Chapter 12
Taking Steps...
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, only my own OC's, Energy Magic, and Ideas
.:+:.
Frea bit down on the inside of her cheek hard, her eyes narrowed to slits as she shot a slightly cross look down at the floor, sighing in agitation under her breath.
"... Frea?"
Moon's voice brought her attention back all the way, away from the memories, away from the sudden flash of anger- all of it. The infirmary fell back into focus and what she had previously been doing as well. Her head moved, glancing upward as her eyes found Moon- who was floating in front of her, looking a little worried and questioning at what silence had fallen over the Energy Dragon Slayer for those few long minutes out of near nowhere.
Frea bit the inside of her cheek, realizing instantly that she had wandered off into her own head without meaning to do so. There was a rush of all the things that she, Jynx and Chase had talked over- a whole mess of things and impossibilities and nonsense that she was trying so hard to wrap her head around and believe-
Everything was so damned complicated and she hated it the more she thought about it. And to add atop it? Jynx was just as confused and unsure as she was- and that went doubly for Chase.
And he tried so hard to just... Understand. And he was having such a hard time with it all. But he was doing his best,
And she could tell he was a bit overwhelmed anyway, not that he would let it show outwardly- but she knew.
Stop... Just stop
She let out a small breath, shooting Moon an apologetic smile.
"... Sorry, Moon. I got distracted... I was a little lost in thought, heh... " Frea smiled lightly, Moon blinked, her head tilting slightly.
"... Is something bothering you, Frea?" Moon asked softly, "... Are you... Sure you're ready for this? We aren't going too fast?" She felt the concern prickle from Moon like electricity dancing off her skin.
"We can wait another day, if you think you need it, Frea." Wendy's soft voice sounded next, the bluenette not far from her and hands hooked behind her back.
"No, no... I'm ok." Frea smiled in reassurance. "I'm sorry for daydreaming, but I really am fine. Promise." She smiled a little more, if a bit sheepishly in the next minute.
"Besides, if I stay in this bed any longer I am going to lose my sanity." She chuckled,
Another four days of spinning through those questions and sitting in that bed had gone by since she had told Chase so much of it. It was filled to the brim with people filtering in and out, days spent talking with the Guild, telling them what they had finally started asking, assuring then (countless, countless times) that she was ok and that they needed to worry less.
She did her best to answer their questions, without letting herself get too worked up, or let them know the things they probably shouldn't ever come to know... Or at least, the things she wasn't looking to share, anyway.
But by now she had exhausted near all topics about Mordren and All Magic with everyone. Which doing so left her time to ask questions, though there was little she needed to ask- the biggest topic remained the one that was worrying her, as well as aggravating her.
The Magic Council was just as uneasy as she was sitting so long in that damn bed.
Chase, though he had seemed a little reluctant to talk about it at the time- had relayed to her what had been going on with the Council. Apparently Aisha had been working with Levy and the Guild Masters for the last two weeks (all of them- Lamia, Mermaid, Pegasus, Quatro, Saber, and Fairy Tail in all) to scrape together what information they could to try and settle the Council at least a little. And apparently, it was doing little good- maybe unsurprisingly.
Members from every Guild including their Masters had been snatched away and questioned, relentlessly. There were threats of imprisonment, threats to charge them with some crime or other- Aisha had apparently been doing her best to juggle the political side of it, and managed to keep people from being thrown behind bars (not that it helped any, the Council was still persistent as hell. And as it was, Frea wasn't sure they had any real leverage for arresting anyone).
But mostly?
They were demanding for her. And they wouldn't stop until they got what they wanted... And the thought of facing them still made her heart drop.
She could feel the tenseness in everyone else, in how little they liked the idea of letting her out of the Guild, let alone to butt heads with the Magic Council. They avoided talking about it wherever they could, growled under their breaths at the thought of it and shot her looks filled with worry and concern when they imagined her being escorted away- and maybe never coming back. The way pain and fear shot off of them like sparks of electricity when they remembered how wounded she was, and what it would do to her and her health to get sent off to Era.
She was by no means healed, moving hurt, breathing hurt- everything hurt, still. She had ceased coughing everytime she raised her voice even slightly, but she couldn't breathe any easier for it. At the very least now she could move, even if it did hurt if she did so too much.
Even with the pain- the worst thing had to have been how much her head ached now, and never ceased doing so.
Her senses had heightened enough she could keep track of a single Energy signature all the way on the other side of Magnolia without hardly trying. Useful, maybe... But with the heightened senses, the things she felt were so powerful, and so vibrant. An Energy Signature that had felt like a small candlelight, was now something like a burning, wild fire. Everything was bursting, bustling- all Energy, all people, all emotions- all of it battering her on all sides and at all times. It was a great, huge flow- an ocean- of so much energy and feeling and it was overwhelming. She tried to shut it out and couldn't.
The headache got worse, it never went away- and when it was really bad?
Her vision swam and everything around her became muddied color, the hue of Energy in all kinds and colors bleeding into the waking world and before her very eyes until she could hardly see anything outside the swirl of jumbled together pigmentation.
Everything had been heightened to something ten-times or maybe even more, and try as she might to get used to it- it was proving almost an impossible hope.
And today was no different, though so far it hadn't gotten to the point of seeing bleeding color. She was thankful for that, she had to stay focused and ready-
"That simply makes us think you're more interested in relieving your boredom, than keeping your health in mind." Carla pointed out calmly, from where she was floating near Wendy's shoulder.
Frea's thoughts snapped back to the present as she bit the inside of her cheek at the comment, sweatdropping slightly.
"You do not have the best track record of being careful, girl." Porlyuscia muttered dryly, Frea's shoulders sagged slightly.
"... look, I get you guys are worried." Frea mumbled,
Oh yes, she knew it so well... and though she never said so aloud, she was quickly getting tired of people asking her if she 'was alright?' and 'sure?' all the damned time. She forced herself a small, silent breath to keep her agitation to a minimum at the thought.
"... but I've been taking it slow the entire time. I wouldn't say I was ready, if I wasn't- I don't want to make things worse for any reason. But I'm ok to do this." She murmured, they blinked, sweatdropping slightly. "Trust me, alright?"
"... alright, Frea." Moon murmured carefully, her pale blue eyes glinting. Her wings flapped softly as she moved toward Frea's side a little, "... I know you've been being careful, so I do trust you... just go slow, ok? If not for your sake, but for mine?" Moon mumbled, Frea smiled slightly.
"You got it." The Energy Dragon Slayer replied softly, her silver gaze moving from her Exceed Partner and toward Wendy, who smiled gently and extended a hand.
Frea held her breath without meaning to, her hand moving forward to take hold of Wendy's, before her eyes fell to the floor.
She was sitting up, her legs dangling over the edge of the bed and her hands linked together in her lap. It had been painful to move to that position at first, but now that she was there it was not so bad- her heartrate picked up a little though, her hand locked with Wendy's now as she slowly started to inch her feet toward the floor and off the bed.
It had been over a month since she had been out of that room, and that long since Mordren and her battle against him... For that long she had hardly sat up on her own, let alone thought of standing. Her body ache at the thought of it, her leg most of all- that gaping hole that Mordren's Magic had torn through her right thigh was still raw, despite Healing Magic and all Porlyusica's skill.
The floor was cold against her bare feet, she felt a shiver run up her spine at the feeling but she didn't react outwardly to it.
There a sharp, jolting flash of pain that raced up from her leg and swept through the rest of her body as she pushed her weight off the bed and onto her feet. Her legs shook, the both of them, while the right threatened to give out near immediately- she shifted her weight to the left a bit, her heart pounding in her ears and biting down on her tongue when her stomach seared in pain next. Her head hurt a little more now, a little more lightheaded as she kept hold of Wendy's hand, she felt Moon's paw brush her upper arm softly though she didn't look her way.
