Happy New Year to all!
I wish you all the best in 2022!
Please, take care and stay safe from COVID (raspily says the author who's lost her voice to COVID coughing)

Huge thanks to everyone who's left me reviews, comments and followed and faved the story!

Without further ado:

Chapter 11: Patience you must have

"L-Luck!" Nova called out, jumping to her feet and rushing over, but the boy didn't mind her one bit. He picked up the tall man effortlessly, dragging him away from the bar. Nova stood in the middle of the inn's saloon, watching helplessly as the Magic Knight promptly threw the man out the door and into the rain, then stepped out after him. She had been frozen in place by the look on Luck's face. It had held such hatred, such rage, one she hadn't seen previously. The manic smile on his lips spoke volumes. If anyone had dared to interrupt him, he'd surely have killed them, even if it was her. "Luck!" Nova managed to get her voice to work and her legs to move, running towards the door.

Outside, in the pouring rain and flashing lightning, Luck stood over the tall man, his usual magic boots formed on his feet, mana crackling in the air. The boy raised one foot to the whimpering man, his face in that same manic expression of a twisted smile. Nova rushed forward, her semi-dry clothes getting wet once again.

"Luck, don't!" she managed to grab his arm, making him look at her. "He's not worth it, Luck. He's not." Luck's head tilted to the side, then turned to the man.

"Don't come in there again," he told the man in a low voice. "If you do, next time she won't be here to save you." Then, he lowered his foot to the ground, undid the magic of his boots and pulled Nova back into the inn.

Nova didn't speak. She knew that she'd interrupted something she shouldn't have, so she didn't talk to the boy. Instead, she let him lead her back to the bench and helped him wring the rain out of his tunic once more. There was a sound of a girl crying coming from the bar and Nova spotted the innkeeper comforting the distraught bartender. She looked up at Luck, but he was silent and stone-faced. Or, at least as stone-faced as he could get. He still had a smile on his lips, but it wasn't the usual welcoming one that she'd gotten accustomed to. No, he looked positively ready to snap, so she stayed silent.

After a while of eating soup in silence, the innkeeper joined them at the bench. She came over with a few towels and a worried face.

"Are you two alright? Amalie told me that you saved her, thank you so much!" the elderly woman took Luck's hand in hers after she placed down the towels. "One of the visitors passing by was bothering her again, harassing her. We've been unable to manage them, as it's only me, Amalie and my nephew, who's too young to be in a bar brawl. Harassment is something we have to just bear with."

"He was harassing her?" Nova asked, looking up at Luck again. She hadn't noticed it. She had been too occupied with her own weird thoughts to notice it. "Well, you've got a Magic Knight right here, so it's all good." Nova attempted to smile, but she was sure it came out more as a grimace that anything.

"A Magic Knight? At your age? How lucky we are!" the innkeeper, thanked Luck again, patting him on the hand and shoulder, before she nodded to the both of them, excusing herself. Nova wasn't sure if she should say anything to Luck. What would she even say? How did you notice the harassment? Why did you intervene? Were you going to kill the man?

"Are you okay?" she finally managed, as she worked one of the dry towels through Luck's hair.

"I'm fine, you?" the response seemed a little too innocent, as well as that smile that was directed her way instantly.

"I'm okay," she nodded.

"Sorry, I kinda lost it," Luck laughed.

"It's okay," Nova lowered the towel, brushing her hand through his hair. It wasn't dry, but it wasn't wet either. She was satisfied with that. She grabbed a fresh towel and started on her own hair. She would glance from time to time at Luck, finding him staring straight ahead or looking at his broth, unbothered, as he ate. They didn't talk. Not even when the innkeeper came over to lead them upstairs, still very thankful for Luck's intervention and very accommodating. They were given a single room, which Nova found she didn't mind as much as she'd thought she would've. It didn't have separate beds, but at least the one which it had was large enough for the both of them. The innkeeper apologized, saying how they mostly housed married couples and lone wolf travelers and that their twin bed rooms were all occupied at that moment.

