Crow hadn't been lying about Wendy. She seemed to be a guest nearly every day. "Meredy!" She'd smile brightly whenever the pink haired wizard was at the store, an expression that was wasted on her. People gave their loved ones smiles like that, not strangers that served them as their job. This was only her third visit too and they seemed to always occur on Meredy's shifts. "Guess what? I've finally finished working on a new support spell. It's taken me a while to think of how to work out the details with it, but now I should be able to help temporarily cure people of motion sickness."
Meredy frowned. "How many members of your guild suffer from motion sickness?"
"Er, none, really." Wendy looked away. "Sorry. It's not really useful, is it?"
"Not really, no." She paused. "Can I take your order for today?"
"Oh, right." Wendy continued to ramble after ordering, chatting on as she waited for her coffee like usual. "—and Charle got so mad at me. I know I frighten her when I use my sky magic like that, but I didn't expect her to get that mad."
"Does it often give you magic deficiency?"
Wendy blushed, laughing nervously and rubbing the back of her head. "Yeah. I can't help it though. I want to help. I just don't know how to do it well yet."
The cat wasn't here today and Sara had gone into the back to grab more cups to restock up front. Crow was off doing something in the office too, though he hadn't specified what. With a sigh, Meredy focused on the girl. "Meditate. It helps you gather ethernano more efficiently and grows your capacity for storing more in the future."
"Wait, really? How do you know that?"
With a scowl, Meredy lifted her wrist. She didn't have anyone else to use as a test subject, so she supposed a weak link between herself and the girl would function. She formed the sensory link, with the pink band flashing around her wrist. "I'm a wizard too, as you can see." She dropped the spell quickly, uncertain if her magic would be recognized or not. "I just don't want to use this magic anymore. It seems I can only manage to harm people with it."
"Oh." Wendy frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that. I couldn't imagine giving up my magic. It's a huge part of me, you know?" Wendy shook her head. "There's gotta be something out there that'll let you use your magic harmlessly. Maybe I'll help you figure it out soon!" Meredy blinked and Wendy was smiling again. "Anyway, I've gotta get back. Thanks for talking with me again!" Then, Wendy was out the door for the day and Meredy was wondering exactly why she was talking to that girl in the first place.
Other than the visits from Wendy, Meredy didn't get much interaction with customers. So, she supposed she was succeeding in getting to know her co-workers first. It was on her fourth shift, however, that Sara seemed to approach her with a problem of a different nature. "Do you ever shower? I've been near corpses that smell better than you right now." The store was closed and they were cleaning for the night.
Shrugging, Meredy focused on sweeping the floors. "I need to obtain funds to pay for lodgings." Plus, most places seemed to turn her away when she went to get an apartment. They needed information from her once again, like age, and immediately she was treated as a runaway. There'd been a few incidents where law enforcement was even brought in to take her into protective custody, which Meredy quickly fought her way out of. It likely wasn't the brightest move to keep herself away from being well-known, but she really had no desire to be living with someone who could order her around like a parent. That was the whole point of her separating from Ul; she needed to learn to survive on her own for a change. Likely, she'd be better off paying for a room at that inn from before, but the payments were more expensive there in the long run.
"You're coming with me tonight then. I'm not scaring away customers with that stench of yours. They'll think I killed someone in here and I'm fairly certain I haven't done that." Fairly certain? Meredy frowned at Sara, originally thinking the woman was joking. However, she was also frowning as if trying to recall murdering someone in her own coffee shop.
Regardless, Meredy didn't have the right to judge if Sara had some kind of a dark past. "Okay." If Sara was planning something sinister, Meredy was certain she'd be able to handle it.
"You're not going to even question my offer?" Meredy shrugged, continuing to work. Sara just shook her head, sighing. "You certainly are strange. Most would suspect someone they knew so briefly after insisting on such a thing."