The hand not held on Wendy's moved to hold her stomach gingerly, her fingers gripping about the fabric of the loose pale grey tank top she had changed into that morning. Frea bit down on the inside of her cheek, coming to a halt and forcing herself to breathe again, and wishing her body would stop shaking like it was.
Wendy inched closer a little, her other hand extending toward the Energy Dragon Slayer in worry when she saw the way Frea's eyes shut, saw her shaking and looking a little dazed. Moon looked just as tense as she felt, as did Carla, and Granny- all of them watching Frea carefully.
"... Are you alright...?" Wendy asked, her, her eyes trailing from Frea's face to the rest of her body- watching intently, just in case the Energy Dragon Slayer started to sway. She noted immediately the fact Frea had shifted her weight as not to put pressure on her right leg, though she wasn't surprised. She was however, entirely surprised at the fact that Frea- though she still kept hold of Wendy's hand- wasn't actually using the smaller Dragon Slayer for support in holding her up, Frea was standing and relatively steadily all on her own.
Not for the first time, Wendy found herself both shocked, and amazed at how resilient and strong Frea could be- even after all that awful, very, very bad that happened.
Frea took in a long, slow, level breath, swallowing a little, the initial pain wearing off to a steady, throbbing ache that she could live with. After all, at this point- pain was a reality she was going to be living with for the rest of her life.
Wendy blinked, her eyes flashing in surprise when she saw the shakiness in Frea's person fade to near nonexistence- she was still wobbly, but not enough to notice unless you were really looking for it. She saw Frea's grip on her shirt release a little as her shoulders seemed to sag out of the rigidness they had adopted,
Frea's eyes opened again, a small, nervous smile on her lips.
"... Well, I say that went better than I expected... Heh..." She breathed, earning small, slightly tense smiles from both Exceeds and Wendy alike. "... I am actually alright, though," she sweatdropped, wincing slightly.
"... But... I don't think my leg is gonna hold up my weight for a little yet... Ow..." She winced again, just a little.
"... I'm... Actually really impressed, Frea." Moon smiled gently, "... You never cease to amaze me."
"Agreed." Carla murmured, her eyes soft.
"I've by now learned to expect the impossible from you, girl." Porlyusica mumbled gruffly, looking only slightly disgruntled as she stepped closer, in her hands holding a pair of crutches. "Here, before you fall over. I want you putting as little weight on that leg as you can." Frea blinked, before nodding.
Her hand left Wendy's as she took hold of the crutches, settling them under her arms with a small sigh as she let herself sink into leaning on them. Her shoulders ached a little at it, she heard them crack once or twice that came with some sort of unpleasant, yet pleasant feeling.
She smiled, casting Porlyusica a grateful smile- the Old Lady only huffed at it.
Frea couldn't remember the last time she'd been in a situation where she had had to use crutches. Usually, even when she did get hurt she could walk alright...
... it was a long while ago, I broke my ankle... but that was before... Fairy.. Tail...
Her eyes flashed slightly, she quickly banished the memory before it could take over.
"... you seem relatively steady..." Porlyusica grumbled under her breath, her red eyes scanning over Frea with the utmost attention- careful to watch for any sign of tiredness, or excessive pain or weakness- it was a relief the Old Lady couldn't see how lightheaded Frea felt in the next instant, she shook the sensation off, her vision blurred for only half a second before it was gone again.
"... does that mean I have your permission to leave the room?" Frea asked slowly, giving the Old Lady a small, slightly hopeful smile. Wendy, Moon and Carla alike smiled in slight exasperation and amusement, though Frea didn't notice.
Porlyusica let out a long sigh, her eyes falling closed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head to herself a little as she grumbled a few things under her breath that were so low not even Frea could make out what they were meant to be.
"... only for a short while." The Old Lady grumbled at last, Frea felt her heart jump a little in relief. "... you've recovered enough I don't think a short excursion will harm you, but don't go wandering off, or go too fast. If you start feeling dizzy, or your pain gets worse than it is now- you need to get back in bed, even if I have to force you." She grumbled, pointing a finger at the Energy Dragon Slayer in the utmost sternness. "I will be keeping my eye on you girl, don't think you can fool me." Frea chucked a little under her breath,
"Wouldn't dream of it, Granny."
"Alright, but please take it slow, ok Frea?" Wendy smiled brightly, stepping to the side a little to place herself at Frea's shoulder. She tapped her fingers together a little nervously, "I'll try to catch you if you stumble, though I'm not sure how much good it'll do..."
"I won't fall, promise." Frea gave the bluenette a reassuring smile, her hand falling on top of hear head gently. "Though I appreciate the thought, Wendy." Wendy blushed slightly, nodding a little.
Frea felt air wash up against her shoulder as Moon floated near her ear, smiling.
"I can catch you, if you need it." She smiled, laughing a little as Frea chuckled too. "After all, I can carry you pretty easily, so it shouldn't be too hard."
"I'm not planning on falling." Frea repeated, Moon shrugged, smirking slightly as she lightly flicked the tip of her tail across Frea's shoulder.
"Just saying." She purred, Frea smiled slightly. She could tell all of them were uneasy still, but the fact that Moon was trying to make it a little more lighthearted was nice.
Frea took in a silent breath, her eyes falling toward the floor as she bit the inside of her cheek- and started forward.
It hurt, unsurprisingly- her legs shook a little more, and her arms too as she kept hold and balance on the crutches. Wendy and Moon stayed close on either side of her, their eyes fixed and looking tense as Frea kept her attention on moving and not tripping- nor wincing aloud if she could help it, and it was hard not to.
After a few slightly shaky steps, the initial unsteadiness faded, her heart beating a little faster at the exertion she hadn't experienced in way too long- a bout of lightheadedness hit her again, though less powerful than just a few minutes before.
It felt odd to be up and walking, almost like she had forgotten how to- and her body had as well. Her breathing sped up a little, though only just- there was... warmth, moving through her core and her legs as she kept moving, her strength coming back a little bit.
She reached the door with little issue, Porlyusica ahead of her as the Old Lady moved into the hallway and pulled the door open so the Energy Dragon Slayer could come through behind her.
Frea bit the inside of her cheek to keep from hissing, her stomach flashing bright in pain- she swore she felt the stitches pull uncomfortably under the bandages, and sorely hoped none of them had ripped- that would be an unpleasant end to what little moving around she had been allowed. She sighed under her breath, moving through the doorway and careful not to move in anyway that ended hurting like that again-
Frea's nose twitched, her eyes glittering as she breathed in a little deeper- the hallway smelled drastically different compared to the Infirmary room itself... less stuffy, less like herbs and bandages and medicine.
She paused, her eyes trailing up the hallway as Moon, Wendy and Carla moved through the doorway behind her. Her eyes scanned the end of the corridor, her ears catching sound of people talking softly and chairs being put down- it was early morning, the Guild was only just getting started... Mira, Master, Lisanna, Lucy, Happy, Natsu and Reedus were the only Energy Signatures in the Guild Hall yet- though she could tell several other people were working their way through Magnolia's streets toward the hall.
"... I forgot to ask, Wendy." Frea murmured, earning a blink of surprise from the bluenette. Frea's eyes moved from watching the end of the hallway toward her, "... Sherria went back to Lamia, huh?" She asked, Wendy looked surprised.
"Yes, she went home last night... how did you know?" Wendy asked, Frea sweatdropped slightly.
"... I don't sense her Energy Signature in Magnolia anymore, so I figured she headed back home." Frea replied, shrugging. She couldn't find Jura nor Lyon's Energy Signatures either, so she figured that Lamia as a whole had packed up and headed out.