"Why don't you get a bath first, and I'll unpack?" Luck asked, heading for the wooden dresser in the corner and peering into the drawers. Nova nodded, grabbing the necessities she'd brought with her and leaving the room. Everything in the inn was rustic, built in wood and all the cloth was cotton. Cotton curtains, white, cotton sheets, white, cotton towels, white. It brought a certain charm to the place which creaked as she walked and groaned with the storm rattling the windows from outside. The innkeeper had showed them the bath on the way to the room, a small closed door at the very end of the hallway, near the stairs.

When Nova entered, she noticed a single claw-foot tub, copper, filled with steaming water. She nodded to herself and placed her necessities on the small counter next to the sink. The bathroom was surprisingly modern, done in marble and even had a mirror which showed her whole form in it, head to toe. She decided that she rather liked the little inn in the middle of nowhere.

As she took off her clothing, hanging it to dry by the heating vent, her thoughts drifted to the events from a few moments ago. She sank into the warm water with a sigh of relief, her body finally not shivering so badly anymore. Luck had reacted too quickly. He'd noticed the situation of issue too quickly. It was as if he had been tuned into it from the beginning. This led her to recall all the talk about PTSD and how people would be hypersensitive about specific issues. Perhaps, he had experienced something in the past which led him to be so vigilant about harassment?

She didn't know and certainly wouldn't speculate or press him on the topic. Nova's mind relaxed and wandered off, going from topic to topic, abandoning the issue which had been bothering her. As she streamed through the countless recipes for salves Will had been teaching her, her hands came up, above the water, starting to make motions she usually practiced when she had the time. Stitch, stitch, stitch, tie. Stitch, stitch, stitch, tie. Sutures. They were the essential part of the Surgeon's healing method. Stitches could make or break an operation. The type of thread used, the pressure one put on the organ, the way one pulled them tight and closed the wound, it was all vital. There was no easy way to learn them, except for countless hours of practice.

Nova had started on fruit. She could still recall the first time she'd tried stitching a banana together. She'd used too much force and messed it up on dozens of tries. She'd tried chicken, too. She'd slice a chicken in half, before stitching it back together with her OR applied. Her mother had been completely outraged when one of the chickens, which were by no means cheap, ended up cooked and prepared for a meal with a whole set of stitches inside it. In retrospect, Nova shouldn't've returned it to the pantry, as if she hadn't stitched it back together.

The first important healing she'd done on herself, of course. The first few times, they had been cuts and bruises from her falls off the broom during landings. Then, she'd managed to fix her own leg, after injuring it in the fields, without the help of the area's healer. Finally, she'd had her first patient, her own father. Working in the mines was no easy job. The man got minor injuries on a daily basis, such as cuts and blisters and bruises, but during cave-ins, the damage would be more critical. One day, he'd come home with a punctured abdomen, assuring his wife that he was fine all the way.

That very same evening, after dinner, Nova had entered his room, her humble stitching kit in her hands, and demanded she take a look at his wound. Her father hadn't been too eager to let her do it, but he'd caved after a while. Then, the girl had proceeded to impress him with her skills, managing to fix him up so that he only had slight discomfort in his side the following morning. That was when Nova had gained more patients. The old man down the street who couldn't manage his joint pain. The woman who had six children from across the village, who was having issues with her back and legs. The miners who got hurt almost daily. The baker who would burn himself from time to time on his oven. The butcher's apprentice who had issues with handling his knife.

While Nova still had the title of the wannabe healer, she was the closest method of fixing the minor issues all of these people had, and her services were for free. They did favors for her in return, like giving her mother extra bread in the morning, or helping her find work in the fields, and sometimes even offering the best of the meat available at the shop. But, Nova had been content. It had all been what she'd wanted, after all.

However, now, she wasn't just a meager backup unless the area's healer came by. She was the healer. She was the main source of fixing wounds at the Capital, of all places. She tended to Magic Knights and their adjacents, who relied on her to save their lives and livelihoods. So, stitch after stitch she practiced, her fingers nimble and staying in shape for the upcoming needs of her patients. She needed to know the feel of each organ, every different tissue type, and how to best fix any damage to either of them. And, she needed to keep all of that knowledge in her head at all times.

"Nova?" Luck's voice came from the door, along with a knock, making her startle in the tub and splash some water onto the marble floor.

