A Rift Between Worlds
We don't own Fairy Tail
CHAPTER TWO
Tre, Omi, Laxus and the Raijinshuu have made their way into the town of Magnolia and are now currently talking amongst themselves as they make their way to Fairy Tail.
Neomi looks all around her as they enter the town of Magnolia. Moonlight trickles over the front facades of buildings, and she has to smile to herself as she walks side by side with her favorite comic book characters. Even though she's with characters that she admires, she can't help but be astounded at how different she imagines the animated world in her mind.
Yes, the basics of the animated and drawn version are the same, but after having a serious mind trip, Neomi finds everything to be so much more surreal. Her eyes take in the style of buildings that she would definitely describe as European. All of the styles were there.
Neomi saw Stick Styled houses decorated with scrollwork. The roofs were adorned with red and brown shingles. Gambrel roofs and steep pitches abounded along either side of a cobblestone street.
Every step that she took was uneven because of the many bumps and ridges of the stone beneath her, and beside her came wooden ferry boats carting sleepy workers. Water licked the sides of a stone bridge, and Neomi suddenly found herself mirroring the famous Lucy Heartfilia when she leapt atop the retaining wall to step one foot in front of the other beside the waterway.
"There it is" The brunet says as he points to the building coming into view "Fairy Tail's guildhall" He gestures towards the small, windmill-decorated bar when they reach the outskirts of town. "It's not exactly what I… expected…" Amber eyes shift towards the taller Dreyar.
"I'm sure you heard about what happened on Tenrou by now," Laxus intones without much of a shift in the firm set of his lips.
"The Seven Year Freeze when the guild was on Tenrou," Neomi filled in. She slipped her hands into her back pockets then shifted towards surprised faces. "Dude, I'm up to date on all of the arcs. If you're still in the little guild, that means we're either going to be attacked by the Zentopia church or this is the X791 arc."
"Zentopia?" Laxus and Tre mouth at the same time. The brothers appear to share a confused look, but Neomi doesn't worry about it.
Instead, she grins at the guild. "Best. Hallucination. Ever."
Getting his wits back about himself, Laxus takes a step around the strange, woman. He places his large palm on the wooden door of the miniscule guild. As he pushes it open, he explains, "Gramps is going to freak out when he sees you."
A shrug is Laxus's reply. "Hey, I'm a much more exciting person than you are. Is it really so hard to believe that he wouldn't spazz?" Tre mentions in all confidence.
Hissing out a breath from faintly smiling lips, Laxus opens the door up fully. As soon as he does, Neomi bites hard on her bottom lip to suppress an internal squeal. This may be a hallucination, but I am so freaking ecstatic right now, she squeaks in her mind.
Her hands clench tight at her sides, and she watches heads turn as she enters the guild with Tre, Laxus, and the Raijinshuu. Her heart feels like it's pumping hard in her chest. It's not like she can hold down the excitement even though she knows none of it's real. Any anime or manga freak would love to have such a realistic hallucination, and Neomi was just lucky enough to be one of them. So far, she definitely didn't want to sober up any time soon.
Eagerly, her eyes scan around the tiny guild hall. True to Fairy Tail style, it was all wooden. Wooden bar, wooden chairs, wooden floors, and wooden tables. The only things that weren't made of the material were glass bottles and the metal rings that went around kegs and beer mugs. Well, those things and the sentient characters bopping around in the guild.
Still, from the looks of things most people are out. Jobs appear just as sparse on the job board as the amount of mages in the guild. Team Natsu isn't in. Elfman and Lisanna aren't sitting at the bar or any of the tables. Juvia isn't around, and neither is Gajeel. The only members that she sees are Levy, the McGarden cheer crew, Laki, Naab—blankly staring at the vacant corkboard—, Max, Mirajane, and Kinana. She doesn't see Gildarts or Master Makarov as she walks through.
."Found two newbies, Laxus?" Mirajane wonders when she looks up from serving Levy a strawberry smoothie. Astoundingly, Mirajane is more beautiful in Neomi's hallucination versus Mashima's version of her. She still has large breasts, a slim waist, and an hourglass figure. But, her features are more defined. This version of Mira has voluptuous waves that cradle her heart shaped face. Her eyes are the blue of the sky and upsweeping lashes fan around large, round eyes. Plumps lips are upturned into a gentle smile, and Neomi takes notice of her typical maroon and pink dress.
"Hardly. This is Trevet Umbridge, and the girl is Neomi." The blonde mage gestures to a starstruck Neomi then a confidently smirking Tre.
"Neomi Sumer actually. You're the Sorcerer Weekly model, Mirajane Strauss?" she wonders to the ivory haired Take Over Mage, amazed that such an adorable face could turn demonic at just the summoning of her magic. The misleading visage was more frightening than seeing the demon in her true form. Demons aren't so scary when they're the beasts you expect them to appear as.
"Ah, you're a reader of the magazine? I bet you know all of our names. Jason's been covering our disappearance for some time now. I think he's interviewed the entire guild to help put us back in the spotlight," she explains with that endearing grin in place.
"The name's actually Trevet Umbridge-Dreyar, I'm Laxus' little brother or….not so little brother now. There used to be 11 years between the two of us, now there's only 4" The brunet adds in with a smile as bright as one-thousand suns, his straight and pearly white teeth in full view.
Blue eyes shift from one mage to another. Mira looks from Trevet then to Laxus before going right back to Trevet. "Laxus's… little brother…"
Her questioning glances are interrupted easily when Makarov Dreyar slips into the building. His feet move easily at first with his approach, but then the steps change. They grow slower and slow before Makarov breaths, "Tre?"
"Hey gramps, how have you been doing recently?" The brunet smiles at his grandfather, his face filled with joy.
The entire guild seems to shift as Makarov makes a headlong dash towards his newest grandson. He looks to be positively elated until a massive fist comes to squash Trevet flat to the wooden floor. "Where the hell have you been hiding this entire time, brat? I've been worried sick about you! Haven't heard from you in ages!"