Moon sweatdropped a little at the comment though, while everyone else looked a little... Confused.
Frea had started moving down the hallway before they had chance to question it however, though Carla and Wendy alike shot eachother questioning looks.
'What does she mean, 'sense her in Magnolia'? Can she feel the Energy Signature of anyone in the entire city?'
"Rogue and Sting are still hanging around..." Frea mumbled half to herself, chuckling a little though she was starting to sound a little out of breath trying to talk and walk all at once. "... Though Mermaid's left, and Pegasus and Quatro too..."
... Iki and Uno are still in town, though... Though they're gonna probably leave soon too...
She felt the headache grow a little stronger, the longer she focused on finding specific people- and quickly stopped doing so. She wasn't even sure why she tried- she knew Blue Pegasus and Cerberus had gone, they had said goodbye to her yesterday, along with Lyon, Kagura and Jura- Sherria had been busy though, with Wendy- so the goodbye hadn't come, not that she minded.
... Is that what I'm gonna start doing now? Just wasting time counting Energy Signatures for no reason? Just because they're there? The same way someone would count tiles on the ground as they walk...?
She would really hate for it to become habit, she had enough less than 'good' habits already.
A sharp stab of pain that flashed through her stomach again made her thoughts and attention snap back to what she was doing- her fangs biting down on the inside of her cheek to stifle the wince.
Frea blinked a few times at the brightness of the sunlight filtering in through the large top floor windows all around the walls of the Main Hall, pausing for a second or two at the end of the hallway as she did so. She cast a glance around the floor, smiling softly to see Natsu and Happy chowing down what seemed to be breakfast- probably made by Mira- while Lucy and Lisanna sat with them talking, and paying the boys no mind at all.
Reedus was in his usual corner, humming to himself as he drew his pencil over his sketchbook before him, in his own world and entirely content. Mira was moving about the hall, her finger twirling this way and that as she caused the stacked chairs to move from the tables and back to the floors, singing softly under her breath that same song Frea had heard before, she chuckled under her breath at the sound.
Frea glanced right, her attention catching that of Master where he was sitting on the bar counter crosslegged, mug in hand and his back facing her as he remained near motionless, probably lost in thought- or maybe just enjoying the quiet. It was sure to be shattered soon enough as more people filtered into the Hall.
Frea smiled slightly to herself at the thought, her eyes glittering as she took in a low breath, before moving over in the direction of the bar- the group of Carla, Moon, Wendy and Porlyusica still close beside her.
"Morning, Master." Frea murmured brightly, halting beside the end of the bar and him as she cast him a small smile. He jumped a little at the sound of her voice, his eyes snapping open and head snapping around in her direction in clear shock.
He blinked a few times, looking breathless and unsure of what he was seeing, before a smile spread over his face and his eyes softened.
"Good morning, brat." He replied, nodding his head toward her as she chuckled under her breath at the name. "... how are you feeling?" He asked softly, "... it's good to see you up and about."
Worry sparked from him in the next moment, Frea sweatdropped slightly at it.
"I'm feeling pretty good, actually." She replied brightly, "I'm happy to be moving again, and you don't need to be so worried." He blinked at the words, sweatdropping slightly as her eyes glinted in slight amusement.
"... I will try, to curb my concern." He replied softly, ".. at least a little... only because I know you can feel it, when I worry."
"Much appreciated." Frea smiled in return,
"Hey... ain't that...?"
"Hmmm?"
"Ah!"
"FREA!"
Frea and the group around her both looked around quickly at the sound of her name being shouted so loudly out of near nowhere, she blinked as her attention landed on Natsu- his face covered over by a large, toothy grin from where he stood atop the table he had previously been sitting at, beaming from ear to ear and eyes shinning in happiness and excitement. Around him, Lucy and Lisanna were smiling too- the girls getting to their feet as they looked over her way.
Natsu waved a hand at her, "Good to see ya, Frea!" He smirked, laughing a little as Frea sighed, waving a hand back.
"Hey, Flame-Brain." She murmured, Natsu jumped off the table and in her direction, leaving Lisanna and Lucy behind as they followed more slowly, Happy was grinning like an idiot as he raced ahead of his partner and in Frea's direction.
"You're up!" The blue Exceed cheered,
"Clearly." Frea chuckled,
"How ya doin?" Natsu smirked, stopping in front of her with Happy at his shoulder. He leaned in a little, his head tilting this way and that as he looked her over, "You definitely look like you're getting back to normal, hehe."
"I'm good." Frea replied,
"That's a relief to hear." Lucy smiled warmly as she and Lisanna both made it up to their group.
"Good morning." Lucy and Lisanna murmured in unison, nodding toward her as Frea nodded back.
"Morning."
"It's wonderful to see you up and walking around, Frea." Mirajane's kind voice sounded as she passed their group by, a try now in her hand and blue eyes sparkling as she paused a moment. "Do take it easy though, alright?"
"I don't think I could get away with overdoing it, given how much everyone's watching me like a hawk..." Frea chuckled lightly, sweadropping a little as Mira smiled in slight amusement.
"We wouldn't be watching you so keenly, if not for your reputation of overdoing it in everything." Porlyusica murmured flatly, Frea sweatdropped a little more at the comment. There were several sighs and small chuckles at the words from the people around her,
Right...
"Hmm... are you hungry, Frea?" Mira asked gently. Frea blinked, "I can make you something, if you'd like."
Frea bit the inside of her cheek, seeing immediately the way Mira's eyes had softened, hearing the way her voice became hesitant, even uneasy as she asked the question. She could feel most everyone else around her get a little more uneasy too, and it did nothing to help with the way her stomach flipped almost instantly at the thought of food.
Moon's ears dropped a little, her blue eyes glittering as she glanced sideways toward Frea, her heart and stomach clenching as she watched Frea carefully- and the lack of immediate reply to Mira's question was more than enough to tell her that Frea wasn't fond of the idea. It hadn't gone unnoticed by her, and it certainly hadn't gone unnoticed by several other people too- but since everything had happened, Frea had looked so frail and pale. Of course most of it was due to the injuries, and the sickness that had taken hold of her. But as Frea healed, the reason she looked so thin was more to do with the fact that Frea hadn't really been eating all that much.
Frea loved food, she loved eating and she had as big an appetite as most of the boys. Moon knew that, the whole Guild knew it... but her appetite had been hit just as hard as the rest of her had when Mordren did all his damage. Moon could tell that the idea of food made Frea uneasy, probably even made her feel sick- and probably really sick to keep her eating as little as she had been recently. Frea seemed to try and eat, at least a little- but Moon had a feeling it was more to ease everyone else's minds, rather than because the Energy Dragon Slayer was actually hungry. Frea knew she had to eat, regain her strength to heal more, and she knew it would put everyone else at ease if she did- even if it didn't make her feel as at ease. Frea was like that, after all... always trying not to worry everyone else.
Moon's tail brushed reassuringly against Frea's shoulder, Frea's head tilted in her direction, but otherwise her eyes stayed on Mira as she smiled- just a little, almost weakly.
"Sure." She murmured, "I could go for something small." Mira nodded slightly,
"Of course." Mira replied, Frea watched her walk away in sightly stiff silence for a few seconds, swallowing hard against the queasiness in her core. Moon let out a small, silent sigh, her paw landing lightly on Frea's head as she gave her Partner a gentle, kind smile. Frea nodded a little, and Moon drew her paw back.
"Shall we grab a table, then?"