"Yeah?" she replied, looking to the door.

"I thought you'd fallen asleep in there," he chuckled. "It's been an hour." Nova looked out the window where a storm was still raging in the dark.

"Sorry, I lost track of time," she called out. "I'll be out in a moment." The girl dunked her head, quickly grabbing the shampoo and soap and cleaning her numb body. Sleep was creeping in on her mind, tired after a long day of flying. When she was done lathering herself, she stood up and took the bowl beside the tub, washing the suds off with lukewarm water. Then, she stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel. There was a lot to be missed about the Capital's irrigation and drainage system when out in the boonies. The tub would have to be emptied manually, unlike the one at the tower, which could be drained easily through pipes. So, after slipping into the robe the innkeeper had left for her, she started on the process. She had no dry clothes, other than the nightgown in her bag, but at least she'd packed some spare underwear, which was a blessing in retrospect. Sharing a room with Luck without any undergarments would've made her too nervous to sleep, after all.

Finally done with cleaning up, Nova gathered her things and stepped out of the bathroom. Luck was leaning against the wall to her left, toiletries in hand, waiting.

"Sorry I took so long," she told him through a tired yawn. "I was thinking and ended up staying in the tub for too long." Luck grinned at her in his usual, carefree manner.

"Not a problem," he caught the bathroom door, entering the steamy room. "The innkeeper came by and left some fruit upstairs for us. I'll be just a moment, but you don't need to wait up," he said. "Oh, and I took the left side of the bed." He cheekily added, before closing the door.

"B-but, I like the left side!" Nova complained through the wood, hearing his laughter inside. She shook her head, smiling to herself, and headed for their shared room. Somehow, despite the unease she'd felt around Luck earlier, she didn't doubt that they would be okay.

The smell of wood and freshly washed linen sheets. The sound of rain pattering on the window glass and the roar of thunder outside. Altogether combined with the warmth of the in-room fireplace and the sheer exhaustion Nova was feeling left her completely content face-planted into the right side of the bed, not even minding the fact that it wasn't her preferred side. She was just happy to lie there, letting her tired limbs go numb and sleep creep into her mind.

"Nova? You asleep?" Luck asked when he closed the door behind him. He really bathed fast, Nova mused, too tired to move a muscle. She was happy right where she was. Then, the boy chuckled, rather ominously. Nova heard him creep towards her and then slowly, carefully, he flipped her over. However, instead of being met with a sleeping face, he was met with a deadpan stare. Nova assessed the suspicious baggie of red something in his hand, which quickly vanished as soon as he caught her stare. "Hello," Luck conversationally said.

"Hello to you, too," she retorted, deadpan. "No pranks."

"Eeeh?" Luck's face instantly fell, a pout forming on his lips. "Not even little ones?" Nova sighed, pushing herself further into the bed. She tucked her legs under the covers and let her head hit the soft pillows, thankful that she'd had the strength to dry her hair.

"Here's the thing," she explained. "If you start, I'll start and then there'll be no end in sight and we don't have Magna here to be our mutual target, so it will finish in carnage."

"True," Luck nodded. "Besides, Magna is much more fun to prank than you." He didn't even wait for her to turn around and not look when he stripped his robe, going for his sleepwear. Nova quickly turned away.

"Are you saying I'm boring?"

"Yes."

"I'm not."

"You're boring to prank," Luck hopped into bed, snuggling into a pillow under the covers. "I spent months zapping you and all I got was a book slammed on my head. Twice. Magna uses his magic every time." Nova giggled, remembering the so-called Crackly Magna Typhoon running amok. Luck's latest prank on his friend had been to literally turn him into a weapon of mass destruction with lightning magic, making the Fire Mage not too happy after he'd stopped spinning.

"I'm glad I'm boring, then," she sighed, her eyes dropping. "If I reacted the way you want me to, there'd be no escaping you, would there?"

"Not really," Luck chuckled. She had a vague feeling of being watched, and forced her eyes to open. Luck was peering at her from behind his huge pillow. He'd pulled it from under his head and put it in between them, hugging it.