"Jeez gramps! Sorry! I was travelling to come and meet y'all, but I got a little sidetracked with getting the money for mom's medicine" Tre says solemnly. The brunet's mind flashes back to a sickly Ariah Umbridge, bedridden and in poor health. Her long brown hair had once framed her deathly pale and thin face. It was by his mother's bed that Trevet swore to protect those he cared about. Eventually, he saved up enough money to treat his darling mother. Seeing her return to her regular self brought a great smile to her youngest son's face, and she had told him not to worry about her anymore—to go off on a journey on his own to Fairy Tail. Thus, here he was.
A sudden hand clamped down on Trevet's shoulder, and the male was whisked around to look Laxus dead straight in the face. Brows rose at the open intimacy of the conversation, and Neomi felt her lips parting at the mention of one of the many elusive Dreyar women.
"She's still…" Laxus's grey eyes peer deeply within amber orbs identical to the ones his mother bore, and he waits for an answer he already knows.
"Alive. Mom is still alive. She was sick but she's okay now. I got the money for medicine and now she's better. She's living happily" Trevet smiles at his older brother.
Laxus didn't look convinced. He held his brother's eyes for just a moment longer until Makarov broke in with "Well, if that's the case we shouldn't be letting family matters ruin the moment. Ariah's in good health. Trevet's finally back. This is a reason to celebrate!"
Even though Makarov began to haul Tre towards the bar where Mirajane and Kinana had returned, Laxus kept his spot on the wooden floor. Trevet could see Neomi glancing up at him through her thick, ebony lashes, and he pretended not to be eavesdropping when she asked, "You okay?"
Grey eyes look down at Neomi like Laxus is surprised she's still around. "Fine," he growls out.
Shrugging shoulders went up then down, and Neomi strolls to the bar. From what little she knew about Laxus from anime and manga, he was far from a sharer. She knew she'd be wasting her time if she tried to get out any details. So, sneaking information from Trevet it was.
"So...gramps….it's been a while….anything you wanna tell me...maybe Grand Magic Games related..?" The brunet says.
"Grand Magic… What are you talking about, Tre?" Makarov wonders as he sends a mug of ale sliding down the counter and to his grandson.
"The Grand Magic Games gramps, you can't tell me you haven't heard of it" Tre deadpans as he takes a swig of his ale whilst glancing at Mirajane.
"Macao mentioned it to me, but he didn't exactly go in too much depth."
Bopping into the conversation, Neomi makes her presence known. "It's a large tourney where guilds get together to decide who the biggest badass is in Fiore. The tournament is held in Crocus, and Sabertooth has been winning it ever since it started. Oh, there's also the fact that Fairy Tail has come in dead last so many times that they've turned into the laughing stock of Fiore, but that's going to change real soon. Eh, Makarov?" she snickers, flashing a pearly grin.
"And, you are?"
"Neomi Sumer. I'm a foreigner, but I know more about Fiore than most people in Fiore know about the kingdom. Also, I'm traveling with this guy until I get stronger in my magical abilities," she proclaims to the befuddled elder mage.
"Yeah. She fell onto me. Literally. And now we travel together, funny how the world is" Trevet shrugs as he takes another swig of his ale "She's odd. But she's good company" He adds.
"Are you good 'company' Neomi?" The gray-haired guildmaster grins perversely.
"Come on gramps! Get your head out of the gutter!" Tre exclaims with a slight blush dusting his cheeks. A dark brown head thumps hard against the bar in frustration.
"Can't an old man have some fun once in a while?" Makarov smirks at his second grandchild. He pats the young man playfully on the back whilst taking a long drink of his alcoholic beverage.
"Sure. Just don't be a damned pervert about it!" Tre exclaims and slams his hands onto the bar in mock rage.
"Alright brat, calm down" The master chuckles at his aggravated grandson.
"If you stop being a perv I will" The brunet glares.
"I'm not promising anything" Makarov smirks.
"Ugh, you!" Trevet laughs at the perverseness of his grandfather.
A disturbance at the doors draws everyone's attention. Team Natsu are entering, gigantic grins plastering their faces as they stride through the guildhall.
"Welcome back! I trust your job went well?" Mirajane smiles at the group.
"We lost half of our reward because of Natsu!" Gray growls.
"You wanna go Ice Princess?!" The pink-haired dragonslayer shouts at Gray, squaring up to the Ice-Make Mage.
"Bring it on squinty eyes!" The raven-haired teen snaps.
"Boys, do I hear fighting?" The intimidating red-head says as she places her hands on the two male's shoulders.
The aura around the two morphs into one of friendship, rather than rivalry. Gray and Natsu envelop each other in a friendly hug, masking their feelings of anger from the red-headed ringmistress Erza.
"N-No! Not at all Erza!" The pink-haired dragonslayer yelps as he smothers his raven-haired friend in a hug.
"Just two friends sharing a friendly hug, right bud?" Gray says.
"Darn right good buddy" Natsu replies.
Neomi snickers as images flash in her mind of those two acting all friendly in front of Erza throughout nearly all of the series. Unbeknowst to her, Omi had been blocking the path to the job selection board, causing the resident green-haired Dark Ecriture mage to bump into her. The red-head feels her face heat up and heart pick up speed when she turns slightly to come face-to-face with Mr. Freed Justine. Some part of her felt like she just wasn't going to get used to talking and hanging out with her favorite manga characters. Even so, she takes an easy step away to watch Freed examine the board.
"Excuse me" The green-haired man says as he walks past a blushing Neomi.
A gloved hand comes up to pull her aviator hat from her head. Long auburn locks stream down Neomi's face before coming to a stop at the middle of the back. While she tousles the wavy locks about her head, she wonders, "Going out on another job already?"
"Yes, the incident on Tenrou wound up putting several of us in debt because we weren't here to pay for our housing. I recently had to repurchase a townhouse since my old apartment was sold to another tenant," he explains with studious, blue eyes checking out the variety of jobs on the board.
Neomi remembers how vacant the board had been when Fairy Tail had returned from Tenrou, but this was ridiculous. Fairy Tail was the best guild around now that everyone was back. The sight of such a barren board was an insult to Neomi. Pursing her pouty lips, she asks, "Are you going solo or with the Raijinshuu and Master Laxus?"
