Here's yet another update! Hope you'll enjoy it :D

The consensus on changing the rating has been reached… I will definitely consider some smut in the near future :P Don't worry, I'll be sure to forewarn when we get there!

Chapter 26: Pretty in(sane)

"You think it's okay?" Nova asked, turning around to look at the back of her outfit in the mirror.

"Looks really good with your eyes!" Vanessa replied from the couch seat before promptly chugging from her flask. Nova didn't have the heart to tell her that drinking inside such an establishment was probably frowned upon. "That's why I told you to get some green, all the brown you wear just swallows you up."

"I'm really not sure about the front," Nova muttered, turning back around and inspecting the outfit. It was a nice dress. Objectively. Nova really had never worn dresses much. That was partially because she wasn't much of a dress person, seeing as they were very impractical for her, but it was also because they tended to be on the expensive side. While her father's job had brought in a decent amount of money for their household, and her mother's fortune-telling had been popular in the Common Realm and among the surrounding villages, her family had never been rich. At least, not the fancy dress wearing kind of rich.

Nova's childhood was a mess of climbing trees, working in the fields and sneaking into the library. None of those activities really called for fancy wear. However, now that she was living at the Capital, Vanessa's suggestion that she get at least one semi-formal dress for special occasions was logical. Still, looking at herself in the mirror, Nova wasn't certain that she needed to spend the money on that piece.

The dress really was nice. It was short, in a deep emerald color, with wide sleeves and a fitted waist, but flared out around her hips. The back was rather modest, too. It was the front, though, which bugged her. The neckline swooped down a bit too low for her taste. Showed off that she was a growing girl a bit too much for her liking. But, that had really been the point of their visit to this place, in the beginning. Nova had, shyly and with plenty of blushing and reconsidering, managed to finally seek out Vanessa at the base and beg the woman for help. She was, after all, what one might call a late bloomer. After getting to the Capital and living there for almost a whole year, all of her sports bras were becoming harder and harder to breathe in. She simply needed something with more support which she could work in. And, from her many memories of a half-naked Vanessa in the common area of the Bulls' base she knew that the woman had a good spot for undergarments. So, Nova had swallowed her pride and asked for help. How getting a new bra, and matching panties, had gone into shopping for several hours and different outfits, which she really didn't know when she would wear, she had no idea. But, there she was, looking at the way her new bra made her chest look almost womanly and how the plunging V-neck, at least plunging in her eyes, showed off that very same, alien to her, chest.

"It looks great, doesn't it?" Vanessa came up behind her, gently putting her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Here, let me show you the whole picture." The witch undid Nova's bun, let her hair down and ran her fingers through it in order to arrange it around the girl's shoulders. "See? You're beautiful." Nova blushed profusely. Indeed, with her hair down her head didn't look too odd in that outfit. Her legs were long, too. Despite the most recent set of bruises, courtesy of Yami, they looked good in the short skirt. With maybe some flats or boots, it would be a complete look.

"It does look good," Nova conceded. Vanessa smiled widely at her in the mirror.

"Imagine if we'd taken Magna and Luck with us, like they wanted!" The witch giggled. "They'd be blowing a fuse by now, especially that cherry yankee!" Nova giggled at that, imagining the mayhem in the store.

"I just can't imagine Magna entering a place like this," she agreed, giggling. Magna, much like Captain Yami as she'd learned, was a rather modest young man. He preferred covered skin on girls and never failed to let her know when her stomach or shoulder was showing during their training. If he entered the brassiere section of the store Nova could definitely see him fainting at the sight of long racks of goods. Luck, on the other hand, would probably fight her to the dressing room to try a few on himself. She cracked up at the thought.

"Let's get a celebratory drink!" Vanessa egged on, going back to the couch to grab all of the outfits she'd picked out, a large number of them quite revealing lingerie.

"Ah, the café!" Nova immediately caught on.

"Exactly!" Vanessa agreed cheerily.