"Say," Nova began, then stopped, wondering how best to phrase what she wanted to ask. Luck didn't say anything and she wondered if he'd fallen asleep. She looked back up only to find him watching her with that same curious gaze. "If you ever wanna talk, you can talk to me." She decided to say. Perhaps he would get it. If he wanted to, he could. He was smart enough. She didn't want to put pressure on him. But, also, she wanted to know. It was bugging her. What had happened? Why had he reacted in such a way? Even during that single mission they'd shared, during a fight, he hadn't had that kind of an expression on his face. Luck didn't fight to kill a person, but to enjoy the battle, to savor the win. So, if he wanted to talk about why his goal had changed that evening, he could.

"I'm talking to you already?" Luck's voice seemed confused, making Nova look up again. His eyebrows had almost vanished into his bangs. "Should I not be talking to you unless I'm taking you up on your offer of talking to you?"

"Eh?" Nova's brain promptly fried, trying to follow that lackluster of a sentence in her tired state. "No, I mean," she shook her head, "-about tonight. If you want to talk about it, you can."

"Do you want me to talk about it?" Nova's head snapped up and stayed up this time. Any thought of sleep was gone. Luck's voice wasn't light and airy. He had a deeper tone. He had a much deeper voice, she realized. But, when he was joking or in a good mood, he talked in a much airier tone. But, he was completely serious now. It was the same voice that he'd spoken to that man to. The same tone. The same pitch. It made her heart beat like a drum, a fast-paced rhythm she couldn't control.

"I'm curious," she replied, completely honestly, her mouth dry. "But I won't pry."

"Okay," Luck grinned, his usual tone returning to his voice. "G'night, Nova," he told her, snuggling into his pillow and closing his eyes. Nova breathed a sigh of relief and disappointment, tightly intertwined. On one hand, she was a little too curious about the whole thing. On the other, she was glad that Luck wasn't fixated on her anymore. Maybe, just maybe, she was a tiny bit afraid of him when he got like that.

She looked at the boy whom she was sharing a bed with, inspected him slowly. He had such a relaxed expression then. He was adorably clinging to a pillow, too. And, mere hours before he'd been standing in the rain, lightning flashing above, with a manic look on his face ready to kill a man. Two sides of the same coin, Nova figured. The danger and the softness. Luck was oddly similar to his magic, she realized. Dangerous, to some, fascinating, to others. There was an undeniable beauty to him which could turn into a deadly affair rather quickly.

Nova sighed, this time in complete and utter relaxation and bliss, sinking further into the mattress and her pillow. She'd never been afraid of a lightning storm. Never ever in her life had she run home like she'd been told to do. Instead, she'd preferred to listen to the thunder and attempt to chase after it, to see the flashes of light that came with it. She had this belief that if it was meant to happen, if that lightning was hers, it would strike her, if not, she was safe. So, why the fear? Why would she even consider fearing a lightning storm now? Especially if it was in the form of such a sweet boy.

The following day at breakfast, which was a rather rowdy affair in the bar of the inn with all the other guests present, Nova found out that the young girl who took care of the drinks was named Amalie, and that she was quite grateful for the saving Luck had done the previous night. Also, she discovered that the stout innkeeper, Harietta, was a lovely woman, truly, and that she had no children, despite wanting a lot of them.

"A Magic Knight! How grand!" Amalie had decided to sit with them, well, mostly to sit with Luck, and fire off question after question. "Saving people must be in your job description, then?"

"I suppose," he shrugged, laughing. "I just want to fight strong people." Nova looked up to see if Amalie was deterred, but it appeared that the girl didn't much care for Luck's peculiar personality. She was smiling happily at him, cutting up an apple and placing pieces onto his plate.

"Oh, have you fought a lot of battles? Been at the border? I've never left this village myself…"

"Mhm," Luck swallowed and then explained. "I had a mission at the border of the Diamond Kingdom. Some of their mages were really strong but I beat them to a bloody pulp and one of them even got disemboweled! It was great! A blood-filled battle!"

"I bet the people on the border were grateful for the protection you gave," Amalie said, this time adding more jam to Luck's toast. "I mean, who wouldn't want a strong Magic Knight like yourself protecting them?"