A slight smile curls the man's lips, and he glances towards Neomi. "You call him 'Master' as well?"
As soon as their eyes lock, Neomi watches curiously as Freed takes in the sight of her. Earlier, the mage didn't seem to give her so much as a passing glance. He had been far too concerned with the likes of his master. Now, though, Neomi took note of slight rose inching up a pale throat. Freed had a Laxus complex and Neomi was covered better than any of the other females in the guild. There was no reason for him to be flushing at the sight of her. Right?
Ignoring it, she replies, "Yup! Where I'm from Laxus is quite the stud muffin with the ladies."
Tre overhears Omi and Freed's conversation and turns to his brother with a mischievous smirk, "Really Laxus? Are you a 'stud muffin' with the ladies?"
Grey eyes narrow at the same time that a blonde brow cocks upwards. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm too busy to worry about what any girls think of me," he grumbles, pulling a beer to his firm lips.
"You're really boring sometimes, chillax sometime. It'll do your health wonders" The brown-haired Dreyar says "Isn't that right gramps?"
"Sure is, Tre. Laxus could learn a thing or two from you. You have a beautiful companion, and you love your comrades. If I could teach Laxus to be so laidback, the world would probably collapse in on itself," Makarov snickers before setting down his empty mug. He leans closer towards the youngest Dreyar to ask, "So, are the two of you planning on joining the guild?"
"You're right there gramps, I'm going to join up!" Trevet grins.
"And what of you, Ms. Neomi? Do you plan to join Fairy Tail?" Makarov wonders. His body is arched slightly back. A hint of a grin teases his features.
Blue eyes turn perfectly circular as Neomi blinks towards the guild master of Fairy Tail. "Me?" she questions, gesturing to herself. "Why… I don't even know how to control my magic. I couldn't get anything done in a guild. I'm just here because Tre agreed to travel with me."
"Fairy Tail's about learning and having people who support and care about you, ain't that so gramps?" Trevet smiles.
Makarov's head bobs in agreement. "It is, but if you're still not sure of yourself, you could try going on a job with someone who's already a member. Freed's looking at the board. Why not team up with him? If that's fine with you, Freed."
The green haired mage shifted from his position. His gentle smile caresses his face as he inclines his head. "That would be fine by me. Neomi's already helped us out in a pinch."
"Y-You... would really let me tag along?" she wonders. "What if I blow something up?"
"Then, you'd be acting like a real Fairy Tail mage," Laxus intones with a droll expression on his serious face.
Even though Makarov didn't look like he wanted to agree, he did. "This is true. Trevet, how about you go with Neomi and Freed as well? You could gather a small group to go on a test mission."
"Sure. Can I just pick random people?" The brunet asks curiously.
"Just one and only if they agree to go. Depending on the team, I may let you take an S Class mission," Makarov mentions, smiling at an obviously nervous Neomi.
"Alright, how about….Erza or Gray?" Tre says.
"Go ask them then. I'm not babysitting them. They can make their own decisions," Makarov howls in glee, eager that he'd been getting a new Dreyar for the guild.
"Erza or Gray…" Laxus mentions with a shake of his head. "And, Neomi was worried about her blowing something up. Freed, you think you can handle this?"
"Laxus, rest assured that I will make sure everything runs smoothly."
From the other end of the bar Bickslow snickers, "Yeah. Nothing's going to run smoothly with that group."
Evergreen sighs, "No joke."
"Bitch please, I'll show you how a Dreyar handles things" Tre smirks, standing tall and spreading his arms for added effect.
Blue eyes roll. Looking to the Raijinshuu, Laxus, and Makarov, she exasperates, "We're all going to die. I know it!"
"Have faith retainers! The better Dreyar brother has arrived!" Tre smirks as he bounds over to Team Natsu's table "Gray! Erza! Which one of you would like to join our team for this mission?"
Neomi mentally winces at the destruction she knows will unfold with either one of those mages. Quietly, she whispers, "Why couldn't he have asked Levy or Gajeel… or Wendy or Lucy."
"I'll go I guess" Gray shrugs as he stands up.
"Great! Thanks" Trevet smiles.
"Oh Gray-sama! Juvia must come to if her darling Gray-sama is going too!" a blue-haired woman exclaims.
"The more the merrier! Welcome on board" The brunet smiles.
"You!" Juvia points at an unprepared Neomi "Stay away from Juvia's Gray-sama, Love Rival" She glares.
Raising her hands up in mock surrender, Neomi snickers, "Sorry, Juvia. I only go for guys that wear clothes on a regular basis."
Bickslow laughs, "Ha! Finally! Someone said it! A girl finally said it! The Ice Stripper ain't got shit!"
"So true, my brother," Neomi snickers back, giving the Seith Mage of Fairy Tail a toothy grin.
"Picked a job yet, Freed my man?" Tre asks the Dark Ecriture mage.
"Not exactly… The board's rather barren," Freed mentions in a low voice. It was apparent that he wasn't sure how on Earthland this upbeat fellow was in any way, shape, or form related to his Master Laxus. "Ms. Sumer, do you see anything here that strikes you?"
Neomi lifted her head from her mischievous conversation with Bickslow and turns to face Freed. "Boogey man do what?"
"Uh… What?"
"Ha. Nothing. Nothing. What did you ask me?"
"I asked if there's any particular job you'd want to take part in?" he repeated, smiling at the much calmer mage at the job board.
Neomi steps up to the plate. She puts her hand on her hand as she leans towards the board. Just out of the corner of her eye, she sees Nab staring blankly at the barren jobs. "Well…. how about this one?"
Freed reaches over to look at the job Neomi chose. It wasn't S Class, but it didn't look to be the easiest of missions. He reads, "Bandits currently raiding an archeological dig in the outskirts of Kliene. Reward is 50,000 jewel if the camp can be cleared three days after the arrival of the mages. Meet the governor of Greater Minor for details."
Easily, Neomi calculated, "50,000 jewel would be $5,000 where I'm from. Let's see... There's you, me, Trevet, Juvia, and Gray. That's an even thousand for each of us. Will that be enough to pay off your debt once you subtract daily expenses?"