"It is only being practical." Meredy glanced over at the woman. "Bathing is important and I have stated that I'm struggling with managing such a thing. As my employer, you want me to meet your standards of hygiene as well. The most efficient way to accomplish this is to give me the opportunity to meet them yourself, since I cannot do so on my own." Then, she paused with a frown. "However, it is also mildly costly to yourself, in one sense. It disturbs your privacy and depends on your own time, so most would not quite see it as a valuable trade, leaving it with just a warning for said employee to fix the issue."
"Your reasoning does not change my opinion. You are still strange." Well, Sara wouldn't be the first to think she was odd. "How close are you to finding a place then? It'd be annoying for you to get this filthy again in the future."
Meredy couldn't be that bad. She had rinsed herself off in a stream outside before. Sure, her hair was a bit clumped and not quite as bright, but the water rinsed off dirt and sweat for a moment. "No one seems willing to consider me for an apartment. I also don't have the right sort of funds to obtain a house either…nor do I know if it would be wise for me to try and do so." More paperwork was likely involved for that, which would leave a record of where to find her. Should anyone come to learn her past, it would be too easy for the rune knights to track her down and arrest her. Even if it didn't, it'd at least make it easy for regular authorities to take her away and find 'adults' to watch over her.
"Well, this'll be annoying then." Meredy blinked, and Sara shook her head. "Crow would get mad at me if I didn't do something, though."
"Hey!" Meredy narrowed her eyes at Sara. "What exactly are you planning to do?"
"Rather than actual pay, I'm making you my roommate." Sara was grimacing at that, before shaking her head. "Just stay out of my stuff and it should be fine. There's some nasty protections on the really dangerous ones and I doubt you want to find out what they do."
"You collect dangerous things?" Meredy tilted her head. "Like what?"
"It isn't a collection; they're…mementos." Sara seemed to hesitate at the end, uncertain of how to label them. "Either way, are you gonna agree or not?"
"That is acceptable payment to me. Though…may I request at least enough funding for clothing? I do not need much, just what is necessary to allow myself time to change and wash my clothes."
"You really don't have anything, do you?" Meredy shrugged. Her avoidance of using her funds from Grimoire Heart was causing her more issues than she'd predicted. Maybe she shouldn't let small moral qualms interfere with practicality and just spent it. "Whatever. It's not like I'm struggling for cash or anything."
The coffee shop did seem to do reasonably well with business. With Crow and Sara being the only workers Meredy ever saw, she wouldn't be surprised. In fact, part of Meredy wondered how they even handled it. Sure, they took breaks on occasion, but it was as if they did nothing but work every day of the week. At least the shop closed on weekends to give them a break, but even then, it was a bit much.
Things grew awkwardly silent between them after that. Meredy didn't exactly know what to say to make conversation and it wasn't as if Sara was one to talk much. Crow had already left for the day and he was usually the most social of the three of them. Still, it didn't seem as if Sara was particularly cruel towards her. It was more like Sara just didn't like others in general. Crow was the only person who seemed to get Sara to talk openly in any way, at least from what she'd seen.
The walk out of the coffee shop wasn't any better. Sara walked silently ahead of her, focused on the path to her home. When they weren't talking, it seemed like Sara was almost less hostile. There'd be a neutral or thoughtful expression on her face, as if she was intently focused on something within her head rather than the world around her. Meredy didn't know what that said about her co-worker, but she supposed she was content to remain silent with her.
Either way, Meredy wasn't quite expecting the house Sara lived in. Sara went to walk inside, heading towards a building with one of the strangest choices choices of landscaping Meredy had seen. The house itself was fine, just an average sized place with pale yellow walls and a small railing in front of the door, creating a porch-like enclosure on the cement sidewalk there. However, the grass itself around the house wasn't maintained at all; it had yellowed and was wilted all around. In contrast, there seemed to be small bushes growing along the sides of the driveway leading up to the porch. Those were green and well-cared for, thriving despite the starving and dead grass.
