Ember arrived at the Magnolia train station right on time. Her scythe on her back, she was prepared to go out and work. Of course, she had no idea what the job consisted of. All she could hope for was that it didn't require her to use much magic. One of the biggest insecurities Ember possessed was that of her magic power. It wasn't a skill she liked to show off like a lot of other wizards. She would much rather settle things without the use of it. When she was traveling, she never used magic on jobs, just normal skills and wits.
She saw Evergreen and Laxus standing near the train door, obviously waiting for her to show up. She hoped she wasn't actually late. She walked over to join them and they smiled at her in greeting. Ember looked nervously at the train.
"Uhm. Do we have to take a train?" She asked with a shy smile.
"Why? Are you scared of trains?" Evergreen laughed.
"Actually, kind of. I always traveled on foot. I'm not a fan of other transport."
"Well too bad. I get motion sickness and I still do it. Buck up kid. Oh, and don't mention the motion sickness to anyone." Laxus replied, and then he got on the train.
Ember sighed. Her first time on a job and she just had to get on a train. How embarrassing. At least she didn't have motion sickness. Evergreen glanced over at her once more and then followed Laxus onto the train. Ember took a deep breath and followed.
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"Oooooh I don't like this…."
Ember sat with her head in between her legs and her eyes closed tight. Her heart was pounding out of her chest and every nerve in her body was twitching. She refused to look up. Anytime she looked out the window and the reality of being on a train hit her she felt like she was going to vomit. Evergreen sat across from her next to Laxus, who might as well have been unconscious. His face was sweating and he could barely open his eyes. Every now and then he would lurch as if he was going to throw up.
"This is ridiculous. The both of you. I mean it's bad enough big bad Laxus has motion sickness. And now we have you over there shaking in your boots like the train is going to crash." Evergreen scowled with a roll of her eyes.
Ember just groaned sadly. This was not a very good first impression. Now Evergreen and Laxus probably thought she was weak and would never invite her on a job again. If she couldn't complete a job with two other wizards, how was she going to do it by herself?
Finally the train stopped and it was time for the three wizards to get off at their destination. Ember and Laxus practically ran off the train, Evergreen nonchalantly following behind and sucking her teeth at them.
Laxus ran off to a patch of grass and bent over, letting out one more lurch and wiping the sweat from his brow. He got over his motion sickness quickly and stood up straight, ready for business. Ember stopped running and sighed happily at the feeling of the ground under her feet. The unmoving solid Earth. She closed her eyes and took in a breath of fresh air. She felt like herself again.
"Did you end up having motion sickness too?" Laxus asked her.
"No. I was just incredibly anxious and uncomfortable. I am totally fine now!" Ember said happily.
Laxus grunted with a nod and started walking deeper into the small town. The girls followed close behind, taking in the smells and sounds. The smell of freshly baked bread reached their noses from a bakery and they 'aahhh'ed dreamily. Children ran around the streets giggling and playing with toy swords and stuffed animals. Some people greeted them with smiles, and others refused to even acknowledge them.
Laxus stopped them in front of a small shop with some fruit in baskets outside the front window. He walked inside and a bell rang when the door opened. At the counter was a friendly looking old woman in an apron. Her blueish gray hair a jumble of curls. When she saw Laxus her smile lit up the entire shop.
"Laxus my boy! Long time no see!" She squealed. The old woman grabbed a cane and hobbled out from behind the counter.
"Mrs. Oli, nice to see you. I saw that you had a job that needed to be done." Laxus said.
"Oh yes yes. You see, there seems to be a thief targeting my store. I do my inventory every night before I leave, and then when I get back I am missing things. Nothing too extreme, no need to destroy things and cause a panic. But I would like you to catch him for me."
"Not a problem. Me and these lovely ladies will catch your theif."
"Oh thank you thank you. Such a sweetheart you are."
"Sweetheart eh? Yeah, right." Evergreen laughed as they left the shop.
A thief. Maybe this job would be easy after all, Ember thought. Maybe she wouldn't even have to use her magic. Even better. She was now in high spirits, and she followed Laxus and Evergreen onto the shop buildings rooftop with a bounce in her step.
"We will be camping out here until nightfall. Then we will watch for the thief, and catch him." Laxus instructed.
"Oh great, how eventful. More like boring." Evergreen sighed, along with her signature eyeroll.