Grinning, Freed nodded. He was about to open his mouth to say something until Trevet interrupted.
"Oh yeah, gramps, me and Neomi need a place to crash, preferably with separate beds" The brunet says, getting serious "Because it's getting late and we have nowhere to stay"
Erza piped up, "I could arrange for Neomi to stay in Fairy Hills. There's an empty room no one's claimed, and she can pay me for rent whenever she has it."
"And what about me?" Tre asks.
"Hey Lushy, don't you have a spare room?" Happy chimes.
"I have a spare room Tre, stay with your old grandpa" Makarov says.
"Really gramps? Thanks!" The brunet smiles "Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled programming"
"Well, if that's all settled, isn't it time for the guild to close out for the night?" Mirajane wonders, her sing-song voice coming from seemingly nowhere.
Makarov's eyes check out the guild. Most of everyone has already departed. A few of the nosey brats were still here and trying to get a grab at just who Trevet and Neomi were, but Nab had somehow pried himself from the job board. Laki and Kinana had already left. The only ones still around were Team Natsu, the newcomers, Juvia, Mira, Laxus, and the Raijinshuu. With a nod Makarov mentions, "I suppose that would be the best idea. Come on, Trevet. Let's head out."
"Sure gramps, see y'all tomorrow!" Tre yells as he and Makarov head out of the guildhall.
"He just… He just left me like that…" Neomi murmurs as she watches Trevet leave her all alone around people she only knows from manga and anime. Her blue eyes widen, and her lips part just the faintest amount.
The sound of a barstool screeching across the wooden floors catches Neomi, and she sees Laxus getting up to grab his coat. Slinging it dramatically around his shoulders, Laxus mentions, "That's Trevet. He has the attention span of a cockroach. I bet he didn't tell you where Fairy Hills was either. Did he?"
As if by magic, Tre comes flying back through the doors of the guild, slaps Laxus and slings Neomi over his shoulder Viking-style before runing out again.
Fists slam down on Trevet's back, and he narrowly misses a steel toed boot to the face when she squeals, "Put me down, you overgrown idiot!"
Tre sprints through the streets of Magnolia before putting Omi down at the entrance of Fairy Hills. "At least I do things for the people I care about, unlike Laxus" He says solemnly.
Clucking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, Neomi states, "Uh-huh. That's why you left me at the guild. Eh? I had the distinct feeling I was going to be escorted by the better looking Dreyar at the precise moment your ass came barging up in there like a bat outta hell."
Trevet pulls Omi close to his chest, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her head before muttering, "I'm sorry for leaving you Neomi"
Flattening her palms on his chest, she arches a brow at the sudden change in attitude. "Yo, dude. It ain't that big a deal. No need to get all tear jerky on me. Besides, I don't get it. You and your brother don't seem like the best of buds. What's up with that?"
"H-He abandoned me and mom for that sick son of a bitch we call a father" The brunet's voice trembles slightly as he tells the redhead this.
Still confused by his dramatic mood swings. Neomi pulls away from Trevet. Hands move to her hips, and she mentions, "Ya know. I don't really understand how I got here or what version of Fairy Tail this is, but you can't keep holding a grudge over your brother forever. Yeah, he left you and your mom to stay with his father. But, neither one of you turned out bad. Besides, Laxus is with Makarov. It's not like he's with Ivan. Also, there's the simple fact that Ivan doesn't give a damn about Laxus. He shoved a lacrima in the boy's eye and in the GMG he's going to ask for it back. Why? Because it was expensive. Ivan's the bad guy here. Not Laxus. Go easy on him. Or, at least try to… He's the only brother you have."
"That bastard did what?!" Tre snaps.
"Which part? The lacrima or the demanding it back. Because that last part hasn't happened yet."
"Jamming a fucking lacrima into Laxus' eye. Damn prick! I'mma get gramps to put me on the team so I can whoop his ass to kingdom come" The brunet growls.
Face palming, Neomi looks up at Trevet. "Have you not seen the big ass scar running down Lightning Boy's face? Also, there's the fact that Laxus wasn't raised by a lightning dragon. He couldn't know Lightning Dragon Slayer magic any other way." Reaching up to flick Trevet between the eyes, she mentions, "Hmm. It's not hollow, so I'm guessing that there is a brain in there."
"I don't understand the concepts of being a dragonslayer. All I know is that he's incredibly powerful" Tre says as if it's the most obvious thing ever.
Neomi nods her head slowly. She puts two hands on Trevet's shoulders and spins him until he's facing the road back to the heart of Magnolia. "You've had a long day. Go to your Gramps' house and catch some sleep. We need to get to the guild early tomorrow morning, and I'm not going to put up with the Walking Dead Fairy Tail edition."
"Alright Alright, goodnight Omi" He says as he walks off towards the center of town, waving his hand behind him.
As Neomi tosses her own hand up in goodbye, she catches sight of Erza walking up the trail. "Well, let's see what Fairy Hills looks like when I'm stoned," she mutters to no one in particular.
Trevet finally finds his grandfather standing outside of a large, imposing manor whilst whistling a tune. The brunet sheepishly approaches his impatient-looking grandfather and says, "Hey gramps"
"Did you show Neomi the way to the dorm like I asked?" he wonders. A silver brow rises in question, and he turns to unlock a large, wooden front door.
"I did. Well, I fireman's lifted her and carried her there to be more precise" The brunet rubs the back of his neck bashfully.
"And, you're sure that you don't fancy her just the littlest bit?" Makarov taunts when he crosses the threshold into the main foyer. Much like Makarov himself, this house wasn't the most arresting. It was rather quaint in design and structure, similar to the guild if anything. Stone, wood, brick. They all came to create the house Trevet once visited ages back.
"No gramps, she's like a sister to me" Tre smiles as he remembers fond memories of visiting gramps in Magnolia when the Dreyar's were still together.
"If she's like a sister, then you must have known her for a while now," Makarov states. He tosses a pair of keys onto a coffee table in the living room of the house before heading up a set of stairs that led to the bedrooms.