"Wait, lemmie get out of this," the healer quickly headed for the dressing room to change, but the witch shook her head.

"No, no, leave it on! Perfect chance to get the public's reaction to the new outfit," the witch winked. Nova blushed, glancing down at her bare legs.

"But I haven't washed it…" In the end, the witch won and she still left the clothing store in her new dress.

Nova felt like all eyes were on her as she walked down the cobblestone streets of the Capital. In retrospect, the looks that she was getting were likely due to the dazzling Vanessa walking by her side, somehow in possession of a whole wine bottle now, laughing and chatting all the while. But, Nova found that she somehow relished in the attention she was getting. The looks, especially from men, gave her some kind of a confidence she hadn't had before. The dress was very short, exposing her usually hidden legs, and she'd been a tad anxious about walking out of the clothing store so scantily dressed. However, after a few minutes outside, she really was beginning to walk with a spring to her step and she was realizing why Vanessa had advocated for said dress. It made her feel… womanly.

"Should we hit another store or go for the café straight away?" Vanessa asked, looking at a particular window of a jewelry store. Nova smiled at that, shrugging.

"I guess we could check out some accessories for the new stuff?" At those words, the witch immediately perked up.

"Perfect!" And they both walked over to the window Vanessa had been eyeing. When they closed in on the laid out necklaces and earrings, Nova's attention was caught by the prices of the jewelry. It was all a bit too much on her wallet, ranging in the upper hundreds to thousands of yuls. However, one gem caught her eye. A small pair of blue earrings which shined oddly in the sunlight, almost changing their color. The hues went from sky-blue to a more azure hue and then to teal and even almost emerald in places. They were set in silver, but looked small enough to be worn both at work and during special occasions. Luckily, they didn't dangle, but were more like tiny buttons. She even liked their round shape. However, with the dress coming up to 500 yuls, was another 200 too much to spend on a set of earrings? She'd also spent a lot on her new undergarments…

"Look at that one!" Vanessa ecstatically commented, pointing over to the semi-large purple pendant set in gold. Nova peered over, squinting at the gem.

"Is that amethyst?" She asked, tilting her head to the side and trying to figure it out.

"It appears to be, but I'd have to go in and check," Vanessa nodded. "If it is, it's a steal at this price." Nova glanced at the tag and saw the zeroes.

"R-really?" She asked, frowning. She wasn't certain if she'd ever get something that expensive for herself. She would simply be too terrified to damage it, and likely wouldn't wear it often.

"Definitely," Vanessa nodded. "Good amethyst, pure amethyst, is hard to find. Especially in that size," she told the girl. When she saw Nova's face, she giggled and added. "The gem is a great mana conductor and can even store up your magic. This makes it a very popular accessory."

"Oooh," Nova nodded. "I didn't know gems could be used to boost combat abilities…" She thought for a moment. "Wonder if they can be used in healing, too." Vanessa smiled wide.

"Definitely!" The witch told her. "They're very popular in my homeland, and we also mine them and refine them ourselves. I'd suggest checking out The Dazzling World of Gems: Mundane Uses, if you're looking for more information. That book was written by a Magic Knight who apparently imbued their gear with gems and then wrote a book at the Wizard King's request in order to share the knowledge."

"I'll have to see if Luck has a copy…" Nova added the title to her mental list of books she needed to look over when she was back in Luck's room. She didn't notice the sly smile which appeared on Vanessa's face.

"If he doesn't, I'm sure he'll buy it for-"

"Miss Nova?" The two turned to find a certain baby-faced Magic Knight standing behind them, a woman in tow.

"Remi!" Nova excitedly bounded over to the man. "How have you been? How are the arms? Have you regained full mobility yet? Are the exercises helping?" As Vanessa came up to them, she turned to the witch immediately. "Vanessa, this is Remi Beaumont, from the Crimson Lions, and his colleague Genevieve from the same Squad." Then, she turned to the man. "Remi, this is Vanessa Enoteca, from the Black Bulls." The healer introduced with a wide smile.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Enoteca," the Magic Knight bowed low, as was customary for all the nobility in the presence of a lady, and then reached over for Vanessa's hand, planting a polite kiss of greeting on her knuckles. "I'm doing well, Miss Nova. My recovery is progressing smoothly and Mr. Will has been visiting me regularly for check-ups."

