I dont own Bleach of fairy tail. Those belong respectively too Tite Kubo and Shounen jump and Hiro Mashima and Weekly shounen magazine. This is just for fun!
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Night had fallen upon the town of Magnolia, the majority of its inhabitants resting peacefully at home. However there was one particular individual who was incapable of any slumber. Her name was Lucy Heartfilia and, despite the busy day she had experienced, she was far too excited to allow herself to drift into the state of sleep. For her it had been a long day, being brought to the Fairy Tail guild by Natsu Dragneel, then glimpsing the kind of controlled chaos that resided there. Then she had been interviewed by the master, Makarov, before receiving her own official branding. Then had the morning hours led to a rescue operation of all things, Lucy accompanying Natsu to Mount Hakobe to save a fellow wizard, Macao Conbolt. That in turn had led to Lucy being witness to a friendly scuffle between Fairy Tail wizards, Natsu and a lady calling herself Bambietta Basterbine. Lucy had been enthralled by the spectacle that had ensued at the mountain's base, completely taken in by the display of powers by both combatants. It had been at that very moment that the Celestial wizard had realized that she had a long way to go within the guild.
With Macao returned safely to both the guild hall and his waiting son, Romeo, only half a day had passed. Lucy had used the remaining hours of daylight for apartment hunting, intent on using the remaining jewel that she had in her possession to get a roof over her head. The young lady had used the majority of it in her journey, but she had possessed just enough for at least one month's rent. It was a charming apartment, well worth the seventy thousand jewel. Yet now, despite having that luxury afforded to her, Lucy was simply walking the streets of Magnolia, far too caught up in the bliss of truly being a Fairy Tail wizard to get any rest. Every now and then she would simply look up into the night sky, the darkness pierced by the light of the stars above.
The wizard stopped then, allowing herself a moment to enjoy the beauty of the night, a wide smile overtaking her. "I really am a Fairy Tail wiz-"
That was when Lucy heard the most horrendous of sounds. It echoed between the buildings around her and down the street, almost as if it was the roar of an unseen monster. The young lady forced her gaze down then, reaching for one of her magical Celestial Keys on instinct. However she stopped when she took notice of the originator of the sound.
Down the road could Lucy see someone on a bench parallel to the sidewalk, one that lay close to the canal that ran through Magnolia. From it did another sound issue forth, the Celestial wizard at last recognizing it as a snore now that she was prepared to hear it. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief then, putting the key back into her pocket and continuing to move forward. "The poor guy mustn't have a place to stay. Did he get into a fight with his wife or something?"
As Lucy continued to walk, she kept her eyes focused on the sleeping stranger. Yet as she grew closer she could some traces of familiarity. Finally did Lucy stop then, looking down at the bench and its occupant. Despite the deep snoring, it was clearly not a man. Dressed all in white, the woman was sprawled out on the bench, a cape underneath her. In one hand a cap was held tightly, the arm hanging off the side of the bench while the other hand lightly scratching at her stomach as yet another snore was issued.
"Bambi?"
The sleeping woman did not respond, at least not with words. She whimpered slightly before moving in her sleep. The Quincy rolled on to her side, her legs curling up towards her chest as she wrapped her free arm around them. Lucy simply continued to watch her then, wondering just what she should do. She knew she could not simply leave a fellow Fairy Tail wizard to sleep out here in the open air, yet at the same time did she have any right to intrude upon someone's personal affairs?
In the end Lucy's kind heart pushed her towards the first option. She leaned over slightly and placed a hand on Bambietta's shoulder, rocking it slightly. "Hey, Bambi, are you all right?"
The Quincy began to grumble then, her eyes slowly beginning to open. "No, Your Majesty, I don't want to babysit Gremmy for another week..." Then did Bambietta's eyes shift into focus and look up towards the one who had awakened her. The Quincy robbed her optics with her hand then, trying to wipe away any lingering effects of her deep sleep. "Lucy?"
"Hey, I thought I heard that you were staying at Levy's until you found a place of your own," Lucy said, remembering what the blue haired mage had said to her earlier in the day. "You can't tell me that this bench is more comfy and cozy then Fairy Hills." Lucy suddenly got all excited again, a wild expression on her face. "Oh, if I had the jewel for one of those places I'd be set for life!"
"Aren't you an excitable one," Bambietta commented as she sat up then. "Suppose we do have that in common, even if I'm not all that hyper when I just wake up." The Quincy stretched out her arms then, a low yawn escaping her. "Yeah, I spent the night at Levy's and both she and Mirajane were willing to sneak me in to Fairy Hills again since I didn't get the time to go out on a well-paying mission today," Bambietta's voice grew low then, as if she did not want to admit to what was coming next, "but I kind of lied to them both."
"Huh?"
"I kind of told Levy that I was staying with Mira so I wouldn't be too much of a bother to her and then I told Mira that I was going to stick with Levy for now."