Frea's heart jumped a little in slight surprise, her senses washed over in a sudden burst of gold that seemed to wash over her mind and every single thought. Her head turned from Moon to directly beside her, right beside Wendy as the shimmering gold form suddenly there began to materialize into someone familiar- though she hadn't really expected him to show up out of nowhere... maybe she shouldn't have been surprised. He had been spending much more time in the Human World lately, and she knew it was because of her. Though he was usually accompanied by-
..ah.... sure enough, there was a wash of orange and red that seemed to overtake her mind as someone else familiar appeared close to Lucy's side, though her eyes didn't leave that of Loke as he stood there, smiling as he pushed his glasses up his nose again. Solana bumped Lucy's shoulder affectionately as the blonde smiled at her,
"Hello you two. You're here early today." Lucy smiled,
"Leo wouldn't stop pacing." Solana smirked, Lucy blinked. "He's like a cat, he gets bored so easily- and he always needs attention from someone." Solana smirked slyly, "I need a break from entertaining the giant furball, what better way than dumping him in the Guild?"
Lucy chuckled under her breath, though if Loke ever heard Solana say anything- he never showed it. Frea heard Solana say the words of course, and she smiled a little at both the comment- and at him.
"Hey, Loke." She murmured,
"Good morning." He replied brightly, "You are looking better today, almost radiant." He smiled, she chuckled.
"Oh don't start flirting with me now." She smirked, he laughed.
"Wouldn't dream of it." He shot back easily, "So, how about that table?"
Frea sighed slightly, still smiling as she shifted in his direction,
"That your clever way of getting me to sit down again?" She asked in amusement. Loke smirked, his hand on his chest as he feigned offense to the words,
"And why would I try something so underhanded?" he replied coolly, "I am nothing if not class, you know. I am a true gentleman."
"True playboy, maybe." Solana smiled, earning laughs from everyone who heard her- Loke seemed to have caught her comment this time around, because his smile faded to exasperation for a split second as Frea laughed as well.
Frea moved forward though, Loke smiling again as he shifted to let her past him, before taking up post at her side where Porlyusica did not move to follow, but instead stayed at the bar. The Old Lady shot Wendy a look that was clearly meant to affirm to the Sky Dragon Slayer that she stay close to Frea- and Wendy nodded, moving with Frea on her other side as the small group of people split to let her through. Natsu and Happy grinned a little, Lucy and Lisanna smiling as they echoed agreement to Solana about the 'playboy' comment, all of them following behind Frea, Moon, Loke and Wendy as they moved toward on of the tables.
"... I suppose 'playboy' would be an... Apt, description of me." Loke sighed, smiling still as he shot Frea a look, she looked amused still, though she seemed more focused on her walking than him. Which was fine, Loke was watching her carefully himself- in case she tripped, or got dizzy, or whatever else- but as always, Frea seemed... Alright, even despite everything.
"... Of course I have long since given up with acting that way around you." He added softly, Frea hummed under her breath a little.
Though thinking on it, it had also been a very long time since he and Frea had simply talked. Back before Lucy joined, and he was stuck in the Human World- they had grown to be quite the pair of friends. Naturally, since Frea knew about him and what he was- and had immediately promised not to let him 'fade into the background alone'. She'd been so determined to keep him company it was no surprise they became friends,
But since being contracted to Lucy and being back in the Spirit World, they hadn't seen all that much of each other like they used to. What times they had spent with one another had been because something had happened, what with the Balance Shift, DeathBolt, Mordren... There hadn't been much time for just being around and hanging out with her like they'd used to. He missed it, even if he'd grown close to other people in Frea's stead.
But he hadn't realized how much he still cared about her as a friend until Mordren hurt her, and everything there after... The memory of that day she had admitted to him that she knew he was a Spirit was still fresh on his mind, after having been reminded of it so suddenly when-
He sighed slightly, shaking the thought off as they reached the table. He smiled as he pulled a chair out from under the table, gesturing toward it as he glanced toward Frea, who blinked at the offer, before chuckling under her breath.
"Well, maybe you are a little bit of a gentleman after all." Frea teased lightly,
"You finally noticed?" He shot back gently, she laughed, just once, before she settled down into the chair- a little unsteadily, he might add, like bending to take the seat was hard on her- but she sat down and let out a small breath, he pushed the chair in just a little, before taking a seat in the chair on her right. Wendy took the seat on her left as Moon settled on the table top, and everyone else took seats in various places around the table with them. Frea's hand landed lightly on her stomach for half a second as she sat down, both Loke and Moon noticed it, just before she moved it to link her fingers and palms together on the table top, taking in a small, silent breath.
"... You're up earlier than usual, Natsu." Solana smirked as she shot her adoptive brother a look, Natsu blinked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He mumbled,
"I don't ever remember you waking up before ten unless you really had to." Solana replied easily, her chin leaning into her hand as her green eyes glittered. "You sleep like a freakin' log ya know, and you snore too."
"Oi!"
"... she's not wrong, Natsu." Lucy sighed, looking exasperated. "Between you and Happy I could hardly get any sleep last night..."
"You slept over at Lucy's?" Solana asked immediately, a sly smile crossing her lips as Lucy blushed.
"They broke into my house!"
"And you didn't kick them out?"
"I tried!"
"... yeah, she kicked me pretty hard." Natsu grumbled, looking slightly agitated at the memory.
"Clearly not hard enough!" Lucy huffed, Lisanna laughed.
"You know Natsu, he never gets the hint." Lisanna smiled, Solana chuckled.
"Neither does Leo." the redhead said, leaning in toward Lisanna to send the comment her way.
"They're both pretty dense, huh?" Happy purred,
"Hey!" Loke and Natsu snapped in unison, rounding on the blue exceed now after doing their best not to let the clear teasing get to them.
"You didn't get the hint either, Happy." Moon sighed, her paws crossing over her chest as she said the words in a manner-of-fact tone. "Which makes you just as dense."
"That's mean!" Happy pouted,
"She's not wrong." Carla sighed, easily backing Moon up. Wendy sweatdropped slightly at how blunt her Partner was,
".. Carla..." Wendy mumbled, though only quietly.
"W-Wah..! Natsu! Moon and Carla are being mean!" Happy stammered, Natsu was too busy arguing back and forth with Lucy to hear his Partner at all. Happy rounded on Solana next, eyes shining as the redhead chuckled, before easily picking him up and holding him close to her chest.
"Such a sensitive little furball..." The Sun Dragon Slayer murmured, shaking her head as she rubbed the top of Happy's head affectionately. Frea smiled, her cheek falling in her hand as she cast Solana a glance from the corner of her eye,
... you're the one that started the argument, though...
Frea's eyes fell closed a moment when her attention flitted away from the Guild and out toward the edge of Magnolia- her smile fading slightly when there flashed an Energy Signature she did not recognize, but she did recognize the feeling of Teleportation Magic when she felt it.
Whoever it was appeared on what she guessed was the very edge of the city, stayed a few moments, and then disappeared again... she knew it wasn't random, either, and sweatdropped.
They are getting antsy... do I even have another week before they barge in...?
Frea's other hand shifted, her finger tapping lightly against the table top as she let her focus wane further from Magnolia, passed the town, passed the forest, stretching further, ignoring the Energy Signatures of animals and land and air alike...
So many different colors flashed through her mind's eye, a swirl of things that made up a river that slid past her as she let her focus move further away. Her head started to throb, a sharp, persistent prickle of pain around her temples, she could hear her heartbeat more loudly in her ears the further she let her mind slide away.
And her attention halted, her senses bombarded and slammed into by something big, something heavy and thick and dark and she swallowed. She couldn't go further, and she hated she had let her senses go that far- because with that wall came a flood of memories she wished had just stayed buried... and memories she hated herself for letting get lost for so long.
... Nvindorr... it's still hanging there like a black cloud even after...
