Greetings and welcome :)

So, turned out we have a holiday this Wednesday, so I don't have my usual workload… Hence… This chapter is all done and finished :) I hope you guys will enjoy the early update surprise :P

Gargantuan thanks to all who have reviewed!

Chapter 8: The base

Nova walked out of the store and into the sun, pulling her brown hat a little further down in order to shield her eyes better from the warm rays. She liked that cap. It was a puffy, brown newsboy hat which she was able to fully stuff her hair into, keeping it off her neck and face, making it the perfect summer headwear. So, what if it made her look boyish?

"Ah, that was expensive," Magna grumbled, walking up behind her, his broom boxed and under his arm as he placed the change back into his money pouch.

"You're going to thank me later for this purchase," Luck giggled, joining them in the street, holding both his and Nova's brooms, safely wrapped and boxed, under each arm. "A good broom can last you up to six years, if you're not reckless." Nova laughed at that, bumping the boy's shoulder with hers.

"Hey, if that broom lasts six years, I won't just thank you, I'll buy your next broom," she told him lightheartedly.

"Assuming we're both alive by then," Luck shrugged. "I'll take that as a bet."

"Now, that's morbid," Magna frowned, falling into step with the other two. "Who's to say we won't live till we're old enough to retire and become priests or teachers or something?"

"Maybe I could," Luck grinned and Nova instantly knew what was coming. "But, for sure you'll die before me, Magna."

"Why you little-" Magna's grimoire was out, and with his free hand he was halfway into pulling out his trusty bat, ready to go at his rival.

"'Cause you're weak, Magna!" Luck jabbed again, his own grimoire at the ready. Nova barely had the time to snatch their new purchases before the two boys broke out into a fight, spells flying everywhere. She sighed, shaking her head, holding all three parcels.

"At the rate you two are going, I'll be the first one to die, and from annoyance," she mumbled to herself, heading down the street, leaving the squabbling boys behind.

"Hey, Magna, Luck," Nova felt the blush coming onto her cheeks as she interrupted the boys in their mini-quarrel. They both turned to her, expressions different. Magna had a grin and Luck was raising an eyebrow at her uncertainly. They were sitting in their favored restaurant, the cheap place with big portions, whose owner already knew how peculiar the group of troublemakers was. Nova had chosen to eat with her back against the wall at their table, able to look both at the boys and out the window at the passing people in the street. Many residents of the Capital were walking about there, heading home from work in the dusk, faces tired, or taking their families for a meal somewhere, smiles wide. She enjoyed that pastime.

"What's up, Nova?" Magna asked and Nova jumped in her seat, startled. She'd forgotten that she'd called out to them before in her inspection of a young woman, red-headed, who was taking a whole family of children somewhere.

"I was wondering…" she began, then blushed and shook her head. "No, never mind," the girl stabbed her chicken with her fork rather forcefully, stuffing a big piece into her mouth. Some things, she shouldn't pry about. She should keep her musings to herself.

"Nova," Luck whined. "You can't just start to say something and then not say it," he scolded her in his usual not-sure-if-serious manner. "It just makes me want to know more. And," he grinned with a glint to his eye. "I'll get it out of you one way or another." That promise, she had to admit, was a tad terrifying.

"It's just- err- how should I put it?" Nova mumbled around her food.

"Just come out with it, upfront and personal!" Magna encouraged, nodding.

"How are the Black Bulls?" Nova blurted it out. She just… blurted it out. Then, seeing the boys exchange glances, she backtracked. "I mean, I heard a lot about the Squad from different people and nobody has anything nice to say. But, I mean, I like you two. And, the rest can't be that bad? I mean, you guys serve as Knights to Julius, so it's no doubt you're good, right? I mean, you know, I mea-"

"If you say 'I mean' one more time, I'll zap you," luckily, Luck interrupted her and Nova promptly shut her mouth tight. The boys exchanged one more look and then the blonde lightning fiend shrugged.

"It's a good Squad, objectively," Magna sighed. "We have a Teleportation Magic user, a witch with String Magic, guy who uses Mirror Magic, girl who uses Cotton Magic, a guy with Poison Magic. Even a dude who can transform himself into anything. Our Captain is a beast, too. You should see him fight!"