Closer to the porch were more plants to observe. There were flowers starting to bloom, tulips specifically. Normally they'd added a flash of color to a yard, but these ones were chosen solely in varieties of black and white, almost looking like they were placed to compliment the dying grass rather than the lively bushes in color. When Meredy glanced at the neighbors' homes to see if it was just a regional decision, she discovered that it truly was just Sara's opinions. The grass livened up in the other yards and there were yard decorations that seemed to be brighter and more colorful than Sara's.
Despite wanting something a bit more appealing, she had dealt with far worse than poor gardening skills. At least the tulips were still healthy and alive, even if they were strange colors. "Bathroom's over there. I'll get you some clothes for now while I wash your uniform." Meredy nodded, following down the hall where Sara had pointed.
Her shower was quick, done for the sake of being clean once more and nothing excessive. It wasn't her place to take longer than that, after all. As promised, when she stepped out, there was a simple change of clothes, consisting of a plain white shirt and short black skirt. Meredy pulled them on, walking outside and finding Sara sitting calmly in the living room, just staring at the wall with distant eyes. "Thank you." It seemed appropriate to thank her for the assistance.
Sara blinked, turning towards her for a moment. The woman sighed, shrugging and shaking her head. "Right. You're here too." Her head tilted and she frowned. "Clothes are being washed. If you get hungry, there's some food in the fridge." Sara's frown deepened. "I don't eat here often, personally, so there's not much."
That might explain why she was so thin. "It isn't healthy to avoid meals."
"That's none of your concern." Sara folded her arms over her chest. "I assure you, I'm not trying to force myself to suffer or lose weight or anything of that nature. This isn't any form of eating disorder people get from similar mindsets." She was actually talking calmly and not lashing out for a change.
"If you wished to avoid causing me concern, your proper response would have been to claim you ate elsewhere, you know."
"I don't leave the house anymore, not for anything other than work." Sara shrugged. "Keeping up such a lie would be too much of a hassle." Her gaze flickered towards the window, a frown on her face.
Meredy couldn't quite picture a life like that. Even in Grimoire Heart, she got the chance to explore and see the world. "Is it peaceful? Living like this and having a simple life. I've never quite imagined staying in one place for long like that and can't quite picture what it is like."
"It is boring and lonely." Sara glanced over at Meredy, frowning. "I didn't choose to live like this. Life forced its hand on me and gave me little choice but to take this path. If I'd been more proactive, less reactive…perhaps things would've been different." There was a deep sorrow in her gaze, one that seemed to make Sara seem much older than she was. "It is often difficult for me to decide to act, rather than wait and watch. If I'd acted rather than waiting…my life would have been quite different, I think."
"I don't understand what is wrong with waiting." Meredy frowned. "Doesn't observing give you useful information about how to act?"
"Yes, it can." Sara met Meredy's gaze, tilting her head. "Yet, it also wastes time. If one is observing a war, for example, how long before you intervene in the fight? Wait until you know what magic the enemy uses? Until you know a counter spell? Until you can completely mimic and devastate each and every member of the opposing side?" Sara sighed, shaking her head. "Regardless of which option you choose, people die while you wait to make the decision to act. Tragedies can happen while you are still making a decision. That, Meredy, is why you should learn to act, rather than simply watch."
"I'm starting to act now." Meredy was alone now and she had people nearby to help. "Taking this job is my first step towards understanding how to do so, without others pushing me forward."
"That is still nothing more than standing and waiting." Meredy stared at Sara, seeing the woman sigh and shake her head. "I don't think you'll be able to understand what I'm saying. Most people don't, when I try to give reasonable and thoughtful advice for a change. That's why I told myself I'd stop with it. It makes me seem too old and I tend to get angry when my advice is ignored." Meredy frowned at her, yet Sara was already getting up. "I'm going to sleep. Take the couch or the floor, I don't care. We've got work again tomorrow and I'd rather get my mind off of the past before it puts me in a bad mood again." With that, she walked off down the hallway. Meredy didn't know what else to do, especially since the sun had just barely begun to set outside. However, she hadn't exactly been given an invitation to do much in this place. So, she leaned over, lying down and closing her eyes. She'd get some sleep and maybe try to understand Sara better tomorrow, when her words seemed a little less confusing than they were now.