"But... but..." Lucy stammered. "Fairy Hills?"
"I guess I didn't want to be too much of a bother to either of them," Bambietta continued, "so I kind of fibbed so that they wouldn't worry about me."
"Well clearly they had good reason to worry!" Lucy suddenly shouted as she reached out and grabbed Bambietta by one of her hands. "Come on, you're staying at my place tonight!"
"Wait a minute!" Bambietta shouted as Lucy all but dragged her out of and away from the bench. "I can survive just fine on my own! It isn't that cold and if any lecherous jerk tries to mess with me... Oh, I can handle myself! Heck, I already dumped that Loke guy in the canal when he woke me up. Though now that I think about it, he probably had his heart in the right place. Oops."
"Don't be like that!" Lucy said as she turned to face her fellow guild mate. "It's a big apartment," the Celestial wizard then paused for a moment, becoming a little withdrawn and shy, "besides, I get the feeling that I might need a little help with the rent in the future..."
"Oh," was all Bambietta said slyly. "So it's not just an altruistic motivation you've got, huh?"
"No, no," Lucy stammered. "It's just, well, you need a place to stay and we could help each other out, right?"
Bambietta placed a hand against her neck, cringing as she tried to work the stiffness out of it. The Quincy had to admit that sleeping on a bench had hardly been the best idea she had had in a while. "I suppose you've got a point. Though I hope you're right about the place being big enough for the two of us."
"Oh, I think it'll do," Lucy exclaimed as she held her hands behind her back and continued to walk beside Bambietta. "Though until we can afford a new bed, I guess you could use the sofa. Its fluffy and spacious. I hope that won't be too uncomfortable."
Bambietta said nothing, simply raising an eyebrow. Lucy was quick to notice it, glancing back towards the bench they had all but left behind. "Oh yeah, I guess you have dealt with worse."
Bambietta grinned then, trying to appear as cheerful as she could. "A big fluffy sofa's just fine. Probably won't be as comfy as Levy's bed, but it will do."
"Wait, Levy gave up her bed to you that night?" Lucy began to panic a slight bit then. "Maybe I'm already a bad host then. You take the bed! I'll sleep on the sofa."
"Whoa, whoa, calm down," Bambietta pleased, waving her hands in front of her. "It's not like that. Levy and I shared the bed, that's all."
Now it was Lucy's turn to raise an eyebrow in response to something Bambietta had said, the Quincy quickly realizing what she had just inferred. "Okay, I don't think I can be that accommodating a host."
"Oh no!" Bambietta sternly pointed at Lucy, an angry expression adorning her face. "Don't you dare be getting the wrong idea! That's so not what I was trying to imply! She didn't have a couch or a chair or anything. Just bookcases as far as the eye could see-"
"Bambi and Levy, sitting in a tree-"
"Okay, that's it!" Bambietta threw her hands up in the air and began to walk away from Lucy. "Back to the bench I go!"
"Bambi, I was just kidding."
The Quincy stopped, breathed deeply, then turned to face Lucy once more. "Look, if this simply pity, I don't want any of it. I'll be fine on my own, all right? I don't have any use for the sympathy of others."
Bambietta turned away from Lucy again, though this time did the Quincy not stop in her tracks. She felt it then, a slight bit of remorse for how she was acting, but she knew to keep pushing forward regardless. She wanted friends, yes, but genuine ones, not simply camaraderie born out of necessity. She knew well how much that could backfire in the long run.
Lucy, to her credit, did not take the situation lying down. She walked up to Bambietta then, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Okay, so I get the feeling you've had a rough time of it."
"You have no idea."
Lucy did not stop. "But I'm not doing this out of pity, all right? I just thought... maybe we could be friends."
Bambietta glanced at her shoulder, her eyes gazing down at the Fairy Tail emblem that adorned Lucy's hand. The Quincy remembered it well then, how excited the woman had been when she realized that they had the mark on the opposing hands. Bambietta closed her eyes for a minute then, trying to reign herself in. She knew Lucy meant well, that much was obvious.
"I'm sorry, all right?" the Quincy said. "Yes, I've had a real rough time of it. And I... I want to be friends but... the last time I truly opened up my heart to others it ended badly."
"Bambi..."
"I guess someone like me would have trust issues now." The Quincy turned to face Lucy then, a half-hearted attempt to smile on her face. "Maybe that's why this guild is so hard for me to understand. But... I'm trying my best."
Lucy glanced at Bambietta, knowing that what she was feeling for the woman was exactly what she did not want. Pity. The Celestial wizard could not help herself, however, and moved in close as they walked forward. She turned her head slightly, her eyes looking towards Bambietta's own.
"That's the most anyone can do, right?" Lucy asked softly. She then turned her gaze back forward again. "Anyway, my place should be right around this corner."