Following his grandfather, Tre replies, "Yeah". After a few moments of silence, he continues the conversation with, "Is that barmaid single?"
"I was wondering when you were going to ask me that. That barmaid isn't your regular fare, Trevet. I have to ask you to tread lightly with lovely Mirajane. She's no damsel in distress," Makarov snickers. He steps in front of a door. Turning the knob, he opens it up for his grandson. "This used to be the room Ariah stayed in before they…" His eyes look up to judge Trevet's reaction.
"...split up, I know" Tre says glumly, sitting on the bed "I'll be sure to get well acquainted with Ms. Mirajane" He says with a bob of his head.
"Just remember that she's not like your normal girls." Makarov crosses his arms over his chest and looks to his grandson. After debating on just how to ask the question that had been banging around in his skull ever since seeing Tre, he finally asks, "What's your real reason for coming back to Magnolia, Trevet. I know it's bigger than just wanting to join the guild."
"I wanted to be there for Laxus, since I wasn't there to support him during his torturous years under the 'care' of the man whose seed spawned us" Tre says glumly.
"He still resents me for that… You know, kicking Ivan out of the guild… I don't know when that boy will see the truth about his father. I did what was best for the guild. I'm not surprised that Ariah disappeared not too long after that either. She was always faint in the guild when their marriage starting falling out, but then she left without a word."
"He was a horrid, wretched man. My brother is delusional, that's why he doesn't believe and despises the best man in his life. Grandpa, you may be our father's father, but you're the closest thing to a dad we've got, thank you" Trevet smiles.
"If only Laxus would open up to that a little more… He's gotten better, but I still am not sure what to do with the brat." Makarov moves from his leaning position against the wall to take one of the seats in the averagely sized bedroom. "So, tell me how Ariah has been. Do you think she'll move back to Magnolia if you join the guild?"
"Mom's gotten over her sickness and is living perfectly fine alone. She'll probably move back to Magnolia once I join" The brunet confirms his grandfather's thoughts.
Makarov nods his head. Tossing a hand up, he replies, "Well, get some sleep, brat. You've assembled the most ramshackle team I've seen in a while. I'm eager to see how you do on your job. Also, I'll have Mira get your guild mark on you in the morning."
"Isn't that what Precht called your team?" Trevet smirks "Night gramps" He says. As he rests his head against the soft pillows, a sudden thought crosses his mind.
I wonder how Omi is doing.
"And, this is your room," Erza explains as she opens up a wooden door.
Neomi's eyes widen at the very feminine room. It was… pink… Very… pink… The wallpaper that covered up the gypsum board walls was pink trimmed in pale rose. Beautiful hardwood floors were horribly taken over by a massive pink rug shaped like a rose, and as Neomi slipped out of her wood, metal, and canvas wings she caught glance of a vanity shaped like a heart. Tacky was one word that Neomi didn't think could handle this amount of red tint. She felt like Erza had just opened up a door into a prepubescent teen's princess dream. Even the bed in the room was a massive, pink blurp in Neomi's vision.
"Who did the decorating?" Neomi asks, curious as to just who in the guild had a pink complex with the same ferocity as Freed had his Laxus complex.
"The girl who used to live here was a member of Fairy Tail before the S Class exams on Tenrou. She left when the guild stopped being popular," Erza explains with an almost apologetic gleam in her big eyes.
A petite bluenette walks down the hall just as Neomi asks, "What was her name?"
Levy replies with, whilst spooking Erza and Neomi, "Her name was Jenny Realight"
"J-Jenny was in Fairy Tail?" Neomi stammers, wishing she had her manga for a reference.
"Yeah. She modeled with Mirajane. That was where the rivalry started," Levy explains. She takes an easy step into the apartment. "Has Erza given you the full tour?"
"Of course, you have no idea how bad I want to hop into that massive bath right now. It looks wonderful," Neomi replies with a grin on her face. That battle she and Tre had with the wyvern had gotten her sweaty and wearing her aviator hat all day hadn't done any justice with her hair.
Levy lifted a towel and small shower bag filled with the essentials of female body care. "Some of us were headed there already. Come on. It'll give you a chance to meet everyone." A dark light shimmers in the girl's eyes. "Also, you can tell us about the new Dreyar."
"Yeah. He seems kinda cute" Cana adds, peeping her head round from the corner.
"Cute," Neomi laughs aloud. "Bahahaha! You've got to be kidding me. Trevet? Cute? The only thing cute about him is his name. Trust me. I know cute, and that ain't it." She pulls her aviator jacket off then tosses it up on a coat hanger. Right beside it, she hangs her hat. "I would love to take a bath with you all, but there are a few problems. One is that I have no sleep clothes. Two is that I have no hair or body products."
"We can get you those" Levy says with a playful hand gesture.
"Ain't cute? Girl what you on? Trevet has Laxus-like looks but his hair, eyes and personality make everything better. He SMILES godammit! Laxus doesn't do that! I ain't into emos" The brown-haired woman says firmly.
Neomi tries to roll her eyes, but then the sudden sight of a very emo Laxus crosses into her mind's eye. Snake bites. Eyeliner. Black skinny jeans. Yes, the whole nine yards. Sudden laughter bubbles up to the forefront of her mouth, and soon enough she blurts, "Mental image much!" Clearing up her guffaws, she adds in, "Alright. Alright. Gimme a sec, and I'll be in there. Who's clothes can I borrow?"
The brunet puts both her hands on the redhead's breasts and squeezes them "You seem about my size, let's see what we can find" Cana smiles as she leads Neomi off.
Not even embarrassed in the slightest, Neomi wonders, "Thirty-two triples?"
"Oh, yeah."
Meanwhile, Laxus and co. are stepping into the courtyard of Fairy Hills.
"Why are we here again?" Evergreen asks.
"I need to talk to Neomi, but I'm not able to get into Fairy Hills to talk to her because that tyrant, Erza, is in there," Laxus explains. His eyes settle upon the Fairy Hills dormitory. It was the all female dorm at the guild, and some part of Laxus always wonders just why Makarov never made an all male one. Shaking his head, he assumes that it's because the man is just a simple pervert like most of the males in Fairy Tail.