"My pleasure," Genevieve echoed, dropping into a polite curtsy. Vanessa seemed taken aback for a second, before giggling.

"Very nice to meet you both," she glanced at Nova with a smirk. "You sure know everyone, don't you?" That got the healer instantly blushing.

"A-ah, n-no, I j-just-" when all three of them chuckled at her embarrassment she huffed. "Stop teasing me!" That only got her more laughter.

"Are you ladies shopping on this fine morning?" Remi asked, standing to the side very appropriately, in Nova's opinion. His form was straight somehow, almost rigid, which she'd only seen around the Wizard King's residence before. She guessed that it had something to do with levels of politeness.

"We went to the clothing store," Vanessa nodded. "Needed something to spice up our little Nova's wardrobe a bit." The wink she gave the man had both him and Nova blushing profusely.

"You look very elegant in that dress, Miss Nova," Genevieve said without missing a beat. "I hear that minis are back in fashion this winter and will surely be the focus of court-wear in spring." She glanced down at her usual long skirt, humming. "Perhaps I ought to buy a new mini. I've already worn all the ones I have during the last season."

"Looking to impress a fellow?" Vanessa immediately asked, making Nova glance at Remi. He was looking mighty uncomfortable with the direction of their conversation, but doing his best not to show it.

"Somewhat," Genevieve smiled, her hand coming up to delicately hide her giggle. "I'm engaged to Duke Barrington, so I ought to follow the fashion trends in order not to shame his family in any way."

"Barrington younger?" Vanessa asked, frowning. "I thought he wasn't eligible yet?" Genevieve shook her head.

"The middle one," she replied. "He's set to inherit the family fortune and lands, as the eldest is a Magic Knight and thus ineligible for politics." Vanessa's frown deepened.

"Middle? Is that Arthur?" She asked, turning to Remi. "Didn't he try drop out from the Crimson Lions… what, three years ago?" Remi nodded.

"Indeed, he did," the Knight replied. "He had a spotless record while he was in service, though. We all hold him in very high regard."

"He's a wonderful man, really," Genevieve added. "He's been very kind to allow me to remain in the Squad until our marriage." Nova and Remi exchanged another look, the latter quickly glancing away from her. She somehow didn't like the way that was phrased. Why would Genevieve need to be allowed anything by her fiancé? She was a grown woman and could make her own decisions. Also, she was a capable Magic Knight. Marriage and work had nothing to do with one another and the connection really was escaping Nova. Surely, until she was trying for a child she should be able to work as she wished? And also, after she had her child she should be able to work as she wished? What was the point of allowing it?

"A respectable gentleman, I see," there was a hint of a sarcastic undertone to Vanessa's words which Nova wholeheartedly approved of. "Well, we must be on our way," the witch addressed the two. "It was very nice to meet you both."

"The pleasure was all ours," Remi bowed again. Genevieve politely smiled and nodded. "Until our next meeting," he addressed Nova with a smile on his face and she nodded back. And with that, the two nobles continued on their way and Vanessa tugged Nova in the opposite direction.

"I really hate that," the witch commented once they were out of earshot of the two. Nova looked up to find the woman frowning.

"Meeting colleagues on the street?" She asked.

"The misogyny among the nobility," Vanessa clarified. "Allowing her. Allowing her," the witch huffed and puffed. Nova smiled, happy that they had both been annoyed by the same thing. "Listen to me, Nova, this is important," the witch turned to her. "No matter whom you're romantically involved with, if they start allowing or forbidding you anything, you run for the hills, alright?" The witch grabbed her shoulders, facing her and almost shaking her as she spoke.