She bit the inside of her cheek when she felt her heart clench painfully enough she almost winced. Her mind snapped back away from that place and back over whatever amount of miles she had stretched her senses out for, snapping back to Magnolia, to the Guild, and back into that table she sat at- now with a sharp pain in her heart and her head. Her eyes opened narrowed to slits and sweatdropping to find that what few moments she'd let her mind move that far had left the world in front of her eyes that much more like bleeding color.
That was a mistake... I'm going to have to watch it... I wasn't even trying to let my senses go that far, but they did and now...
She sighed, her finger tapping against the table once.
... my head is pounding... and everything is swirling, what a freaking pain.
"Here we are, Frea."
Frea blinked, doing so got rid of some of that faint, blurring haze of color that had started to glow around everyone living in the room, her head turning toward Mira who had approached, a plate in hand and a kind smile on her face. Frea straightened up a little from leaning her cheek in her palm, smiling back at Mira with a small 'thanks' as Mira set the plate down on the table in front of her.
Frea swallowed again, her stomach flipping the minute she lay eyes on what would have looked absolutely appetizing to her before Mordren. There were scrambled eggs and two pieces of toast, all carefully made and steaming- but even the small made her feel sick and she hated it.
She took in a low, silent deep breath, urging her stomach to settle at least a little- enough to eat something, some of it... she could feel Moon and Wendy watching her carefully, Mira too.
Light bounced from Loke's glasses as he shot Frea a sideways glance, his eyes softening to see her looking so uneasy just having the food set down in front of her. Solana had mentioned this to him- the Sun Dragon Slayer worried about Frea more than most people probably realized, and she had shared concerns with him about little Frea had been eating. He'd faintly noticed it too, and he'd never known Frea to turn down food for any reason at all, but it hit home a little harder when Solana voiced her worry over it.
Frea picked at the toast, nibbling on the edge slowly as she ate half of it before pausing, looking still uneasy- as she set it back down on the plate and seemed to sigh under her breath. Moon's tail patted lightly against Frea's arm, giving the Energy Dragon Slayer a smile that Frea returned faintly. Wendy shifted a little closer, her eyes kind and attentive on her patient, while everyone else at the table cast small glances between Frea and her food, but otherwise did their best to keep conversation going, as not to make it any more tense or awkward.
Loke smiled, pushing his glasses up his nose with one hand as his other fell into his coat pocket, humming under his breath lightly.
"Ah, Frea." Loke said brightly, earning Frea's eye as she blinked at him. He smirked, his hand moving from his pocket and the light that had previously hid his eyes from view shifting as he pushed his glasses up his nose all the way. "I brought something for you, hopefully to cheer you up a little- and maybe help you feel a bit better too."
Her eyes widened a little, those silver depths glittering in surprise and wonder as he his hand moved from his pocket and set down a box of flavored milk on the table just in front of her. Her eyes landed on the milk and she paused, blinking a few more times as she simply stared, oblivious to the smile Loke still wore and the looks of wonder and question that had passed over several people's face at the sudden little gift.
Loke watched her in silence, his eyes glinting when he saw the recognition dawn on her face- he could tell her thoughts had wandered to that same memory that his had so often lately.
"Here ya go." She smirked, handing him a flavored milk, dropping it lightly into his hands as he scrambled to take it from her, quite shocked at the sudden gesture, especially from someone he had known less than a week or so.
"U-uh, ah, thanks." He mumbled quickly, holding the box in both hands as she stuck her straw through her own, nodding slightly to him. His eyes fell from her toward the drink in his hands, sweadropping slightly as he simply stared at it for a few moments, somewhat perplexed.
He slowly stuck the straw in the box, his eyes moving her way from the edge of his glasses as he saw her take a sip of her own, her eyes fixed ahead to further up the water column below them, leaning back on her free hand.
"..... it's almost weird to think you've already been in the Guild for a month, huh?" She murmured almost absentmindedly, before smiling a little. "Especially so, since I only met you a week ago."
Frea smiled softly, her eyes glinting as she laughed, just once, her hand reaching forward to take the milk up as she shook her head a little.
She honestly couldn't begin to imagine why he seemed to have suddenly recalled that night they had talked to one another, it was so long ago... she remembered, of course. She had a habit of remembering everything, she hated forgetting- but maybe she shouldn't have been surprised he remembered it too. She was surprised he brought it up now though, not that it amused her any less... or made her feel any worse.
For some reason, her stomach didn't flip at the idea of drinking it- where lately water had been enough to make her want to gag. How very odd that this didn't give her that same feeling,
She tilted her head, pulling the milk closer as she shot him a slightly cheeky smirk.
"Did you just propose to me with flavored milk?" She asked, her tone laced with mirth and amusement- but care too, and happiness.
Loke smiled a little more, his eyes flashing as he let his elbows rest on the table top.
"Cheeky." He replied without skipping a beat, Frea shook her head at him in amusement.
"You're still an idiot." She smiled, he knew it wasn't an insult easily enough. "... but thanks, this looks good."
"Of course, M'lady." He replied, dipping his head to her as his own cheeky side emerged, "What are friends for, after all?" Frea smirked, her eyes leaving him as she stuck the straw into the milk box with ease.
Everyone else's conversations had died, though neither Loke nor Frea seemed to notice it. They were watching the exchange with wide and questioning eyes, unsure of quite what the two of them were talking about- because the words and the way they were acting made them think that they had missed something. The conversation made near no sense, especially the bit about 'proposing', and it seemed like the flavored milk held more significance than everyone else was aware of.
"... propose..?" Moon and Solana asked slowly, sweatdropping a little as Frea and Loke glanced toward both of them.
"It's sort of an inside joke." Frea smiled brightly, Moon's ears twitched at that.
"And a bit of a long story." Loke murmured, Solana quirked an eyebrow.
"Did you two get married or something?" Natsu asked flatly,
"No, Flame-Brain." Frea sighed, smiling still.
"You really missed the point of 'inside joke', didn't you?" Loke smirked,
"Well then tell me what it means." Natsu smiled,
"Nope." Loke sighed,
"Oi, come on!"
"Telling you makes it less funny."
"No fair!"
Lucy blinked, her eyes shinning as she sat in silence, her eyes watching Frea and Loke as Frea bit down on the end of the milk box's straw with a smile, the Energy Dragon Slayer's eyes watching as Loke argued back and forth with Natsu. Lucy's eyes lingered on the milk bow, blinking once or twice in wonder.
Lucy couldn't help but be reminded of the night at the hot-springs she had spent with Loke back when he was still trapped in the Human World. That night she'd confronted him about being a Spirit, about Karen- and the night she'd stood up to the Celestial Spirit King too.
But more than that, she recalled Loke offering her a box of flavored milk as an apology- the same little offering he gave to Frea now, and she could see it meant something for the both of them. She'd been aware that Frea and Loke were friends but for some reason, she'd never seen them so friendly nor at ease with one another than in those few moments when he gave her the milk box. There was a connection between the two of them she hadn't seen before, but she saw it now- in the way Loke was relaxed, the way he teased and joked back and forth with Frea- and she saw it in how much Frea seemed to relax to, how much brighter she seemed to smile.
Lucy hummed under her breath a little, her cheek falling into her hand as she watched Loke and Natsu argue back in forth, completely content- before her eyes flicked back to Frea sipping away at that milk carton.
... did he pick up that thing with the milk from Frea, then?
Somehow she didn't doubt it.
After awhile the argument waned, and conversation picked back up as people began to filter into the hall as morning set into afternoon. Frea sat and talked with everyone, nodding to them and their happy faces at seeing her out of the infirmary and about the hall. After awhile she let herself lean over with her arms crossed on the table top, her shoulder leaning against Loke as the conversation continued on at the table around her.