"And, just why do you need to talk to her?" Evergreen asks, still unsure of Laxus's interest in the autumn haired stranger.
"She came with Trevet. I want to know why he's here."
"You can't just be happy that your brother's back in Magnolia?" Bickslow wonders, tilting his shielded face of to the side.
"No, because I'm a moany fuck who can't be happy with anything" Laxus says sarcastically.
Raising his hands up, Bickslow replies, "You said it. Not me. You sure this ain't because you think she's hot. Right? Right?" He bumps Laxus in the ribs with his elbow.
"What's it to you?" The blonde towers over the visor-wearing Seith Mage intimidatingly.
"What?" Freed gasps. "You can't be serious Laxus! Are you being serious?"
"Serious about what?" Laxus turns to his second-in-command.
Slight crimson seems to inch its way up his throat, and Freed turns his head away from his leader. Long, emerald locks flow over his shoulder as he murmurs, "N-nothing…"
Shrugging it off, Laxus turns towards Evergreen. "Do you think that you could get Erza to let us in? Tell her that it's important, about the guild. She'd do anything for the guild."
"I can… try, but don't get mad at me when she says no. Wait here. I'll be back in a second." Evergreen spins on her pink high heels. Her sassy, swaying hips lead towards the front doors of the guild.
"Damn, that ass though. No wonder Elfman stays on her leash," Bickslow murmurs as the brown-haired woman walks away. As soon as they see the doors close under the moonlit sky, he adds, "You sure you don't want to just sneak in there. It'd be easier, and I know how the way."
"Because a guy with green hair, a musclebound badass, and a freaky-ass cosplayer are totally gonna blend right into an ALL GIRLS DORM!" Laxus snaps at the Seith Mage.
A hand pulls Freed closer to him, and Bickslow pinches Freed's chin. "Dude, just look at this face. All we have to do is slap a little make up on him, put him in a dress, and have him make a distraction while we sneak into the rafters. Eh, babies?" His shadowed eyes turn to five totems bopping around his skull. They cheer, "Send in Freed!"
"Freed, you are very girly" The blonde states.
Gasping, Bickslow hisses, "Laxus, you're so rude! He's a lady. Respect him as one!"
"I'm sorry Freed, you're very beautiful" Laxus says as he forces back a laugh.
With a crimson face Freed barks, "Do I not get a say in this?"
Two heads lean in closely, and with one single response, the Rune Mage's fate was sealed. Two masculine voices snickered, "Hell, no."
Evergreen comes out on cue and Bickslow's face morphs into a perverse grin, "Just the woman we're looking for"
Her dainty steps slow as she tilts her head at Bickslow. "What do you mean 'Just the woman we're looking for'?"
Bickslow grabs onto Freed's left arm at the same time that Laxus grabs Freed by the right arm. Thrusting the poor male forward, Bickslow snickers, "Since we already know Erza said no, turn this into a lady!"
"That's not going to be hard" The three other members of the Raijinshuu laugh at the expense of their green-haired comrade.
"I can't believe you," Freed growls out as he's handed over to Evergreen. His grumbling protests grew distant as the guys snickered at each other.
A few minutes later and Freya came walking out of Fairy Hills. Freed Justine turned Drag Queen is quite the sight. His hair tumbles in emerald waves down his pale face. Pink lipstick graces his mouth. Eyelashes jut proudly upwards in long spikes. He is the epitome of an innocent drag queen in a red tunic the color of his typical vest, and a pair of black leggings sink into strappy black heels.
"Voila. Meet Freya Justine. Freed's cousin visiting from overseas," Evergreen announces, dramatically showing Freed off like some kind of commercial advertisement.
"I. Hate. You," Freed snarls with sassy eyes cutting the boys down.
Bickslow's jaw nearly unhinges at just how adorable Freed looks, and Laxus sports an identical expression. Had the two of them not appeared so amazed Freed may have been a tad more irritable. At the moment he just appears flustered.
"Rockin' those clothes girl" Bicks smirks.
"He-I mean, she's actually pretty cute," Laxus snickers, white teeth flashing. "Alright, now, Freed, we need you to just go in and act like the other girls while Bix and I slip in to find Neomi. Can you do this for me?"
Flush spreads across cheeks light dusted in faint blush, and Freed nods his head. "Of course, Laxus. I promise to do this well."
"You better. Now off you go" Laxus smiles.
With a short salute from both Evergreen and Freed, Bickslow narrates, "Commencing Plan Capture the Newbie!" As soon as the two of them disappear into the dormitory, Bickslow turns down a dirt path worn in the yard. "Come on, Laxus. The entry is this way."
"Okay…." The blonde says apprehensively. "How exactly do you even know how to sneak in here?"
Turning to flash fang, Bickslow snickers, "Some stories are better left untold."
"You know what. You're right. Forget I asked."
Bickslow nods. He grabs onto a ledge then hauls a leg over. Once he gets into position, he pats down a wall before finding a loose brick. As soon as he gets his black painted nails around it, he pulls it away. Sure enough, a small lever is revealed. "This is the back entry for any girls that forget their keys," Bickslow explains while hopping into a dark shaft.
"Interesting" Laxus nods.
"Pretty much." His hands caught onto a ladder, but instead of ascending or descending it, the Seith Mage just stretched his body. He reached out to the farthest reaches his arms would go before saying, "Babies, pull that rope down."
The babies obeyed their master's command. One dropped its totem shell. As the wooden doll dropped into Bickslow's extended palm, the spirit slipped inside of the length of rope Laxus couldn't see in the darkness. Soon enough, the shaft was filled with light from a laundry chute. Once the chute was cleaned with light, Bickslow wriggled his body into a hallway.
"You're too good at this. Just how many times do you sneak over here?" Laxus wonders, eyes narrowing at one of the most perverted members of Fairy Tail. "And, why is there a ladder in a laundry chute?"
His answer came in the form of a quirk of full lips then the flash of ivory teeth. "I'm not the only one who's snuck inside of Fairy Hills before. The closet perverts of the guild do it, too. And, to answer your first question, Evergreen asks me to come over here for guy advice on Elfman."