Sara didn't seem to take on that serious tone with Meredy again, at least not over the next week as they adjusted to living together. Really, Meredy didn't have many complaints. They worked together and in the house, Meredy kept herself clean. Eventually, Sara had even given her a room to stay in rather than just the couch. "I've cleared away my stuff from this room. Take it and do what you want with it." Meredy hadn't noticed Sara moving her belongings, but she supposed she hadn't been paying attention either.
Still, that little bit of advice Sara had given lingered with her. Was Meredy waiting or was she moving forward? She wasn't certain. That was what kept her struggling to make pleasant smiles and conversations with guests at the coffee shop. Then again, it wasn't like she'd been skilled with that in the first place.
"Meredy! I didn't see you last time I was in." Wendy smiled at her, running up to the front counter quickly. "I've been looking for you, actually."
Sighing, Meredy shook her head. "May I take your order?" She was here to work and she didn't really feel like chatting with Wendy today. As cheerful as Wendy was, it was tedious to deal with her sometimes.
The girl's smile fell slightly as she gave it, but she was quick to bring up whatever topic she had in mind once her order was placed. "Well, remember that job I said I was going to leave on soon?" Meredy nodded. "I still don't know much about it, but I'm worried I won't be any use on that team. So, I was going to train with Charle, but she's not exactly a wizard who can help me figure out how to improve my magic. I've been meditating a lot like you suggested and I can already feel it helping. I was hoping you'd come with me, so you could teach me more."
"You want Meredy to train you in magic?" Crow overheard, blinking at Wendy. "She's not a sky wizard, or even a wind user for that matter. I don't think she's suited to helping you with your talents." Meredy frowned, not used to him trying to turn the child down. Usually, he was cheerful and supportive of whatever Wendy wanted to do.
"It'd be useless, getting help from someone like her." Sara joined in, taking a small break from making Wendy's order to talk.
"I've studied a few different styles of magic." While Meredy had never practiced anything other than sensory link, Hades did have her research a few different lost magics so she'd be able to assist in recruitment efforts for the Kin of Purgatory. Some of them had been based on wind, though she hadn't spent much time researching them until their attempt to recruit Sherria. "Besides, if she is simply looking for advice on basic principles, I'd be more than skilled enough to help."
"A teenager isn't a teacher, Meredy." Sara shook her head. "I mean, how old are you even? I don't know the exact number, but you definitely don't seem old enough to be a master of any sort of magic to me."
Scowling, Meredy turned away. "Age means nothing when it comes to skill. Perhaps I am young, but that does not mean I can't—" She broke off, frowning. Why did it even matter? She didn't even want to train Wendy in the first place. It would be tedious and she'd have to deal with a cheerful, talkative girl for an entire day. Meredy didn't know if she'd be able to keep up a friendly attitude around that, or if it'd push her to shutdown out of fear of frightening her away.
"Um, I don't really need a master, exactly." Wendy spoke up, glancing between them. "I just know Meredy from here and my guild is all really busy lately. I just wanted to practice with someone I knew, I guess. Sorry for being a bother. I'll just go with Charle and do my best to learn on my own instead."
Well, that was decided then. Meredy frowned, not speaking up. Crow went to take another order and Sara returned to making Wendy's coffee for the day. However, glancing at Sara, Meredy couldn't help but think of her advice from before. Refusing to do this would be the same as standing back and observing. If her goal really was to make new connections and friends, she should want to spend time with someone like this.
Letting out a sigh, Meredy turned towards Wendy just as Sara handed her the coffee. "When were you planning to train?"
The young wizard blinked, glancing over at her. "Huh? Oh." She smiled, shrugging. "I didn't exactly plan it out specifically. Just soon. I thought you'd be working a lot, so I was waiting to see if you were coming with me to decide when. I mean, Saturday probably works really well for you, but if you're not coming, I'll try and go earlier than that." She gave Meredy a smile. "Really, it isn't a problem, though. I'm just a customer. I probably annoy you with how much I talk. I just don't really know that many other girls my age. Most of the wizards at my guild are adults. They're very nice to me, but it isn't the same."