"Hey now Evergreen, it shouldn't be too bad!" Ember chirped.
"I would much rather be doing something else!" Evergreen huffed.
"Like what? Hanging out with that oaf of a man, Elfman?" Laxus laughed, a full hearted laugh right from his gut.
"He is a man! One hell of a man!" Evergreen yelled in defense.
Laxus continued to laugh, but Evergreen didn't find it so funny. Ember on the other hand found it quite comical. Evergreens defensive reaction seemed out of character for her, and made her look kind of silly. She assumed that Elfman was Evergreens boyfriend of some sort. Of course Ember knew who Elfman was. He was MiraJanes younger brother, with the magic power of Beast Soul. She saw him perform at the Grand Magic Games. He looked damn manly to her.
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Nightfall took forever to come. It felt as if the sun decided it didn't want to go to sleep, choosing to bask the world in it's wonderful light for all eternity. But that's only because of how absolutely boring sitting on the rooftop was. No time consuming conversation was to be had, everyone just kept to themselves. Ember had fallen asleep at some point, and by the time she woke up it was finally night time. The moon hung in a crescent up in the satin sky, the stars speckled about like glitter. There was a slight cool breeze in the air, and it caused Embers skin to erupt in goosebumps every time it made an appearance.
Laxus kneeled at the edge of the roof, looking down at the entrance to the shop while still being hidden. He scanned the street with his eyes, but he couldn't hear anything down on the silent street. This was because of the music blaring in his headphones. Evergreen hummed and inspected her fingernails in the corner. Every once in a while shaking her fan out to full size and then closing it again. Ember just sat in silence, tapping her foot.
Laxus suddenly tensed up and appeared more alert. This caused Evergreen and Ember to sit up straight and pay more attention. They creeped across the roof to kneel next to Laxus. Down on the street they could see a shadowy figure slowly making it's way closer to the front of the store.
"We make no moves until we know for sure if it's the thief." Laxus whispered. The girls nodded.
As the figure got closer and closer, the wizards got battle ready. Then the figure stopped moving. All Ember could hear was her own heart beating and the blood rushing through her veins. The silence was uncomfortable. The tension finally broke when the figure began moving again, and they walked right up to the entrance of the store. Yes, this indeed had to be the thief.
"Ok Ever, this is all you." Laxus smiled.
Evergreen stood up and in the blink of an eye jumped off the roof. As she jumped a firing squad of what looked like falling stars rained down onto the street. They exploded as they hit the ground. Ember didn't have a chance to see if Evergreen had safely landed in all the chaos. Laxus jumped off the roof after the explosions stopped and Ember followed, grabbing her scythe from it's holster at her back and landing safely on the ground.
The three wizards stood around the shadowed figure as the dust from Evergreens explosions started to settle. All three were ready to take action if necessary. But as the dust cleared it became more and more obvious that there was nothing more that needed to be done.
Kneeling on the ground, crying and shaking, was a young boy around the age of 12. His clothes were in tatters and tears streamed down his dirty face, leaving a clean mark as a trail. His hair was greasy and hung in front of his eyes. He didn't look up. He didn't say anything.
"Man. I didn't expect this." Laxus grumbled and crossed his arms.
"No. I feel bad hitting him now." Evergreen shrugged.
"Hey kid. Listen. You won't get in trouble, just don't steal from this store anymore. Got it? If we have to come back, we won't be so nice next time." he said.
The boy nodded furiously, but still did not look up. Laxus made a disapproving sound and then began to walk off towards the train station. Evergreen and Ember followed.
"So what now?" Ember asked.
"We go home." Laxus answered.
"Yup. Just go home. No pay or anything. This was a bust." Evergreen sighed.
"Yeah, that sometimes happens. Better luck next time." Laxus said.
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Natsu, Lucy, and Happy walked into the Guild Hall stretching their arms above their heads. They had just come back from a job, and their pockets were filled with jewels. Lucy smiled, knowing that she was getting closer and closer to making her rent that month. Happy and Natsu rushed over to Mira, food being the only thing on their mind. Lucy spotted Levy sitting with Lisanna and Juvia and walked over to join them.
"Hey!" Lucy chirped, sitting down next to Lisanna.
"Hey Lucy." The girls all said in unison.
Levy was once again, reading some sort of book. Lucy figured it must be something important since Juvia and Lisanna were sitting by silently, as if waiting for her to say something. Lucy sat there, looking between all three girls. She furrowed her eyebrows and tapped her fingers on the table.