"Evergreen asks for guy advice?"
"Yeah. All she hangs around is guys. Why wouldn't she ask us for advice on a guy? She gets some advice. I get to spy on the girls. It's a win-win situation."
The sound of a door closing grabs Laxus's ears. He snatches onto Bickslow's shoulders to pull the man into the shadows. "Dude, chill. It was the bathroom door," Bickslow responded. To himself he muttered, "Now, where's that attic access… Ah! There it it! Babies, could you get that ladder?"
He turns to his totems. Another one sheds its shell, and the little poltergeist slips towards the attic stairs. Unfolding them for his master and his master's master, the spirit stays within the stairs. After two pairs of feet ascend the stairs, they fold neatly and quietly behind Bickslow.
"Now then… there should be a spot to... Hello! Oi, Laxus, you wanted to see Neomi. Why don't you come over here and see her?" Bickslow snickers. His lips turn into a lecherous grin.
Curious, Laxus walks over to where his friend is laying on his front. Soon enough, Laxus sees just what Bix is beaming at, and honestly, Laxus can understand why.
"I swear to god Bix if you're choking the chicken I'll skin you" The blonde glares.
"What commandment is it in the Guy Code about wanking? Uh… Lemme see. Ah, yeah! Commandment Four. A straight dude shall not wank while in the presence of another straight dude." Bickslow just turns to look down from the peephole. "Ya know, Neomi does have quite the rocking bod."
"Show me" The man says.
Scooting over, Bickslow points Neomi out in the group. Steam runs up her face in the massive, rectangular bath. Foam from the soap shields most of everything from view, but Laxus and Bix get a clean view of large, ample breasts curving to a slender throat. Laxus's grey eyes couldn't help but follow a particularly lucky stream of hairwash as it slips across full, rose pink lips, down the slender column of Neomi's throat, and finally disappearing against the curve of a full breast.
"Damn, baby got back" Bix says as he examines the curvature of Neomi's rear end when she reaches over to grab a washcloth from the edge of the pool.
"Squats," Laxus says simply. "Every woman needs to do squats to get an ass like that." He looks from slim ankles then runs from toned calves, taut thighs, and ends right when foam hides her hips from sight.
"Erza's got quite a figure. Cana too, no wonder you wanted her to strip" Bix snickers.
"I'm a guy. I know what I like." Laxus flops onto his front to look towards Bickslow. "How long do you think this is going to take. Don't get me wrong. I love a naked woman as much as the next guy, but you kind of ruin the moment."
"Anyway, back to your schoolboy crush, what interests you about Neomi?" The Seith Mage asks.
Blonde brows furrow. "Nothing. She's with Trevet, and I need to know why Trevet came to Magnolia. I know that he wants to join the guild, but that can't be it. Something's going to go down. He knows it. Every time he shows up, it's not just for a social visit. Something always happens. I'm hoping to get that information out of his playmate." He looks back to Neomi as if he just can't help it.
Her hands ran through her auburn mane, and when she finished soaping it up, she let loose a guffaw of laughter when Cana made a boob joke. She wasn't like most girls in Fairy Tail. Unexpected groping was usually met with slapping hands and hissing. Neomi just let it happen. Strange girl. Was she gay?
"She should let me touch her like that" Bix grins perversely.
"Sometimes your perversion even gets on my nerves," Laxus mentions. "Then again, in the midst of all these women, you're staring at Neomi the most. If anyone has a schoolboy crush, it looks like it would be you."
If Bickslow was blushing, Laxus wasn't able to tell. His high collar hid his throat, and that was where his flush always started. Still, it didn't look like he was comfortable with Laxus's accusation.
"New meat. I like new, shiny things, too."
Water sloshs around beneath them, and two pairs of male eyes turn to the girls. Toned arms pull Neomi out from the froth hiding her body. The guys get the eyeful of the century as curves galore are displayed in front of them. When her body is sheathed in a fluffy bathrobe, and her hair is wrapped in a towel hat, Bickslow lets out a low hiss of a complaint.
"Must be going to her room," Laxus mentions. "Do you know the way there?"
"Yeah, follow me" The Seith Mage says, leading his blonde friend down another tunnel.
Laxus quietly follows. The two of them hardly make any sound as they shuffle on hands and knees through the various joists and beams that make up the attic structure of Fairy Hills. When Bickslow makes two knocks down on the ceiling beneath them, Laxus nearly rams headlong into his abruptly stopped body.
"Oi! I know my ass is to die for but back off. I'm waiting for the right girl," Bickslow taunts. He leans his head down before hissing, "Is this the right one, babies?"
"Right one!" a totem cries.
"Neomi's room!" another chants.
"Alright," Bickslow responds. He palms the ceiling before finding something Laxus can't see. After a moment of fuddling around, he howls, "Shit!" Before Laxus can ask what went wrong, he and Bickslow both go tumbling into a downwards spiral towards Neomi herself.
"FUCK!" The blonde yells and hits against something…..soft. Placing his hands down and pushing himself up against the soft object, he finds that he has landed on the curvy redhead known as Neomi Sumer.
The shrill scream coming from Neomi's lips was hastily sealed by Bickslow's hand. "Shut up! I'm too conceited to die, and if you keep that up, Erza's going to take my head!" he hisses. Glancing down at the placement of Laxus's hand against Neomi's bare breast, he grumbles, "Why does Laxus get all the good stuff?"
A hand cracks hard against his skin as naked Neomi rears back to thrust her foot into Laxus's gut. The lightning mage is slammed flat to the bedroom wall, but Neomi doesn't stop there. Bickslow quickly joins his master. Two forearms jam into both of their throats as she snarls, "The fuck are you doing in my room?"
"I-It was an accident I swear!" Bix squeals, fearful for his life.
"Not buying it, Bickslow!" she barks. Her lips part for her to say more, but the sound of footsteps rushing down the hallway stop her. Nabbing Bickslow by his collar, she throws him into an empty closet. "Keep in the closet until I'm ready to hear your coming out story and you!" Her auburn hair flies around when she jabs a finger at Laxus. "Under the bed!" He moved to protest. "Now before I seal you in the same portal I put that wyvern in!"