"Mhm! Capt Yami is the strongest!" Luck piped up with a wide grin. "I can't get him to fight me, but I will one of these days. He's incredible. Gives you all the best kinds of chills, you know?" Nova nodded and then quickly shook her head.

"No, I mean- Ouch!" the telltale zap happened, stinging her arm. "Luck! That was mean," she pouted at him, but there was no remorse on his face, as there never really was for his mischief. "I wanted to ask about the nature of the Squad. Like, you guys don't get many stars or anything?"

"True, true," Magna nodded sagely, making the girl raise an eyebrow at him. "We don't care about that, Nova! The Black Bulls do their own thing."

"Ah, I see," she nodded, looking down at her food again and pushing it around with her fork. Silence stretched out at their table, a vast contrast to the merry interior of the restaurant.

"If we can't answer your question well, why don't you come and see for yourself?" Luck asked then, making Nova drop her fork completely.

"E-eh?" she looked up at him, shocked. "No, no," her hands waved wildly in front of her. "I don't want to intrude- I couldn't possibly-"

"Why not?" Luck asked again.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone would mind," Magna shrugged. "Some of them have been pestering us to bring home this healer we've been hanging out with around. So, there should be no issue."

"So, it's decided then," Luck grinned. "Come over to our place tonight." Somehow, it had been decided without Nova's say so, and she didn't mind one bit, despite her usual need to organize everything her way.

Nova somehow managed to convince Luck and Magna, but mostly Luck, that dragging her broom all across the country to their base and then promptly back to the Tower was a pointless waste of energy. Will, the mother hen that he was, didn't like it one bit when she arrived, the boys in tow, only to tell him that she would be going over to the Black Bull's base that evening and wasn't certain when she'd be back. In fact, he abandoned his tenuous work of rolling up numerous bandages in favor of following Nova up the stairs, nagging all the way.

"It's the Black Bulls, Nova!" the senior healer exclaimed, as if that explained everything, his hands going up in frustration. He was standing in the doorway to her room, watching her place her broom under her bed.

"Don't worry, Will, Magna and Luck will take care of me, I'm sure," the girl smiled as she stood, patting her knees just in case some dust got on her pants. "I trust them."

"Well, I trust them about as far as I can throw them!" Will entered the room then, grabbing her shoulders. "Nova, you're young, you may not have had this talk, but boys and girls at your age, when they're together stuff happens," Will winced at his own wording, while Nova's eyebrow rose. Her cheeks colored at the sheer ridiculousness of the awkward situation. He was attempting to give her 'the talk' while not giving it, wasn't he? "What I'm saying is – at the age of progressing from a child to an adult specimen a representative of the species will attempt to procreate in order to further the species itself," Will nodded to himself, satisfied with that explanation.

"W-Will," Nova lost it, bending over with loud laughter. "Oh, Wizard King, help me, Will," but it was no use. She couldn't keep a straight face. So, the girl gave in, laughing until she started wheezing. Halfway, the senior healer joined her, the palm of his hand hitting his forehead.

"I'm completely off the mark, aren't I?" he asked when they managed to compose themselves. Nova tilted her head to the side, squinting.

"A little bit off, but not by much," she giggled. "While I'm sure that while progressing from a child to an-"

"Okay, enough," Will stopped her, pulling her out of her room. "You've had the talk, now twice, and you may go."

"Yes, mom," Nova managed to avoid it when he reached over to smack her for her cheekiness.

"Nova," Will called out as they were nearing the last few steps of the stairway. The girl turned, seeing the healer she'd come to love and respect like a member of her family standing a bit above her on the stairs, looking weary. "Please be careful," the tone he used made her listen intently. "While these boys may be your friends and you might trust them and nothing- err- you know is going on, the Black Bulls have a reputation for a reason. They aren't a reliable Squad and they aren't careful when it comes to other people and their needs. Don't get mixed up in something you can't handle."

For a second, the words got to her. Truly, the Squad had a reputation. Some said they were violent. Others that they destroyed things on missions. There were stories of their Captain being a ruthless, bloodthirsty monster on a battlefield. She'd heard about people going missing when they went to their hideout.

"I'll be careful, I promise," Nova said, giving Will a bright smile before turning around and bounding away.

Magna and Luck took her to a bar first. A bar with lots of inebriated women and men where they located their ride – Finral Roulacase. Despite having briefly met him on two occasions before, Nova was still surprised when he attempted to pick her up, asking her on a date rather casually. But, Magna was quick to pull him away, explaining how they needed a teleport to their base.

