"So, Miss Levy has an older sister, huh?" Pantherlily mused, smirking at Gajeel's scornful face. The two sat at an outlying table, half hidden in the shadows, as Gajeel nursed his drink. He had spent the rest of the day avoiding all contact with the other guild members, even growling at Juvia after she attempted to check on him. He refused to go home; skulking off would only admit defeat.
"I told you: you're only allowed to sit here if you keep quiet!" he barked at the little Exceed.
He had been grumbling to himself about Levy's sister into his mug. He felt conflicted.
On the one hand, he wanted revenge. She had embarrassed him in front of his guild and put thoughts into head that made him want to retch. The fact that she had so easily wormed her way into his head bothered him to no end. Her magic was disturbing.
On the other hand, he had invested a lot of time and energy into becoming an accepted member of the Fairy Tail guild; retaliation on Levy McGarden's sister would surely set him back, especially with Levy herself. He still couldn't admit it openly to himself but he valued her opinion of him. A little.
As the sky darkened outside the guild, the members got rowdier with each passing round of drinks, and soon the din rose with merriment. Levy and Reya returned to the guild after their afternoon of shopping and bonding, ready for an evening of fun with their friends. Reya made a beeline for the bar and chatted up Mirajane, attempting to instruct her on a drink she'd had on her travels.
Levy found Lucy sitting with Natsu, Gray, Erza, Juvia, and Wendy, as Happy and Charle sat nearby. They saw her approach and smiled heartily.
"How was your afternoon with Reya?" Lucy inquired.
"Wonderful! We found a great new little café on the north end and got some new scarves and she told me about some of the places she visited. I wish I could go with her sometimes- so many beautiful, interesting places in the world!"
"I've always wanted to travel too. It's one of my favorite parts of being in Fairy Tail. Our missions take us to new, exciting locations," Lucy added.
"Is Reya allowed to tell you all of that stuff, Levy? Aren't her "jobs" supposed to be top secret?" Gray asked.
"Well, she can't tell me the specifics of the jobs, but she can tell me where she's been. I don't really ask about the jobs anyway," Levy said ruefully.
"Man, your sister is so awesome!" chirped Natsu as he put his hands behind his head and leaned into his seat beside Lucy. "Was she this tough when you guys were kids?"
Levy smiled gently, remembering their short childhood. It had been a happy one, until their town had been hit by a potent virus, taking their parents from them. Reya was four years older than Levy and had always been protective of her sweet, fragile little sister. She had tried her best to take care of Levy after their parents had passed, but being wise beyond her years, left the timid ten-year-old with Master Makarov.
"Not tough, exactly," Levy said. "Mature, I suppose. She had to grow up fast."
"So sad," said Lucy, although she knew most of her friends had similar childhoods. It was probably why they all had such a close bond, having lost so much so young.
"Yes. But, I do believe Reya has made the best of it," Erza interjected. "And were it not for her sage decision, Levy might not be a member of Fairy Tail today."
They all nodded in agreement and raised their glasses to their short friend. Levy blushed with gladness. Reya was her family, but she really loved her friends, and Fairy Tail was her home. She felt fortunate to have them all together for a little while.
She scanned the guild hall for her sister's distinctive purple crown and winced when she finally found her.
Reya was standing behind the bench Jet and Droy were sitting on and they had not noticed her sneaking up on them.
"Zippy! Leafy! So good to see you guys!" she screeched in their ears, causing the pair to jump a few feet into the air.
"It's been a while, huh boys? And you've filled out nicely since I've been gone," she mocked.
Jet and Droy looked nervously at each other.
"And yet…" she said, suddenly knocking their heads together. "You couldn't manage to protect my sister in my absence!"
A few wizards nearby chuckled at their predicament, knowing for Reya, this was just a little good-natured ribbing.
"We're sorry Reya!" the boys mumbled, rubbing their sore temples.
She leaned over and suspended her ample bosom directly between their widening eyes.
"What am I going to do with you boys?" she asked lightly before slapping them both on the back, hard. Pleased with herself, she whirled around and raised her arms above her head.
"So, who wants to hear about my travels?" Reya shouted at the top of her lungs.
Half the guild scampered over and all settled into the benches surrounding her, eagerly awaiting her welcome stories.
She gulped from a mug, wiped her mouth and began.
"In a bar outside of Joshira, a woman tracked me, begging me to find her husband. She offered me every jewel she had, if only I'd make him suffer. See, he had betrayed her in the worst way…"
The crowd was entranced. Levy sighed as she watched from across the guild. She had heard this story and knew it would be several hours before she would get her sister back. So, she resolved herself to spending the evening with her friends, who were sharing their own stories of her sister.
Natsu was recounting when he had been 12 and Reya made him forget the color of his own hair. For a whole day, every time he spied his own reflection, Natsu would startle and fume over someone dying his hair when he was sleeping.
"I couldn't understand why no one else was as surprised as I was!" he chuckled. "I think I thought I was a natural blonde or something- I wonder how that would look anyway? But she fixed it and it was pretty funny after all!"
And in the farthest, darkest corner of the guild, the Iron Dragon nursed his bruised ego with another drink, his blood-red eyes flitting between the lively McGarden sisters.