"Yes, ma'am," Nova nodded.

"And you call me to beat them the heck up," Vanessa added, looping their arms together as they continued down the sunny street. "Maybe Captain Yami, he hates that stuff, too."

"If Magna or Luck don't put them in the Tower first…" Nova mused.

"Indeed!" Vanessa laughed. The rest of the morning passed in pleasant, drunken giggling and gossiping. Apparently, Vanessa knew all the latest scoops about the Magic Knights and was more than willing to share them over spiked coffee. At the rate she was going, Nova really was heading towards certain alcoholism due to her friendship with the witch.

"Hence, that is the current obstacle," Julius concluded with a sigh, his hands clasped together in front of him on top of the desk. Nova frowned slightly, looking at the sullen man. Julius had summoned her into his office that week to let her know that her access to the restricted section of the Royal Library had been denied. The reasons for such a decision were listed as follows: While the healer in question is undoubtedly qualified and talented, she remains unaligned when it comes to the formal political factions. Or, in other words – Nova wasn't a Magic Knight, ergo, she hadn't proven her loyalty, ergo, she wasn't trustworthy enough to access the confidential documents. The letter sitting on Julius' desk had further given him a rather polite warning as to how his healer had already been allowed, rather generously, into the Royal Library. Which brought them both to the current conundrum.

"I've… actually been thinking about that," she told him softly, looking down at her own lap. "I'm not much better at using my magic than I was last year. I haven't improved nearly enough. But, I've been doing my best," she said, looking up at the Wizard King again. "I'm frankly terrified of stepping back into that arena-"

"I don't want something as silly as this petty gatekeeping to force you into-" Julius began, but Nova put her hand up with a smile.

"It's not just the petty gatekeeping," she told him. "It has merit of its own. Advantages which are undeniable." At that, the Wizard King finally smiled.

"Then, you're giving it another go? Even though my Captains couldn't see your talent last time?" He asked with a slight teasing edge to his tone, making Nova laugh.

"I was waiting for you to rub that in," she shook her head.

"You didn't know," he shrugged, moving the letter he'd been looking at into the first drawer of his desk. "I didn't mind it, either."

"I was mortified when I found out that I'd complained straight to the bossman," Nova sighed, leaning back in the comfortable chair. "Talk about going above the heads of those I was disgruntled with, right?" Julius' smile widened.

"It's always great to get feedback from the contestants," he told her. "Even more so when it's someone so eager to serve our Kingdom." Then, his smile suddenly dropped and he looked Nova straight in the eye, a rare moment when she recalled that he wasn't just some friendly uncle, but the actual Wizard King. The most powerful Magic Knight around. "You're doing alright, yes? Not being overworked? They're not treating you poorly at the Tower?" Nova shook her head.

"Master Julius, if I had to go back to that moment and fail that Exam again, go through that colossal disappointment, I'd do it all over again, just to be here, right now, just like this," she promised him, glad that his demeanor exuded relief instantly. "Though, we could use a proper elevator at the Tower. The leg workout really is killing us." He laughed at that.

"Noted, noted," Julius said. "Owen's been talking my ear off about that for years now."

"A party?" Nova asked, looking up from her patient. The Green Mantis Squad had brought in a number of urgent cases from their latest skirmish with the Diamond Kingdom, with enough cuts and bruises to go around. While Nova had been more than happy to let Owen take the more difficult healing with his magic, she'd been tasked with suturing a number of long gashes which almost every member of the team sported. Apparently, this time they hadn't been caused by their own Captain, but rather one of the enemy Generals, a similar rank to the Clover's Captains, who wielded wind magic and a sword.

"The nobles are looking to both celebrate the evaded crisis of the plague and host some kind of an opening to their courting season," Will said with a nod, not looking up from his own work. He was working on the burns some of the Knights had, applying salves to them before wrapping them loosely or leaving them open, depending on the need.

"Ah," Nova replied flatly. Stitch number two thousand and thirty six.