"If you stand next to him for too long, you'll get pregnant," the Fire Mage told her in a serious tone when Finral was out of earshot, making Nova frown and smack his arm.

"Don't be mean, Magna," she scolded.

"Truth hurts," Luck laughed, grabbing Nova's hand and taking her through a freshly opened portal. "Thanks, senpai," he told Finral as they vanished from the busy bar and into another part of the country.

"Than-" Nova started, but was too late. "-k you," she finished lamely with a frown, facing a forest and not Finral. "You could've let me finish, you know?" Her reply was a wide grin, as Luck obviously hoped to piss her off enough for a nice fight. That, he wouldn't get. Not just because Nova didn't want to fight him, but also because teleportation magic did what it always did to her, and promptly made her horribly dizzy and nauseous.

"Nova, you okay?" Magna asked, stepping up next to them from thin air.

"As convenient as it is, I hate Teleportation Magic," the girl grumbled, making the two boys laugh at her while she attempted to keep her dinner.

"This way, c'mon," Luck led them up the dirty old road which led through the forest. It got darker and darker out as they walked, the boys bickering about some thing or the next, while Nova tuned them out. Instead, she was listening to the sounds of the animals, the trees, the grass – the nocturnal part of nature was coming alive. She unconsciously smiled, recalling her time back home, when she would walk from the mines back to her house after sunset. The same sounds would welcome her home and the same sounds would be her lullaby as she fell asleep at night.

"Here we are," Magna suddenly said, getting her full attention. "The base." The boys stopped, allowing Nova a moment to take it in. For starters, it was huge. Not as big as the castle or the Tower, but huge, for a base. It was a house of three floors, at least, and numerous windows in an old architecture style, demanding respect. The tall tower-like structures which adorned the roof were fascinating to her, making her look up, all the way to the top, with a gasp of awe. Despite the old, ancient feeling about it, the Black Bull's base emanated a kind of welcoming energy which, along with the soft yellow light coming from the windows, made Nova feel oddly at home.

"I think she's broken, Magna," Luck said, poking the girl next to him. But, Nova couldn't get enough of the house.

"It's so…" she began, but got interrupted.

"Old?" Luck helpfully added.

"Big?" Magna joined in.

"Homey?"

"Nah, I think she wants to say gloomy?"

"Awesome!" Nova interrupted them both, grabbing them each by the arm. "Can we go in?" she asked, hopefully.

"Unless you're planning to camp outside, hell yeah, we're going in," Magna laughed, leading them towards the large doors of the base.

It turned out that the majority of the Squad were out or on missions that evening. Still, Nova got to meet some of the members briefly. In her awe of the interior of the place, she almost sat on a sleeping woman on the sofa in the middle of the common area. Blushing profusely, she apologized to her, only then to notice that the said lady was half-naked and deeply inebriated. Still, she introduced herself as Vanessa, the resident witch and undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women Nova had ever met. The conversation, before Luck intervened, went something along the lines of.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am!"

"Who are you?" Spoken rather sluggishly, lots of owlish blinking involved.

"Nova Goldin, ma'am!"

"Aaah, you're the healer girlfriend of our two young recruits, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Vanessa, nice to meet you," wide smile and an eager look. "So, is it true that Magna is-"

"Nova, come see my room!" and Luck appeared, almost out of thin, air, pulling her away from the smashed lady and her intriguing questions. "This is Grey, by the way."

"It's very nice to meet you, I'm Nova," the girl bowed, but was getting pulled away as she did. The odd, huge man in the corner simply blew out smoke in her wake, without a word. "I think he's mad. Luck, you made me be rude," Nova complained as she was dragged up the stairs.

"I don't think Grey really cares, one way or the other," Magna jogged to catch up with them, Luck leading the way at a brisk pace.

"My room is this way today," Luck didn't allow Nova to answer, or sightsee, but pulled her along. However, his words got her thinking on the topic.

"What do you mean today?" she asked with a frown.

"Oh, this place changes where things are," Magna explained. "Like, the bathroom will move or a wall will be where it wasn't. That kinda stuff."

"Is it cursed?" Nova asked them, excited.