"Sooooo…" she cooed.
"We are waiting for Levy to find something." Lisanna whispered.
"Juvia is very curious. Have you seen Gray?" Juvia said in that weird third person speech she always did.
"No I haven't seen Gray today. I think he is out with Erza, the group split up today since most of the jobs are smaller and not as much money. We each make more if we split up the team. And what exactly is Levy looking for?"
Juvia sighed and looked down at the table. When Gray wasn't around she always seemed to be gloomy. At least it didn't rain around her all the time anymore. Lisanna moved closer to Lucy and leaned close. Lucy backed off a little bit, not understanding the closeness.
"She's looking to see if she can find any information on that new girl" Lisanna whispered.
"Why do you keep whispering? And why are you still looking for information on this girl?!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Because. If Natsu and Gajeel think there is something not right about her, then they are probably right." Lisanna shrugged.
"I don't think so. I think we should at least give her a chance. Maybe ask her ourselves. I'm sure she will tell us something. I don't think we have anything to worry about. You are giving Natsu and Gajeel too much credit. They are just silly animals." Lucy giggled.
"Animals sense things other people can't. That's why I believe they may be right." Lisanna said in a low voice.
Lucy sighed and nodded. Lisanna did have the magic of Animal Soul. Maybe she understood the dragon slayers a little better on a natural animalistic level. But Lucy still thought that the girls were taking it a bit too far. And that of course Gajeel and Natsu were overdoing it. That was typical of them. And of course Levy would follow anything Gajeel said. Just like Lisanna would follow anything Natsu said. Lucy rested her head on the table and closed her eyes. Maybe Levy would find something eventually.
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Ember, Evergreen, and Laxus arrived back in Magnolia really late, and they were all really tired. The train had not been running so they had to travel on foot. It wasn't a long trip, but after waiting around all day their energy was low to begin with. After the adrenaline from thinking they caught a thief had left their systems, they all started to crash and get droopy eyed.
Laxus didn't even say goodnight, he just made his way home. Evergreen patted Ember on the shoulder and grunted what she assumed was supposed to be "goodnight" and then disappeared into the distance. Ember stood there for a few moments. She for some reason had totally forgot that she didn't have anywhere to go to sleep. She hadn't made any money yet so she couldn't rent a place. And she wasn't close enough to anyone to ask them if she could sleep over for a little while. She probably wouldn't ask that anyways, but it would have been comforting to have the option.
She sighed and turned around, walking slowly and dragging her feet. She was headed towards the woods right outside Magnolia. That's where she would sleep. She always felt comfortable in the woods, and safe. Amongst the trees and birds is where she had slept many times in her travels. Besides, it wasn't very cold out, so sleeping out under a tree with the light of the moon overhead wouldn't be so bad.
Ember picked out a nice shady tree so that the bright morning sun wouldn't burn her skin while she slept. She leaned against the tree and looked around. She could hear the crickets singing their songs. The lights of lightning bugs lit up and died out all over the place, making the woods look like the night sky. The grass was already a little damp with dew, but it wasn't enough to bother her. She grabbed her scythe off her back and held it out in front of her parallel to the ground.
"Come out Nunu." She whispered.
The scythe lit itself up in a frenzy of dancing orange and gold flames. Within seconds it was no longer a scythe. Instead, standing in front of Ember was a large wolf looking creature with fur the color of storm clouds. Black spots blended together on it's paws and tail, a few freckling it's snout. Horns like those of a ram stuck out of the top of the wolf-like beasts head next to it's ears. It's tail wagged. It's tongue lolled out of it's mouth, and it licked Embers face.
"Nunu, no licking." She giggled.
The wolf-like beast was actually a hell hound. Hell hounds were not found just anywhere, in fact they were rare. Ember was given Nunu as a young child, so she grew up with him. No one knew of his existence except for herself. Everyone just thought her scythe was just a run of the mill death scythe. No one would ever guess it turned into a hell hound.
Nunu rubbed up against Ember, his fur instantly warming her and shielding her from the breeze. She buried her face into his fur and curled herself up against his immense size. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.
Ember woke up because the sun was shining too brightly into her eyes. She rubbed her knuckles into them, causing her to see spots upon opening. Nunu perked up his head and started panting, his tongue hanging out his mouth and making it look like he was smiling. Ember smiled and pet his cheeks, pulling on the fur affectionately as she cooed at him. He let out a deep bark and jumped up.