She ate all of the food Mira brought, but not before she'd finished the milk in it's entirety.
Frea sighed quietly, her silver gaze trailing up the flight of stairs cautiously as she stood at the bottom, her hand resting lightly on the handrail and sweatdropping slightly.
Somehow it seemed there were twenty more stairs there hadn't been when she last set foot in Fairy Hills.
Much to her surprise she had managed a week more of being left alone by the Magic Council after that day in the Guild and Loke giving her the flavored milk. She'd been walking longer, moving more, given more free reign to move around the Guild Hall this last week- enough to regain her strength, and her balance- and now she's been allowed to leave the crutches behind. She could walk well enough on her own again, though if she stepped wrong her leg seared in pain- she avoided that where she could. She was stronger, steadier- she was healing, and pretty well considering.
It probably helped that her appetite had started to come back, though eating too much still made her feel queasy. She felt better everyday, though she never felt fine- she still hurt, all over, near all the time- but she was getting used to being in pain at all waking hours.
She'd recovered enough now that Porlyusica had consented to letting her go home, back to her room with Moon in Fairy Hills and her own space, bathroom... her own bed.
She loved the idea of sleeping in her own bed again, more so the idea of being out of the Guild Hall- she was stir-crazy having been there so long. And besides- the Guild was in the direct center of town, there were people everywhere- and she had by now had to start watching how much she let her senses wander. If they went too far her head throbbed, but blocking out so many people was harder than you might think.
Fairy Hills was on the edge of town, away from the bulk of the people in Magnolia- and that made ignoring Energy Signatures much easier. Her constant headaches would surely lessen, and she was glad for it.
But now that she was facing the stairs up to the second floor she was hesitating- because strong as she had gotten, she was still weak- and overexertion, or moving for an extended amount of time was still hard, it made breathing harder, it made her feel dizzy, and that was how she felt looking up at those steps.
Moon was at her side, flapping her wings gently as her blue eyes glinted- watching Frea with concern and sympathy both when she saw her Partner halt at the very bottom step. Moon had carried Frea most of the way to Fairy Hills, so she wouldn't have to walk so far herself, but Frea had insisted on walking up to the door from the bottom of the road- and Moon had agreed. But now it was clear Frea wasn't sure about climbing the stairs- and that didn't surprise Moon near that much at all. Frea could walk but she hadn't gone up any stairs, not even at the Guild Hall, since being injured so gravely.
"... are you ok?" Moon asked softly, earning a blink from Frea.
"... is it possible the number of stairs have doubled since I was here last?" Frea replied lowly, looking unamused as Moon blinked.
"... I can carry you up, you know." Moon offered, Frea grumbled a little under her breath.
"... no, it's fine... I can't avoid going up stairs." Frea replied lowly, Moon sweatdropped.
"... is that wise?" Moon sighed,
"Probably not." Frea grumbled, "But I'll be ok, I might just be... slow." Moon blinked, her paws landing on her hips as she cursed a few times in her head.
"... alright, take your time." Moon sighed, Frea nodded a bit stiffly, but otherwise stepped up onto the first step, her hand holding to the railing and her eyes narrowed and fixed to the floor as she moved. Moon floated at Frea's shoulder, her ears shoved forward and all attention fixed on her Partner as Frea slowly made her way up the steps, one step at a time. It took the first few steps before Moon heard Frea's breathing get a little harsher, but otherwise Frea seemed entirely steady. Moon was a little surprised how well she was doing,
Frea made it halfway up the stairs before her vision started swimming, much too much to make out the actual steps below her, her head spinning and her heart pounding in her ears suddenly. She groaned a little, biting the inside of her cheek as she slowly halted, trying to keep her breathing steady- and failing. She felt her legs tremble more underneath her, her right leg throbbing more as she shifted her weight off it as much as she could. And still her head spun and she was having a hard time just-
Moon stiffened a little, her eyes narrowed and moving closer the minute she saw Frea stop moving up the stairs. Frea's hand held tight to the railing as she turned a little, Moon's heart jumping in her chest as Frea started to sink to the floor. Her knees bending as she suddenly sank down into sitting on one of the stairs, her back pressing up against the wall and her eyes closed as she let her forehead rest against her palm, her elbow propped up on one knee. Moon let her feet hit the floor on the stair up from where Frea was sitting, her eyes glittering as she lay a paw gently on Frea's shoulder.
"... Frea..?" Moon murmured quietly,
"...mmm... sorry." Frea replied, her words a little hushed as she did her best to catch her breath again. "... I got really dizzy all of a sudden, give me a minute..."
Moon's ears fell a little as she stood in silence, waiting patiently as Frea sat there trying to gain her bearings again. Her paw didn't move from Frea's shoulder at first, before she slowly, cautiously pulled away and crossed her paws about her chest in said.
Frea looked winded, and a little pale now- her breathing a little labored and enough so Moon's stomach clenched. She seemed to be calming down though, regaining herself- getting rid of the dizziness- and what replaced it was agitation and exhaustion, and Moon could see it easily.
"... This is annoying... Damn it..." Frea hissed under her breath, Moon sweatdropped a little.
"... you know, considering everything that's happened... you've been handling it pretty well." Moon murmured, Frea shot her a sideways glance, blinking in slight question at the comment. "I know you don't like being hovered over, Frea. And that's about all everyone's been doing lately... I know it's been driving you crazy. I'm a little surprised you haven't tried... pushing the boundaries, before now."
Moon took a seat, her tail curling around her lightly as Frea glanced away.
"... You've been being so patient." Moon said quietly, "... even with all the hovering... and everyone asking if you're 'okay' all the time... you haven't snapped anyone's head off yet, and for the most part... you've been at least trying, to let everyone look after you." Moon purred a little, her eyes softening as Frea let out a small huff. "It's impressive, you know... and we appreciate you letting us fuss, even if you hate it. I can't imagine it's been easy... I know it hasn't, Frea."
"... and I know it's been harder on you, all of this- than you'd ever let us know." Moon sighed, Frea seemed to stiffen slightly at that. But Moon didn't really mind it, she knew Frea was a reserved person, she had known that for a long while now- and she knew that Frea hid things, a lot of the time. She had faith that the Energy Dragon Slayer could handle herself though, or at least find a way to handle anything and everything that got thrown her way- she always did. Now if she needed someone to talk to, Moon was willing- and she knew Frea knew she was. She also knew that if Frea was going to talk to anyone, it wouldn't be easy to work herself up to it- and maybe it wouldn't even be her. For however much she and Frea cared about one another, and how much they had shared between them- personal, dark, painful things- they both maybe had one other person besides eachother to talk to, if they needed.. and Moon was fine with it.
"... you're so strong, you know that?" Moon hummed, Frea sweatdropped a little, shooting her a narrowed stare as Moon rest her cheek in her paw. "I'm not just talking about your Magic, I'm talking about how strong you are to be healing and still moving after everything... you can take so much and you always get back up. You're amazing, really... more so than anyone else I've ever met." Moon's eyes fell closed a moment. "... if it had been anyone else facing Mordren that day... no one else would have won, and they wouldn't have come back either. You do so many impossible, astounding things, and you do them all the time. There's no one else like you, Frea. You are truly one of a kind."
If only Moon realized how 'one of a kind' was so very true, given being the Malurey...
"... you always come back... I don't think I've ever thanked you, for that." Moon whispered, Frea stiffened, her eyes snapping open at the words and her heart plummeting into her stomach in a split second.
"Through all of it, you're still around... you're still alive." Moon mumbled, Frea shifted a little, her arms hooking around her knees a little tightly, her eyes shut tight.