"Who knows," the Lightning Mage shut her down, stopping, finally. She appreciated the break, because, between the run up the stairs and the pulling down multiple corridors, she was not only winded, but her arm hurt from where he kept pulling her. "Here we are!" Cheerily, Luck opened the door, entering. "Nice, isn't it? But a bit small."

"Small?" Nova raised an eyebrow as she turned in a circle, looking around. Luck's room was bigger than hers at the Tower, and that space was larger than hers at home. There was a bed, a wardrobe, a writing desk, everything pretty standard. Nova was a bit surprised to see a window seat, but figured that Luck didn't get much use of it. Though, judging by the large stack of books by it, he did. "Woah! I'm jealous!"

"My room's next, then?" Magna reached for her as Luck put away his broom, but Nova evaded.

"How can you drag me away before I get a chance to see what Luck's been reading?" the girl giggled, bounding over to the window seat and getting comfortable. She picked up the book on top of the pile, opening it.

"Fine, fine," Magna huffed. "I'll go grab some drinks and snacks. Knowing Charmy-paisen we're stocked up." He left the two alone, Nova squinting at the book.

"Damn, Luck, I barely understand this," she looked up at the boy's cheery smile, surprised and in awe of what he was reading in his free time. "Is this some kind of a syphon?"

"Mhm," the boy sat in front of her, his legs coming up to fold under his body comfortably. "It's a theory which is pretty modern considering the possibility of treating mana like water, almost."

"It gets complicated, doesn't it?"

"Not really," Luck reached over, flipping the pages and settling on a drawing of a magic circle with instructions. "What it does is essentially explain different sources of mana and the way mana could possibly be transferred, along with its reactions and interactions with the surrounding forces."

"Luck… that's complicated," Nova laughed, closing the book and putting it away. "But, I kind of get it. I use a similar thing when it comes to healing."

"How so?" the look on his face wasn't something Nova had seen before. He resembled a child who was ready to mop up knowledge like a sponge and fit it into his own mold.

"Essentially, I spur on the mana of the patient to do the work, or lend my own," she told him, almost being able to see the gears turning in his brain.

"Not quite like this, still," he told her, slumping back into the wall. "This could potentially allow you to draw power from nature and fuel your own mana reserve with it. Wouldn't that be amazing?"

"Sounds crazy powerful," Nova mused.

"Sounds perfect," Luck chuckled, looking out the window.

"You always liked learning stuff like this?" she asked him, getting a curious gaze. "I mean, reading and stuff and, you know, improving through modern theories?"

"I suppose," Nova couldn't help but look at him. She realized that there was more to Luck, right then and there. She'd known that there was more than just fighting and challenges and arguments and intentional zapping. But this was even more than the more she'd thought there was. "I've always liked learning and I've always been good at putting the theoretical into practice. People assume that I'm not that smart, because of the way I am, but I know a lot."

"I know," Nova said and their eyes locked. "I always knew you were bright."

"Not just off my rocker?"

"No," she shook her head. "I always knew there was more." For a second, silence stretched out between them and Nova was spellbound. She couldn't look away from those electric eyes. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. There was nothing but Luck in the room with her. Just Luck.

"Nov-"

"Drinks and snacks are here, ye' maggots!" Magna burst through the door, doing his best impression of a pirate, carrying way more than he should've been on numerous trays.

"Oh, let me help," Nova hopped to her feet, feeling her face heating up and rushed to grab the precious cargo the boy was carrying.

"Here, you can use this," Magna extended a loose shirt to Nova, then went back to digging through his belongings. It was getting late, and Finral was nowhere in sight, so the three of them had decided that it would simply easiest for Nova to sleep over and go back to the Tower in the morning. While it hadn't been the original plan, at the prospect of having to walk back, or, Wizard King forbid, have Luck or Magna fly her over, the girl had given in.

"Thanks, Magna," she said, yawning wide. At that point, Nova had become completely comfortable on their floor of the hideout. Magna and Luck's rooms were facing each other, which made it easy for the latter to annoy the former at almost any given point in time. Since the rest of the Black Bulls didn't usually wander about at night, Nova had quickly made herself at home, already familiar with almost everything in both spaces. She'd been laying on Luck's bed for the majority of the night, as they played various games and chatted, finding it extremely comfortable.

"No proble- Aha!" Magna rose triumphantly, a pair of shorts in his hand. "That's what I was looking for. These should fit you okay," he told her, handing them over. "Just go to the bathroom and change and we'll set up a bed for you."