"You don't wanna go?" Will asked.

"Not sure if it'd be appropriate," Nova replied. Two thousand and forty. Her stitches were getting much faster. Especially with the application of the techniques which Viviana had left behind in her manifesto. Coupled with her OR, she was practically flying down the rows of cuts with her stitches.

"You got a dress?" Will, apparently, wasn't giving up.

"Sure," Nova recalled the green one she'd bought on her date with Vanessa.

"You got a date?" At that, she frowned. At first, Magna and Luck came to mind. Then, she pictured it. Magna eating wildly at a nobles' party. Luck starting challenges. The general mayhem. The arguing. Then, she considered Vanessa. The drinking. The nudity. Nova's mind jumped to her acquaintances from the Crimson Lions. She didn't know them well enough to do that to them. Finally, her eyes settled on Will, working diligently in front of her. He had his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth as he focused a hundred percent on not agitating the wound he was healing.

"You?"

"Maybe Mary or Liz," he replied, missing her point.

"No, I mean, you could be my date," Nova corrected. Will's head shot up. His eyebrow rose at her. His mouth opened. Then, he seemed to go through the same, or a similar, elimination process she'd gone through.

"I mean sure," he shrugged, going back to work. "If that's what you want, we could be killing two birds with one stone, since we're the only two invited from the Tower. Well, and Owen," he quickly added. Then, he grinned darkly. "Just imagine bringing the Bulls, though. I would pay to see that." Nova returned that smirk.

"Well, I could arrange that for you, sir," she told him in a mischievous tone. Her mentor laughed at that.

"Those things are dreadfully boring, please do," he half-joked, but Nova was already sold on the idea. Hitting two thousand and three hundred on her stiches, she quickly directed her OR and wrapped the wound securely. Now, all that was left was to do at least that many stiches more and then to plot out her mayhem perfectly. Somehow, even if they lost stars for starting a mess at the party, Nova felt that the Bulls wouldn't really be bothered.

Nova didn't wait for anyone to open the door anymore. She barged in like she owned the place, but at least she still had her manners, unlike the boys, and opened it with her hands.

"Excuse me!" The healer entered the Bulls' base, closing the door behind herself. As always, the inside of the impressive building was welcoming. The yellowish glow of the lamps around the common area was dim, but she could see everything going on inside. And, of course, the Bulls hadn't heard her enter because of the constant insanity which was present at their base. Magna and Luck appeared to be having yet another showdown, probably over pudding, seeing as Luck had figured out that if he ate Magna's sweets the Fire Mage definitely blew a fuse. Sure enough, Vanessa was passed out on the couch and Charmy was sitting next to her, unbothered by the witch's state of undress, eating. The only other member Nova could spot was Finral, looking rather depressed at the bar with a drink in his hand. "Good evening!" Nova greeted again, this time getting some attention.

"Oh, Novako, the Captain's out," Magna raised a hand in greeting before quickly firing off three fireballs in Luck's direction, in succession, attempting to catch the fiend off-guard. It didn't work.

"Good evening, Nova!" The cheery evildoer grinned at her from his spot on the second floor railing, at a semi-safe distance from Magna.

"Miss Nova!" Finral seemed to switch gears a bit too quickly for her, abandoning his drink in favor of staggering over to her. "How about a walk around the gardens? Perhaps a date with candlelit dinner and some stargazing?" His hands found hers and Nova didn't stop him. She'd figured out that his incessant flirting was probably some kind of a coping, self-defense mechanism, and she was willing to ignore it, because Finral really was a good guy. Needed standards, but he was a good guy. "Ouch!" Finral yelped, letting go of Nova's hands in favor of rubbing his arms. "Luck, what was that for? I'm your senior here, for Wizard King's sake!" Whatever other complaints Finral had about being zapped died out when he saw the eager smile on the Lightning Mage's face. "Never mind," and with that, Finral looked away from Luck.