"I'm sorry buddy, but you know the deal." Ember pouted at her four legged friend.
Nunu sat down on his haunches and let out a low growl. Ember held out her hand and in a burst of flames Nunu turned from hell hound to scythe, and was back in Ember's grip. She let out a sigh and strapped the scythe to her back. It was hard for her to have to hide her longest and closest friend all the time. But she knew that his appearance would not be easy for just anyone to accept, let alone for her to explain.
She got up off the ground and brushed herself off. She began to make her way to the Guild Hall, hoping that there would be some sort of job opportunity today. She didn't want to sleep out in the woods forever.
As soon as she walked into the Guild Hall, Cana was calling her name and waving her over. Not many people were present yet, because it was still kind of early in the morning. But regardless, Cana already had a drink in her hand. And Mira looked bright eyed and bushy tailed.
"Drinking already Cana? It's pretty early." Ember smiled.
"Oooooh so you're getting ballsy with what you say now huh? Did Ever rub off on you?" Cana laughed.
"No no. I am just playing around."
"I know. Sit. Join me. Tell me how yesterday went."
Ember sat at the stool next to Cana and started telling her about the job she went on with Evergreen and Laxus the day before. Mira came over to join them and listen to the story. They laughed when Ember told them about the train, but she didn't mention Laxus's motion sickness. They were laughing at her fear. Ember didn't get offended by this, because she knew how silly it really was. They didn't laugh at the fact that the thief turned out to be a poor child who just needed food that he couldn't buy himself. She could see the sympathy in their eyes, and it made her feel good to know that she had caring people to talk to. She liked the Thunder Legion, they had been good to her, but they weren't exactly sensitive to the foils of others. She also did not tell them that she spent the night in the woods.
"It always sucks when a job doesn't get to be completed properly and you can't take the reward." Cana sighed.
"Yeah. But I think it's a great thing that our wizards won't take the reward when things like this happen. It's noble. Other guilds probably would take the money without hesitation. But this is Fairy Tail!" Mira smiled.
"I actually admire that Laxus didn't claim the reward. He seems so hard, but I think deep down he has a good heart." Ember smiled.
Cana and Mira both nodded and smiled back. Ember asked Mira if she could get a mug of water, and Mira got it for her hastily. The girls sat around and chatted for what seemed like forever when a soft and sweet voice came from behind them.
They turned around and standing there was a young girl with royal blue pigtails that almost reached the floor. It was the sky dragon slayer Wendy, and next to her stood her white exceed Carla. The tiny cat looked up at Cana, Mira, and Ember as if they were buildings towering above her.
"Hi Wendy! Good morning!" Mira chirped.
"Good morning MiraJane, Cana. I came over because I wanted to introduce myself to Ember!" Wendy smiled.
"Really?" Ember was shocked. After how Natsu and Gajeel treated her, she expected the same of Wendy. But here she was, smiling with rosy cheeks and holding out her tiny hand.
Cana and Mira smiled brightly like proud parents. They nodded at Ember as if to say it was okay to shake Wendy's hand. Ember reached out and grabbed it, shaking it gently. She couldn't help herself from smiling like a goon. One of the dragon slayers actually wanted to talk to her! She didn't count Laxus because he wasn't raised by a dragon, he just had a lacryma placed inside him. She was ecstatic. She finally had someone to talk to about dragons that wouldn't think she was weird.
"I'm so glad to meet you Wendy!" Ember exclaimed.
"Same here! I find you very interesting!" the little girl squeaked.
"Really? I kind of expected you to feel the same way as Natsu and Gajeel. They don't seem to like me very much. Something about my scent."
"I like the way you smell. It reminds me of being in the forest with Grandine, the dragon that raised me."
"Aw that's so sweet. You will have to tell me about your dragon sometime!"
"Absolutely!"
"Sorry to interupt, but Wendy, we need to go look at the job bored." Carla interjected.
"Yes Carla! Of course! Nice meeting you Ember! See you later Cana and Mira!"
And with that Wendy trotted off with Carla to go find a job. Ember turned around on her seat and looked at Cana and Mira, both of which were still smiling. They held up their hands for a high five. Ember laughed and high fived the both of them. Finally someone else was warming up to her. If every day progressed in this fashion, Ember thought that soon she would finally be accepted by this guild as one of their own.
