her bedroom, wearing a frufru pink dress. White nails, white eyeshadow, black hair curled into perfect locks. She looked like a porcelain doll, not a single flaw about her.
She curtsied in front of Dreamer. "How do I look now, Mom?"
Dreamer blinked.
"Mom, Macbeth's taking me out for ice cream, okay?" She hummed and skipped to the front door.
Dreamer continued to gape, not believing her eyes. She was even more stunned when Macbeth followed Syllest shortly after. His hair had been curled into ringlets as well, and he wore a black bow in his hair. He smirked mischievously at Dreamer as he walked past.
"This cannot be happening…" She blinked. "Wait, those are MY earrings, Macbeth!"
He waved.
"What are you doing with my child?!"
"Taking her on a girl date," he said, eyes twinkling.
"That doesn't even make sense!"
"Don't be jealous, Dream." He brushed her knuckles as he walked by. "I can take you on a date later, too, if that's what you want."
Her cheeks flashed pink. "N-No, that's not… This is ridiculous!"
"You can wear the silver dress you just bought," his voice dropped an octave, eyes burning like embers.
She flushed horribly. "Wh—I—no—"
"Macbeth, come on!"
He gave Dreamer one last villainous smirk before following Syllest out the front door, the tails of his bow fluttering behind him.
Dreamer flopped on the couch and covered her eyes with her arm. "I don't even know what's happening anymore…"
A girl date between Syllest and Macbeth, apparently.
A/N: I hope you guys liked that, it's definitely one of my favorite scenes. Cute and fun!
Thank you for your reviews and feedback, as always!
A word on my choice to split up the Oracion Seis: I felt that, given the choice, each member of the Seis would search for freedom in their own way, since they each crave such different things. That's why Richard didn't even make an appearance. It made sense to me that he would deny Resmond in favor for looking for his brother. As for Sorano and Sawyer, I simply could not imagine them ever feeling "free" at Fairy Tail. Sorano would hate it, and Sawyer would do much better in a guild that travels rather than one that has a headquarters in one location. But Erik? Maybe I was reading too much into it as a viewer, but it always seemed to me that Erik and Macbeth were pretty close, or at least their respect for one another surpassed the respect between the other members of the Seis. So, really, once Erik found out that Cubellios AND Macbeth were in Fairy Tail, there was no logical reason for him to be anywhere else. That's why I separated the group up like I did.
And also, Ori, I fully support your choice to broship GajBeth, because they are literally the best brotp in existence. xD Trivia: My inspiration for their friendship came from the episode of Key of the Starry Heavens where they fight one another. Then, once I drew the comparisons between the two of them, it was set forever in stone. Gajbeth for life.
Gajeel: "Tell the whole world that we're bros!"
Macbeth: *whispers* "We're bros."
Gajeel: "Why did you whisper?"
Macbeth: "Because you are my whole world, bro."
Gajeel: "BRO!"
^ Insight into yellowchikadee's creative processes. XD
Thank you all for your continued support! Please, keep giving me feedback, encouragement, and critiques! I value your responses immensely!