"A date sounds lovely, Finral, but another time, okay?" Nova reached out to pat his hands, giving Luck the side-eye. However, he was already evading the next round of fireballs headed in his direction.

"Really?" Finral asked.

"Definitely," Nova nodded. "We could all go for dinner together?" Finral grumbled something about group outings not being dates, but he didn't complain after that.

"What brings you to our base, Miss Nova?" He asked instead. Nova grinned wide at that question, not bothering to hide the glee on her face.

"I was actually wondering if anyone wanted to be my date…" she began, getting the Spatial Mage's full attention immediately.

"Oh?" He prompted her to continue. However, at the brightness of her smile he sensed that something was amiss.

"To the nobles' gala and banquet in a few days," Nova finished her sentence and Finral instantly looked away.

"I-I think I'll pass," he said slowly. Before Nova could poke into that emotional mess, which was surely hiding some trauma, Luck was in front of her face.

"Will there be strong opponents?" The menace asked making Nova's grin widen.

"Loads."

That's all for now folks!

Kadienewberg:
Thanks so much for the lovely review! I was so happy to hear from you again :D
I've been writing like a fiend recently :P Got back into Black Clover gear and wanted to write a lot for this story, since I had in mind where I wanted it to go next. So, I hope I'll have more than a few chapters out soon :D
I loved writing some judgy Magna! I feel like he'd definitely pick up on the change in dynamics between Nova and Luck and comment on it xD
I also had a ton of fun exploring Luck's weird sides and imagining how he would deal with new feelings :D Glad everyone has been enjoying the ride :) As far as I remember, it doesn't mention exactly when they joined? But, I made it that they joined at 15, at the same time, so two years to go till we get to Asta!
I've been considering what to do about Nova… Still in that stage tbh, but maybe she will be one of the hidden Bulls :P I can't wait to write some Asta! Ooof I really can't! I love that crazy idiot xD Noelle terrifies me as a character though xD Hoping to get her not too OOC xD
I was stuck with Nova's development regarding battle abilities, so I needed to fix that a bit and decided that Yami would be the perfect one. He seems indifferent enough to help her out, even if purely for the amusement of throwing her onto the ground xD But, the whole development really is different from the rest of his Squad, as you noted. I wanted Nova to start out as a healer first and foremost, and then see where she ended up along the way :) Hopefully it wasn't too odd to have Yami as her semi-mentor :)
I'm glad the Tower team went over well! I wanted them all to be a bunch of different types, all in different Squads, because we rarely see cooperation between Squads in the show. So, having them be a mashed odd group has been an interesting journey for certain. Regarding Nova becoming a senpai… maybe in the future? For now, no plans yet :D Timothy is definitely coming! He is one of the characters which I can't wait to write, too! He will be making an official appearance soon :D
I'm so happy you liked Luck and Leo's little man crush on one another xD I always wanted to see them interact in the show, but it wasn't the focus… I'm being selfish, and loving it xD
Thanks for the feedback regarding the rating! I've been considering where Nova and Luck will go in the future and decided that adding some spicy scenes would be natural… wanted to check if everyone would be on board :) I'm fine with writing them, though not very good at it, but will do my best :)
I also adore writing the trio together :D Their relationship gives me all the joy hahahaha I loved Luck and Magna in the original franchise, so I couldn't resist building on that further with Nova :)
I hope that you will enjoy the new update! It is my absolute pleasure to keep you amused with all the new content :D
Best!

AmericanNidiot:
Thanks so much for the review!
Poor Nova, getting the confusion side of Luck's strange ways xD She loves it, secretly xD
Perfect! I was hoping to add something spicy down the line, so it was great to check in and see how everyone felt about it :)
Best!

KEZZ 1:
Thanks so much for the review!
It's my pleasure to write and continue to provide entertainment :D
I've definitely considered some spiciness, so sometime in the future, hopefully :P
Best!

FabyVane:
Thanks so much for the feedback!
I've been considering adding some spiciness to the fic, so I'm glad everyone's on board :D
Best!