"Or we can share?" Luck suggested from the doorway, tilting his head to the side with his usual grin.

"Listen here, now, Luck, Nova's a lady," Magna got in his face, immediately starting an argument. "There's plenty of rooms free and we can find her a-"

"Ah, no, Magna, I don't want to trouble you," the girl piped up, realizing that preparing a bed for her wouldn't just mean in one of their rooms, but actually seeking out a free one and getting it ready. "I can share for the night, it's not a problem."

"See? Not a problem," Luck repeated, knowing that it would irritate the other boy. "You can bunk with me, Nova!"

"I don't think sharing is bunking," the girl murmured as she was dragged by her arm yet again. "Let me just change, okay? I can't sleep in my working pants," she managed to wriggle out of Luck's grasp and slip away towards the bathroom. Fortunately, he allowed her to go, instead choosing to stay behind and poke Magna even more. As Nova closed the bathroom door with a shake of her head and a smile at their behavior, she didn't doubt that she'd find them in a full-blown battle once she was done.

Regardless, she did her business quickly and then stripped. For a moment, she debated leaving her bra on, but shook her head and slipped it off, too. She would be damned if she needed to sleep in that damnable thing for a single night.

Magna's clothes smelled of gunpowder and something fruity, like apples, if she was correct. They were comfortable and surprisingly not that much larger than what she usually wore. The shirt hung a bit awkwardly on her frame, slipping off of one shoulder, but the shorts stayed on, especially when she cinched them at the waist. Finally satisfied with the fact that the borrowed clothes would stay on, even after sleep, Nova nodded to her reflection in the mirror and left the bathroom.

"Boys, time for bed, break it up," she told the two warring Mages, who didn't listen, as they never really did. So, with a shrug, Nova opted for Luck's room and entered it. She neatly folded her clothes and took off her shoes and socks, all the while ignoring Magna's screams of anger and Luck's giggling in the background. "Guys," Nova came to the doorway, calling out one more time to the two Mages. "I'm gonna go to sleep, you two have fun." She turned around, hand going to her bun to release her hair. With a sigh of relief, she felt the tension in her scalp vanish and that's when the thud behind her sounded and she whirled around. "Oh, for Wizard King's sake, don't hurt each other!"

"I'm good!" Luck's hand shot up from the floor, before he rose into a sitting position, shaking his head and finally completely hopping up to his feet. "Was worth it," he chuckled, making Nova raise an eyebrow.

"Crazy battle maniac," Magna grumbled, putting his grimoire away. "I'm off to bed, too. Don't wake me up in the morning, Luck. Night, Nova."

"Night!"

"No problem, I'll have you up at six!" With one more grumble, Magna's door slammed shut. Luck and Nova were left standing in the hallway for a moment in silence before he looked at her.

"Your hair is really long," he commented, staring at her with his usual calculating intensity. But, recalling the odd feeling from before, Nova was painfully aware of the returning heat on her cheeks.

"A-ah, thanks," she looked away from him, suddenly regretting that she'd chosen his room, for whatever reason she'd done so.

"Let's go sleep," and Luck grabbed her hand, yet again, pulling her along.

That's all for now folks! I hope you enjoyed :)

Reviews:

Girigurl:
Thanks so much for the review :D
Nova's just silly XD Poor Will I agree wholeheartedly!
Oooooh migosh! Now that you've said it, it's in my head, too xD I can see it I can see it! The child swing xD
Magna oh gosh… I love that man, seriously… like, he's so nice. I think in our eagerness to watch Asta be badarse we overlook Magna who's like taking everyone everywhere on his broom and protecting his friends and fights to his last breath just awwwwwwe a wholesome man!
I was actually looking at the questioners where Tabata explained that Luck is the 7th smartest Bull and I was like oooh yea I kinda agree with this xD Henceforth, headcanon accepted xD You don't think he would help anyone? Mmmm I figure if they have their friendship dynamics, why not? Since it is his Squad, after all, at least with Magna… Idk maybe was OOC aaaaaaah xD
But, yeah Luck shoots down any romance in this story like 70% of the time ez pz xD
Silent glances and subtle expressions are my jam please! I love writing them and they are definitely the love language I speak hahahahaha I'm glad that you noticed them and enjoyed them :D
Thanks so much for the review yet again and have a great day 3