"It isn't that annoying." Meredy frowned, looking away. "More like memorable. It differentiates you from the others. So, I recall our conversations easier than I do the conversations with them."
Behind her, Sara snorted. "That's your idea of a complement? I see why you don't have any friends, Meredy." The former dark wizard scowled, but said nothing in response.
"Hey! Don't be rude to her. I'm certain Meredy has tons of friends. She's just shy." Wendy offered Meredy a smile. "I guess I'm kinda like that too. I get nervous talking to people, but at least coming here, I see the same faces every day. That's why I wanted to get to know you as soon as possible. I didn't want to be nervous just coming in to pick up coffee for my guild."
"So that is the purpose of having me with you for training." Wendy grabbed her drink carrier however, shrugging. "Where will this be happening?"
"Uh, well, I don't know." Wendy bit her lip. "My magic isn't really for fighting and I can't practice it easily. Usually, I just go through the motions of using a spell to get a feel for it, since I can't put it to practice without people."
Considering her last comment about magic had been a description of a spell to heal motion sickness, Meredy decided it was likely accurate enough. "I see." She glanced at the girl. "I will meet you at your guild hall then, Saturday morning. Training for missions is important, to ensure you are prepared for whatever you may face."
"You will?" Wendy's face lit up, a bright smile flashing towards Meredy as she grinned. "Thank you so much! I promise, I'll try and make it up to you soon." With that, Wendy gave a wave. "I've gotta get going now, so I'll leave you to get back to work. See you Saturday!" Meredy felt a small smile on her face as she watched the girl leave. She had plans now, to go out with a girl that was likely her own age. Perhaps living a peaceful life like this was for her, one that kept her away from battles, death, and bloodshed.
Crow and Sara watched her as she went back to work, taking over cleaning since Crow had started handling orders. She made sure tables were wiped off, cleaned the counters where the coffee makers and blenders were set up, and moved on to keeping Sara's cups and syrups stocked up front. Yet, there seemed to be a few shared looks between the two of them and a lot of looks shot her way as well. Meredy didn't understand what it meant, but she almost felt like they were disappointed in her for some reason.
When the doors locked up, Sara turned towards her with a frown. "What has you so eager to run off with Wendy now? Looking to become a guild wizard or something?"
"No." She frowned. "My time is better spent away from magic, for the time being. This is just a day to connect with someone my age."
"Wendy is twelve and you are directly involving yourself with magic by doing this."
"I'm thirteen." Meredy glared at Sara, crossing her arms over her chest. "And perhaps this is a path that lets me learn more about my own in return." She looked away, staring at the counter with a frown. "I haven't always used my magic for the best of reasons. I don't know any other way to use it, though. Someone like Wendy might be able to show me the joy in being a wizard again."
She had enjoyed it, when her family was still alive. There was something so mystical about magic back then, being one of the only families in the area that could use it. She had never been able to get over her fascination with how seemingly impossible tasks became possible with magic. It could start a fire in less than a second, illuminate a dark room, change the weather, and transform people and the surrounding world. There didn't seem to be any limitations, at least not to her mind as a child. Yet, now she'd learned more. Magic had taken away her family and she'd endured many injuries herself while trying to learn it. Magic became something that had destructive potential, something she took advantage of and was forced to understand on a personal level. She'd had never taken the time to return to that childlike mindset and wonder what it could create.
"You won't be able to stop her, Sara." Crow sighed, looking over at Meredy with a slight frown. "We'll still see you back at work on Monday though, right?"
"Of course." She frowned. "I have no reason to leave this area at the moment and this is the only job I've managed to locate here."
"This isn't going to work out. I told you, you should've been the one to—"
"Sara." Crow interrupted her and the girl stopped talking. She scowled again, turning away and storming off. Meredy watched, uncertain of what she'd done to anger her at all. With a sigh, Crow turned towards her instead. "She might not be the best at expressing it and nor am I. However, both of us are trying to get to know you, Meredy. It just makes us a bit jealous when you go running off with random customers instead when we hardly hear a thing about you."