She hadn't meant to come back... she'd been dragged back...
"... tch... please... please don't thank me, for that." Frea mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. Moon blinked, her head tilting slightly as she looked toward her Partner again. "... just... don't... if you thank me for... for that... I just can't, Moon.. I can't promise to always come back... It's luck... it... it's never up to me... tch... damn it..." Frea's grip about her knees tightened a little as Moon stared, her eye glittering at what sudden tenseness had erupted in Frea from near nowhere. And she honestly didn't understand why Frea seemed so... upset, all of a sudden.
"... sorry... I just... I don't want you to think... expect... that it'll always turn out ok... It can't, not always..." Frea hissed, Moon's ears fell, her eyes flashing as she bit the inside of her cheek.
Unnerving as it was- that almost sound too much like Frea expected something terrible to happen in the future. Something Moon didn't know about.
Moon took in a slow, steady breath, shaking her head slightly as she inched closer to Frea, both paws landing lightly on Frea's knee.
"... Frea." Moon said firmly, but still gently. "... I'm sorry, that's not what I meant by that. I know things won't always work out as well as they have, I don't expect nor believe it will always be ok. Life is never 'always' okay, I know that all too well." She sighed, "... what I meant was, I'm happy you're getting better. And I'm proud of you, for how well you've held up, and started to move on from all of this." Frea didn't open her eyes to look her way, she sat there, silent still and shoulders rigid as Moon watched her silently for a few more moments. Her words didn't seem to help Frea relax, if she was to be honest- she did wish she knew why.
Did Frea know something she didn't? Did she know something was going to happen, go wrong? Was that the reason she seemed to have reacted so badly to those words? Why she seemed to upset now and... vulnerable, fragile- just a little- where Moon hadn't seen her that way before?
There was so much different since it happened, so much that had happened and Frea was different too- she was more quiet, more reserved- and more uneasy, too. Moon could see it easily enough, she just knew Frea that well- even when the Energy Dragon Slayer tried to hide it. It would be impossible to expect anyone, even Frea, to have come through all that trauma and be fine. Moon didn't expect her to be fine, nor did the rest of the Guild either- but she had an idea that Frea didn't know that, or at least didn't care- because Frea was the sort to just hide how not okay she was, from everyone.
No, there was no way Frea was as 'fine' as she acted, she couldn't be... but this was, admittedly- the very first time Moon had really seen that persona start to crumble, even just a little.
"Frea." Moon murmured, her tail flicking lightly across Frea's shoulder. "... look at me for a minute, okay?"
Frea looked her way very slowly, her eyes shinning as Moon smiled gently.
"You know you don't have to pretend to be feeling ok, when you're not, don't you?" Moon asked softly, Frea blinked. "No one's expecting you to not have been hit by what happened, and no one's going to think any less of you if you break away from that tough act you put on. Alright?" Frea sweatdropped slightly, swallowing a little.
'Tough act'
"I know you don't feel comfortable letting your guard down around other people." Moon murmured, "And I'm not asking you to tell me what's wrong, not if you don't want to. If you don't want to talk, that's fine. If you do- I will listen, always." Moon smiled a little more, "And if you don't want to talk to me, that's alright too. But you can lean on me, if I can- I'll do my best to help you feel better, whatever it takes." Moon purred slightly, "Alright, Frea?"
Frea blinked, her eyes level on Moon for a few long moments as her mind struggled to wrap around the sincerity and the words. They echoed familiar on her ears to what Laxus had told her, and the genuineness in the words was no less potent in Moon than they had been in him.
Moon had long since shared with her her darkest secrets, the pains of her past with DeathBolt and Kyo, Lyla... why was it so hard imagining letting herself tell her Exceed Partner her darker, painful thoughts too? She'd put up a wall between herself and other people a long time ago, and it got stronger the longer it was there- keeping her back and away from talking about the things that hurt, that really, really hurt... and having to try and break it down now, where she was already broken was just so damned difficult.
She swallowed again, her heart clenching painfully.
She was worrying everyone so much, keeping them in the dark... she would worry them more if she told them, she knew that... but now she was having doubts on whether it was worth it to keep hiding. She'd been having doubts, but Moon wasn't the one that spurred it.
I do put on an act, I keep up face and I hide and bury everything... enough it eats away at me, breaks me from the inside out and I just sit and suffer with it alone, I always have. I'm afraid, afraid of the damage and myself... and how fucking screwed up I am, I'm afraid I won't be who they all think I am... and I always knew I was terrified of that.
"... I know, Moon..." Frea murmured softly, "... really, thank you... It's just gonna take me awhile, ok..?" Moon nodded,
"That's ok." Moon replied gently, "Take your time, Frea. Whatever you need, I'll be here if you need me." Frea smiled weakly at that, nodding a little.
Should I tell you... anything...? Something...? Could I...?
That thought didn't end with an abrupt, clear no. But it was a no, still... just a nervous one, maybe she wasn't quite there, not with Moon... not just yet. But maybe sometime, and soon.
"... but... for now... I think I could use a shower... and some more sleep." Frea mumbled, Moon nodded in understanding.
"Think you can make it the rest of the way up the stairs?" Moon asked, Frea smiled a little more.
"Yeah, I think so." Frea sighed, shifting as Moon pulled back again. Frea smiled nervously, her hand taking hold of the railing as she drew up onto her feet again, sweatdropping. "... I'm looking forward to taking a shower, more so than usual. I feel... gross." Frea commented, Moon chuckled.
"It's not that bad." Moon replied,
"Yeah, you don't have my sense of smell, though." Frea replied, "... not looking forward to washing my hair, though... I'm tempted to just chop it off while I'm at it."
"Don't you dare." Moon shot back, Frea blinked. "Knowing you, it'll look like a mess if you try to cut it yourself. Better to wait till you can ask Lucy and Cancer."
"... I keep forgetting to ask, though..."
"You can ask tomorrow." Moon replied, Frea blinked, sweatdropping a little.
"... ah, alright... but maybe in the meantime, could you braid it, when I'm done with the shower?" Frea asked, Moon nodded.
"Sure." Frea sighed in slight relief,
"Good... that'll make it less of a pain for tomorrow..." She mumbled under her breath, Moon's ears twitched at the words, though she said nothing about it.
Frea made it the rest of the way up the stairs without feeling too dizzy, trekking down the hallway with Moon close at hand as they came to their room- and opened the door.
Frea sniffed, a waft of dust pluming up as she stepped inside- it smelled different, unfamiliar... it smelled like dirt, and stagnant air. It nearly looked untouched since before Mordren... Moon hadn't been back near at all, and she certainly hadn't either. It almost looked deserted,
Frea sneezed, cringing as she hissed under her breath, her hand falling over her stomach and the sharp stab of pain that raced through her at the sneeze itself.
"Oww..." She grumbled, Moon smiled sadly.
"It is a little dusty in here, hmm?" She hummed, "I'll clean up a little, while you take a shower, kay?"
"Alright..." Frea grumbled,
"If you need help, just call me?" Moon added, Frea blinked, casting her a glance from the corner of her eye, nodding a little.
"Yeah, alright..." Frea mumbled, she's probably need help with rewrapping bandages once she was done... now that she thought about it, she didn't look forward to the shower that much, once the thought of the water hitting the raw and still open wounds flashed through her head.
oi...
Frea let out a sigh as she started toward the bathroom, pausing only a second to grab a change of clothes from her dresser, before heading inside and shutting the door softly closed behind her.
She set the clothes down on the counter and looked in the mirror, her eyes flashing as she bit the inside of her cheek.
... I'm going to have to wake up early, tomorrow...