A hasty "Yes, ma'am" flew from his lips, and in seconds Laxus was rolling under the most sissy looking bed he had ever seen.
Peering at her from underneath the bed ruffle, Laxus watched Neomi kick her dresser. He had no clue what she was doing until Erza burst into the bedroom.
"I heard a scream!" Erza cried out, seeing Neomi wincing on the bedroom floor.
She was gripping a nasty red mark she put there from kicking the dresser. "Yeah. Yeah. I hit the dresser unexpectedly. My gun went off, and I jumped to stop it. Wound up blasting myself into the dresser."
"We're up all night to get lucky" Bix whispers in a sing-song voice.
"What was that?" Erza asked, whipping her head towards Neomi's closet.
"Nothing, Erza. I may have left my Sound Pods on. There's no telling what happens when idiots make technology. Press a button to turn something on then it gets possessed to turn right back on," she mentions. Her naked body rises, and she fakes a limp on her leg. "Sorry I scared you. I'm fine now, though. Really. Can I get dressed in private?"
Bickslow, in a perfect imitation of Neomi's voice, says "Dear Audio Diary. I met Erza today. She's so pretty! I've had a crush on her for a while and I wonder if she likes me back"
"You… have a crush on me?" Erza wonders, looking both endeared and embarrassed.
Not missing a beat, Neomi smiles. "Who wouldn't have a crush on you? You're beautiful. Powerful. And, I'm sure that if Bickslow snuck into my bedroom that you would break his spine in twenty different places. Now, then, I really want to put clothes on, Erza. Could you head out?"
Continuing in the Neomi mimicry, Bickslow continues "And I also met the handsome Bickslow, He's so dreamy! I gave him a blowjob, his dick is so long and thick, he's so sexy! I wonder if he'd like to have a threesome with me and Erza?"
A low growl pulls from Neomi's throat, and she glares at her closet. Slight snickers come from under her bed. She looks about ready to blow until she clucks her tongue against the roof of her mouth, Neomi gets the most sly, foxy grin anyone was to ever grace upon his or her face.
"Erza, dear," Neomi purrs, voice getting low and sultry.
"Y-Yes, Neomi?"
"Could you come here?" Neomi bends her finger in an almost seductive way.
"S-S-Sure," Erza steps a few steps closer.
"Closer." Erza comes in further. "Just a little bit more?" She stands so close to Neomi that they're almost touching. A hand presses lightly on Erza's shoulder, and Neomi whispers, "Erza… I have this… big… secret, and I want you to know about it."
"Does this deal with Bickslow?"
Faking a giggle, Neomi laughs nervously. That nervous laughter is enough to raise the brows of Laxus and Bickslow who listen in eagerly. "Y-Yeah… you see, I really, really do find him handsome… I was wondering… if you could tell me if something I have is creepy or not though. I really do want him to like me, but if he finds this weird it may not work out."
"What is it?" Erza whispers, nervous but interested.
"I made a robot of him… It's really, really lifelike. Could I show it to you?"
"S-sure!"
Neomi beams madly as she opens up her closet door. Soon enough, a startled Bickslow comes tumbling out. "See, Erza!"
"Indeed! It's incredibly lifelike! Can I touch it?" she wonders.
"Of course! I knew you wouldn't find this strange." She pushes Bickslow closer.
Curious Erza punches him in the stomach. "Interesting. The robot sounds just like him!"
Using this as a distraction, Laxus silently slips out from under Neomi's bed and sneaks out of the bedroom before pelting it down the hallway and throwing himself out of an open window.
Neomi's lips quirk at the sight of Laxus's abrupt flee, and she turns to her current victim. "You see, Erza, I make automatons. This one is the best yet. I'm hoping that I can turn them out on the market for big money some day. Would you like to test this one out on the battlefield? He has all the Seith Mage features. Go play with him! He's truly amazing. Best model yet."
The Seith Mage wiggles from Neomi's grasp, making a break for the door and leaping out of the same window Laxus used, his babies lifting him into the sky to make his escape.
"Astounding," Erza breaths. Suiting up into her cheetah print Flight Armor, Erza makes haste. "I'm going to start training with it now!"
Waving a bye to her newest ally, Neomi puts her hands on her hips. She struts nude to the door before stopping completely. Evergreen and a green haired girl Neomi had never seen before are standing in awe in the center of the hallway. "Was that…" Evergreen wonders.
"It was," a Freed-like voice responds.
"Hello, Freed and Evergreen," Neomi purrs from behind her wooden door. "Who's next?"
"I-I'm not Freed, I'm Freya, Freed's foreign cousin" The crossdresser squeals.
"There's one way to prove that," Neomi mentions. With perfect grace, she pulls the door hiding her body. Sure enough, this Freya's face goes from pale to beet red in two point three seconds. Oh, yeah. That was Freed Justine alright. No woman would be that freaked out by another female's naked body.
"Y-You see Neomi, Freya's a lesbian so she gets flustered easily by attractive women such as ourselves" Evergreen explains.
"Tsk. Tsk. Evergreen, I would have never suspected you to be such a big, awful liar. You see, my foster dad was a drag queen. If you want me to find out if that is indeed Freed Justine, I suggest you drop your pants, Freya."
"D-Dr-Drop my p-p-pants!"
"Drop 'em," Neomi demanded of the crossdressing mage. "Or I'll take them off for you." Her brow quirked as she dared.
Hastily, Freed turned heel. "I can't do this anymore! I'm so sorry, Laxus!" he howls. Screaming, Freed leaps from the window to join the rest of the runaway Thunder Tribe.
"Will that be all from the Raijinshuu tonight?" Neomi wonders with a grin on her face.
Evergreen gives the confident mage a wide-eyed stare. Woodenly, she nods.
"Good to hear," comes the pur of Neomi's voice. With a gentle push, she closes her bedroom door on one of the most interesting sleepovers Neomi had ever had. "Hopefully, when I wake up, I'll be back in Memphis," she sighs.
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