"Why?" Meredy frowned at him. "You are my boss, someone to look up to in a professional setting. From what I understand, it typically is not advised to make close companions out of someone in such a position."
"Sara and I have owned this coffee shop for a long time now. We don't typically hire on help, Meredy and now that we have, we want to ensure you fit in to our workplace here." He took a seat at one of the tables and gestured across from him. After a moment, she joined the man, frowning. "You typically look at things a bit more logically than that, though, don't you?" She nodded, still frowning at him. He sighed, glancing over out the window. "Well…perhaps I'm a bit of a foolish man in a way then. Do you believe at all in fortune telling, or psychics of any form?"
"No. Magic that peers into the future does not exist, not truly." She shrugged. "Not that there aren't branches that manipulate time. That simply isn't one that can be accessed."
"Most would agree. The barriers to such a thing are immense to overcome and with good reason." Crow turned back towards her, a small smile on his face. "Yet, I do still allow myself to believe in them from time to time. Good fortunes can bring hope for the future, if I let myself think they are possible."
"How does that relate to me at all?"
"Because I was once given a fortune of sorts, one that I have been waiting to follow through on." Meredy didn't understand; was he told he'd befriend some stranger in his coffee shop then? "In the darkest of moments, when things appear to be growing even bleaker, you shall meet a young girl who will provide a necessary warning on when to act." It sounded like he was giving a quote of some kind, but it seemed strange. "While it isn't easy to admit, Sara and I are both struggling with a great conflict at this very moment. It is indeed looking quite bleak and impossible to over come. I fear that a threat will be approaching us quite soon. However, with all that in mind, you enter our coffee shop, seeking a job. I trusted in that prophecy and asked Sara to play along in helping me understand just what it is about you that will be so helpful."
"I'm not the type of person that can pull people away from darkness. Nor am I aware of any sort of impending conflicts that would require you to do anything." Meredy shook her head. "Sorry, but this prophecy aligning with your encounter with me is mere coincidence."
"Well, I will simply have to disagree."
He wasn't logical at all about it, but Meredy was seeing that he wouldn't be dissuaded. She sighed, shrugging. "Well, so long as you don't expect too much of me, I suppose there's nothing wrong with it."
"Will you forgive Sara for her rudeness then?" Meredy blinked, frowning.
"I wasn't angry with her at all. She had voiced her disagreement with my actions and I went against what she wanted. It seemed reasonable for her to be upset in response."
Hearing that, Crow chuckled. "Well, I suppose it would seem that way to you." He was grinning and he reached over, squeezing Meredy's shoulder after a moment. "I am glad that you are around, regardless of how you feel about foolish prophecies, Meredy. You may not see it yet, but I can see much more potential in you than you imagine."
Hades had thought the same thing, as had Ultear. Everyone saw this huge potential with her magic and skill, but Meredy didn't know if she wanted to perfect it anymore and live up to those expectations. "I just want to be a normal person for a change. I don't think I want to be exceptional like that."
"Ah, I suppose all individuals do seek out conformity, regardless of what era we find ourselves in." Crow sighed, shaking his head. "Enjoy normalcy while it lasts. I'm not certain if such lifestyles are designed to last for long, not for magic users of any kind."
He might be right, but Meredy didn't care. She rose to her feet, preparing to leave and return to Sara's home. Either way, she was starting to see that both of her bosses were a bit strange. Sara gave cryptic advice when she wasn't looking down on everything Meredy did. In contrast, Crow seemed far more open and believed openly in things that he knew should be treated as fiction. He was friendlier, but there was something about the way he spoke that almost bothered Meredy more than Sara did. Crow was honest, but he spoke as if the future he mentioned was far more certain than anything else. His certainty that worse things were still yet to come sent shivers through her and had her wondering how someone could seem so happy when they clearly believed things were terrible and going to get worse.