She sweatdropped, turning toward the shower and turning it on. Soon enough the room grew warmer, steam clouding the edges of the mirror as she started to (slightly struggle) out of her clothes, before pulling the bandages wrapped around her torso and thigh off, along with a few others.
Her eyes paused on the mirror as she did so, finding the raw, inflamed and still visible stitching pulling across her stomach here and there, they pulled uncomfortably every once in awhile. She turned a little and could see a few more pulling across her lower back, holding together what massive wound that had been ripped through her- damaging so many things internally she didn't care to recount.
The wound that had bore a hole in her right thigh was still inflamed, and raw in places too- a big gash that stretched across her skin on both the front and back of the leg, just like that in her stomach, and that one in the left side of her chest- right over her heart. That one had torn through and exited between her shoulder blades, but the stitches were gone, the outside damage near healed- as was intentional, this was the wound Porlyusica had been most concerned over, and had focused on more than anything else. Outwardly it looked... well, not good- but inwardly it wasn't any better. She knew most of her ribs were still cracked, her muscles snapped, her heart still not entirely healed either- it was going to take awhile, even with Healing Magic, and her lungs hadn't healed all the way either.
But still, better than dead... had to be, otherwise even she wouldn't have been up and walking around if Porlyusica, Wendy and Sherria alike hadn't poured hours and hours, and a months worth of Magic and Medicine into her recovery.
Her eyes traced over them though, seeing the scratches and tears that littered every inch of her person, faint, fading lines of the rest of the damage that would not be lingering- too many to count, all of them nearly gone and could scarcely be seen... but there were several that would stay, and she knew it.
Those that hurt more, the ones in her leg, in her stomach, through her chest- those were leaving something behind, the skin there was scarred and would be for the rest of her life. Gashes that had turned the skin darker, left like splotches of paint where those most serious wounds were- and would never fade away, no matter what Magic nor Medicine she had. Two new scars for each of the three blasts of Magic that had ripped through her body, now joining that of the one Naraka had given her atop her left shoulder, and the spiral scar that had remained on her right shoulder blade for so, so long.
She'd never really cared about scars, they never bothered her- these new one's didn't either, at least not really... it was just a constant reminder, and while she planned to forget about them soon enough- everyone else who saw them would remember, and she hated that thought. Because anytime anyone else in the Guild saw these from now on, they would remember the day she got them, and what happened- and it wasn't something she wanted them to think about again.
She turned away from the mirror and stepped carefully into the shower, biting down hard on her tongue when the water hit her body and the wounds in a sudden wash of pain that made her gasp. The pain hardly let up, throbbing and uncomfortable as blood and dirt and grime washed away down the drain, and Frea did her best to carefully scrub away the mess- before turning to taming the disaster that was her hair.
Her body ached, and she was more than ready to get out of the shower the minute she was done- her wounds throbbing still as she kept herself quiet and carefully pulled her pajamas on, and stepped out of the bathroom slowly.
The dust was gone, but the room still smelled foreign from not having been in it so long. Moon was sitting on the bed, book in hand and a glass of water set on the nightstand. Her Exceed Partner looked up as she came out,
"... Moon... ah, I'm probably gonna need you to... help me with the bandages..." Frea mumbled, Moon nodded. She patted the top of the bed with her paw lightly, gesturing Frea to take a seat as she grabbed what supplies she needed and Frea caught her breath a little- she felt dizzier now, but more than anything her body just hurt.
Moon said little as she gently wrapped the bandages around Frea's wounds, her eyes glittering when she saw Frea wince and shut her eyes against the pain every once in awhile. She figured Frea was hurting now, after washing up- and though she didn't say so out loud, Frea looked a lot better after the shower. Not just cleaner... just, healthier, almost. More back to normal.
Once she was done she gave Frea a minute to resettle, before smiling up at her Partner softly.
"... would you like me to braid your hair now?" Moon asked softly, Frea nodded.
"If you could.. thanks." Frea sighed, Moon sprouted wings as she set to work brushing out Frea's hair, and weaving lengths together into a thin, long neat braid. Moon dropped down on the nightstand and lightly picked the glass of water up, handing it toward Frea who nodded a little, before taking a drink.
"Better?" Moon asked softly, Frea nodded.
"Yes... I feel better, cleaner... but I misjudged how 'nice' that shower was gonna feel." Frea sighed, Moon smiled sympathetically. "... thanks for helping, Moon. With the bandages.. and my hair..."
"Of course." Moon replied, "Though, you look more than ready to sleep now." Frea smiled in slight embarrassment,
"That obvious, huh?" Frea asked, Moon shrugged a little.
"Well, you did a lot more walking and moving around than usual today." Moon reminded, "And you've been up since pretty early this morning." Frea nodded slightly, setting the cup in her lap lightly.
"... I am pretty beat." She relented softly, "... I don't know if I'll be able to fall asleep so quickly, though..." Moon tilted her head, Frea glanced down into the cup for a minute, before shaking her head a little.
... I have to go to sleep... I'm pretty sure tomorrow is going to be hard as hell... and if I tell Moon now, she won't let me go...
Frea set the cup down on the nightstand, leaning back against her pillow with a long sigh as Moon hopped down onto the edge of the bed. Frea crossed her arms over her forehead, her eyes falling closed.
"... are you gonna stay up, Moon?" Frea asked softly, Moon blinked.
"Maybe, I can't say I'm tired." Moon replied,
"... mm... I was kinda hoping you'd say no..." Frea mumbled, Moon's ears twitched. She purred a little, shaking her head slightly.
"Then, no." Moon chuckled, Frea's arms moved as she glanced toward her Exceed Partner, her eyes glinting. Frea smiled slightly, her eyes halfway open as Moon settled down next to her, her paws crossing over her stomach as they both looked up at the ceiling.
There was the flash of some unknown Energy Signature mixed with Teleportation Magic not far from Fairy Hills- Frea sensed it instantly, it had become a common occurrence the last week...
She sighed, rolling over a little as she hooked her arms around Moon and pulled her closer. Moon blinked at the action, but said nothing- Frea's eyes had fallen closed as the Energy Dragon Slayer let out a small sigh.
"... mm... we're gonna have to wake up early, to meet... up with Porlyusica at the Guild Hall, kay..?" Frea mumbled softly, Moon blinked at the words- though Frea's chin was on top of her head she couldn't see her face.
"... ah, alright...?" Moon replied, though there was no explanation as to why- she could hear Frea's breathing getting slower, and sighed internally.
Frea felt her mind drifting slowly, and faintly heard Moon hum 'goodnight'.
Frea had talked to Chase and Aisha that morning, early in the morning before the rest of the Guild had gotten to the Hall, even Moon. And what they had talked about?
The Magic Council was aware she was up and walking around now, and they were getting ready to come and arrest her- Aisha knew that, Chase did too- and Frea had been aware they had someone popping in and out of Magnolia, spying, keeping tabs. That's what the unfamiliar Energy Signature mixed with Teleportation was. They knew she was up, and they likely already knew she had left the Guild Hall- that meant she was out of time.
There was no official order on the matter that they knew of, but Frea could tell- feel it.
Tomorrow the Magic Council would come to Fairy Tail for her, and she hadn't any choice but to finally face them... and she hated the idea, she very much hated it. But she knew she had no real choice on the matter either.
She would be setting foot in Era tomorrow, before the entirety of the Council... and she wasn't sure she'd be stepping back into Magnolia afterward.
Enjoy guys! Thank you for Reading!
If you are not sure where that Memory with Loke shows up, its in Chapter 57 of "Balance In Our Lives"
Anyway, more exciting stuff is abound in the next chapter! (finally XD ) Frea's finally going to clash with the Magic Council, and it's gonna GO DOWN!
haha~
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