"I suppose they were," Luck commented. "I was too busy with the fight. It was really difficult to win! One mage had this peculiar poison magic which gave me a lot of trouble," then, suddenly, he turned to Nova and grinned. "I'm lucky that Nova was ready to patch me up when I came back home."

"You almost died from the poison, idiot," she deadpanned, returning to her meal in silence.

"Everything alright here, dears?" Harietta came by once again, checking on them and their food. "Amalie, don't bother them too much, honey."

"She's no bother at all," Luck was quick to answer. "We were just discussing some missions I've had in the past. Good battles!" Nova frowned into her food, irritated for some reason. She quickly drank the rest of her coffee and smiled at the innkeeper.

"Everything's great, thank you so much," the girl said. "Say, is Amalie river far from here?"

"Not at all, dearie," replied the woman. "You just have to climb further up the mountain a bit and you can't miss it. It's a rather large river for this region. We get our water supply from it." Nova nodded.

"Then, could we reserve our room for the following week? I'd like to go gathering as soon as possible and it would be amazing to have a warm bed and a meal to return to."

"Not an issue!" Harietta grinned down at her, patting her shoulder. "I'll reserve the room and put it all on your tab."

"Thank you so much," Nova replied, rising. "I'm going to head out then," she told Luck. "You'll be able to find me when you're done with breakfast?"

"No problem," he grinned. Nova gave a small wave, forcing a smile and leaving the table. She went upstairs rather angrily, gathering the tools she needed for her work. Luck could stay and talk to Amalie for hours, for all she cared. Because she didn't. She really didn't. She just wanted some peace and quiet to work.

When she went through the main room in the inn again, Amalie had somehow seized Luck's arm and was talking to him happily as he ate. Nova scoffed, leaving the building. She had had a good rest and was ready to get started. First, she would fly up and find the river.

She threw a leg over her broom, a small backpack on her shoulder, and focused her magic. The broom flew up, but swerved to the side. Luckily, Nova was able to toss her leg out just in time to push off a nearby tree. Then, she hopped off one more before she was able to rise into the air. With a frown, gripping her broom tightly, she grit her teeth.

"Fly straight, damn you," she murmured to the broom. But, it didn't listen. It kept fluctuating up and down the whole way up the mountain. The landing she'd rather not talk about. She'd almost fallen into the water while attempting to get down.

With another huff, Nova placed her broom down by a peculiar tall tree and tossed her backpack there, as well. Then, she grabbed the sieve she'd brought and took of her boots, hiking up her pants. It was time to go fishing.

That's all folks!

Reviews:

Toreh:
Thanks so much for the lovely review!
I actually had the same experience, I got into the anime and manga and then realized that there were so few stories about Luck out there xD
Hope you keep enjoying the fic!

Guest:
Thanks so much for the review! Right on the money, I had to take some inspiration off Law, I was so curious as to how I could explore his powers in another 'Verse xD

Arubaturos
Thank you so much! I hope you'll keep enjoying it :D

Mirrorflower
Thanks so much for the lovely review!
I'm glad that you're enjoying my writing Q.Q
Some jealousy is always a good thing… it's a path to realization and denial xD
Feel free to write as much as you wish, I'm honestly just happy I get feedback xD
Best!

KenosDC1:
Thank you so much and Happy New Year also! I wish you all the best in the new 2022 :D
I was honestly torn on whether I should add that explanation or not, but decided in the end to give it, rather than hold it back. It will be more interesting looking for each and wondering which did what anyways xD Keep in mind that books are always written from one perspective, so they aren't the most reliable of sources :P
Ooooo I'll have to check out your work! I'm sorry if I've said this already, I always say it, then I write down the note and then I get buried in work Q.Q I'm an irresponsible reader I know xD
I have so many plans.. Like… So many… Unfortunately, all the world building I do off-screen can't be worked into the final product, but I'm hoping to put at least a little bit of it into the material I write. Definitely more to come about librarians, not just their marks :P
All the best!

AmericanNidiot:
Thanks so much for the review!
Luck in fighting mode is something entirely different, ain't he?

CreativeMindAtWorkHere:
Thanks so much for the review!
I'm glad that you're enjoying their dynamic :D