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Natsu and Happy walked into the Guild Hall with Lucy close behind them. They were all wide awake and ready for the day. But first, Natsu and Happy wanted breakfast.
"Miraaa! Can we get some breakfast!" Natsu called over to the bar.
"Of course guys!" Mira called back.
Natsu noticed Ember sitting at the bar with Cana. He glared at her and let out a huff. Happy copied him, even though he had no reason to feel the same. He just generally followed what Natsu did. As his best friend of course!
Lucy came to stand next to Natsu and followed his heated look to the bar, seeing that he was glaring at Ember. She sighed heavily and then looked at Natsu with an even dirtier look.
"Seriously Natsu? Still? There has yet to be any evidence for your stupid negative feelings!" Lucy said through gritted teeth.
"I don't care." Natsu said, simply.
He turned and walked over to a table, sitting down with a plop. He stared out in front of him as if in deep thought, but Lucy couldn't even begin to think of what he could be thinking about. Deep thought wasn't something Natsu very often participated in. Most of the times when he was in deep thought, he would end up snapped out of it with a really idiotic idea. So Lucy sat down across from him and thought nothing of it.
"Did you see Gray or Erza on your way here?" He asked her.
"No. Why?"
"I want to go out on a job today. A big one. All of us as a team."
"That would be wonderful!I'll go look at the board while you wait for your food!"
Lucy got up and went over to the board, Natsu watching her as she went. He noticed that Wendy and Carla were over there too, and he thought maybe they could go on the job as well. The more the merrier. He let out a sigh and drummed his fists on the table. His stomach growled loudly. Then so did Happy's. Natsu looked over at the blue cat and smiled a big pointy toothed grin. Happy laughed.
"Is Natsu here yet?"
Natsu turned his attention to the voice that spoke his name and saw Makarov at the bar with Cana and Ember. He sneered. Why was he asking her if he was here? He was never around her, not by choice. He saw her nod over in his direction and Makarov looked over at him and smiled. He smiled back. Makarov turned back to Ember and said something, and a look of confusion appeared on her face. Then they were both walking towards him, Ember walking slowly behind Makarov as if she didn't want to startle Natsu. He refused to look at her.
"Good morning Natsu." Makarov said cheerfully.
"What's up Gramps?" Natsu asked.
"Well heres the thing. There's this job, and I need you to do it."
"Sure thing gramps. I was just telling Lucy how I wanted us to all go on a team mission."
"Uhm, well, thing is Natsu…...you will be doing the job with Ember."
"WHAT?" Both Natsu and Ember screeched in unison.
Ember looked at Makarov and Natsu in horror, her eyes going back and forth between the both of them. Natsu looked at the Master so angrily that fire was coming off of his fists. Happy cowered on the table, and everyone else present in the guild hall was now looking in their direction.
"What are you getting on about here gramps?" Natsu snarled.
"I….I….don't think this is a good idea." Ember laughed nervously.
"I don't care what either of you kids think. It's the job. Just do it." Makarov laughed.
"No WAY. I am NOT working with her!" Natsu snarled even more.
"Yeah, hey, yeah. I can't work with someone who hates me so much for no reason." Ember sighed.
Makarov looked at both of the wizards and then began to grow in size. His eyes glowed with the light of the sun and his muscles began to bulge. Ember stumbled back and clasped her hands at her chest right above her heart. Her eyes bugged out of her head. Natsu's fire instantly went out and he sat his ass on the bench and just looked at Makarov wide eyed.
"YOU WILL DO IT BECAUSE YOUR MASTER SAYS SO! GOT IT?" his voice boomed throughout the entire guild hall.
Natsu gulped and nodded submissively. Happy nodding as well. When Makarov turned to Ember she nodded her head quickly, her mouth still hanging open in shock. Makarov shrunk back down to size and smiled.
"All right then. Good luck children!"
With that he walked back to the bar and ordered a drink. Everyone went back to their own business, but Natsu and Ember still stood stiff in their positions. They looked at each other, making extended eye contact for the first time. Ember's heart sank in her chest. Natsu's stomach rolled over. They didn't break their stare. But they both wondered, why would Makarov possibly think it was a good idea to have them go out on a job together? They both worried how bad the outcome would be. They both worried that someone might get hurt.