Bambietta and Lucy slipped around the row of houses until at last the Celestial wizard could see her own. She ran forward then, her youthful enthusiasm something Bambietta knew she would simply have to get used to in time.
"Come on! I can't wait to show you the place! I swear, it was a steal!"
Then Quincy shrugged her shoulders then and quickened her pace to join Lucy, the Celestial wizard unlocking the door as she approached. She opened it to the mall hall of the apartment complex and once more ran towards the door that would take both herself and the Quincy to her room. Once that entrance was opened did Bambietta peer inside. It was larger than she had expected that much was certain, and just as Lucy had promised there was a couch in the main room.
"Well," the Quincy said as she and Lucy entered, "it's certainly more spacious than what Levy has. Maybe it's the lack of bookcases..."
"I think I was just lucky that it came almost fully furnished," Lucy said as she glanced around the room again, still trying to get over how well her day had gone. "Though maybe we could afford a bunk bed if you wanted. Oh, that'd be so much fun!"
"Yeah, one big, happy slumber party, am I right?" Bambietta glanced around a bit, taking note of the fireplace in the room. She had to admit that it did trump the room she had for herself back at Silver Cross Fortress. That had been spacious but rather cold and alien in its design, just as His Majesty had required. This, however, was much more cozy in appearance.
The Quincy felt it then, her eyelids dropping slightly, sleep calling out to her. The battle with Natsu had tired her out quite a bit, her energy levels not quite what they had used to be, and was precisely why she had not taken any job requests upon her return to the guild hall. She simply wanted to sleep, nothing more.
"Oh, a slumber party," Lucy said, clasping her hands together. "You, me, Levy and Mira-"
Lucy heard it then, the thump of someone dropping behind her. She turned quick and could see that Bambietta had already curled up on the sofa, her back against the cushions and her head resting on the armrest. The Quincy had not even taken off her cloak or hat, let alone her boots.
The Celestial wizard knew that the Quincy was no doubt tired but she had hoped to get her a pillow before it came down to this. Perhaps a blanket as well. "Pretty tuckered out, huh?"
"Fighting a Dragon Slayer will do that to a person, yeah." Bambietta yawned then, her eyes closing for a moment. "It's been a long day..."
"That was pretty incredible," Lucy said as she turned towards her bed and took off one of the blankets and the second pillow. She began to move back towards Bambietta and the sofa then. "I mean, you two were amazing!"
"I lost," was all Bambietta replied with as she forced herself to sit up and accept the pillow from Lucy. She placed it against the armrest, then began to undo her cloak, letting it rest atop the back of the sofa. Her cap joined it next, then the Quincy kicked off her boots. Only then did Bambietta lie down once more, closing her eyes. "It was pathetic."
Lucy was unsure what to say then. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Natsu is pretty well known around the kingdom of Fiore. They don't call him Salamander for nothing. Besides, I thought you were pretty cool out there. A little scary, but cool."
"I used to be so much greater," Bambietta sighed, feeling Lucy draping a blanket over her from the shoulders down, "but things have changed so much."
Lucy stepped back a bit, looking down at Bambietta. "We're both new to Fairy Tail, so maybe we can look out for each other..."
"Just because I lost to that Salamander kid," Bambietta replied, "doesn't mean I need help."
Lucy scowled a little bit but she restrained herself. "That's not what I meant and I think you know it. I mean, if you want to talk about anything that's bothering you, I'm here."
Bambietta was all but ready to shake her head but she too showed restraint. She had spoken to some extent on the matter with Levy but that did not necessarily mean she wanted to repeat the situation again. As far as Bambietta was concerned, she had only broached the matter because it had simply been her first night in a new world that she had been lost in. Betrayed and abused, perhaps exiled forever to a realm not her own, forcibly returned to a living state; it had been too much for her to process in such a short amount of time. The Quincyunderstood that now and the portion of her that was trying so hard to view Fairy Tail as nothing more than a means to an end was screaming at her, demanding that she not bare her heart even the slightest to yet another person. Yet another part, buried within, was craving to open her soul to another and another. It was the same feeling that the Quincy had felt years ago, the same yearning that left her opening her heart to others. Yet in the end all they had done was tear it away from her in the end.
It frustrated Bambietta then, one question running across the Quincy's thoughts over and over again. What was it with these Fairy Tail wizards wanting to know everyone else's problems? No one in the Vandenreich had been all that concerned with others, not even Bambietta herself. That had been the way it was, nothing more. Yet here they all wanted to get close, to understand her. It wore on the Quincy, yet still she could not help but appreciate it. The contradiction weighed heavily upon her soul then and in response Bambietta could not speak to Lucy.
"You don't have to if you don't want to." Lucy
"First Levy, now you," Bambietta sighed. "At least the Dragon Slayer and his kitty cat weren't so nosey. Well I can be a little snoopy as well. I actually have a question for you." Bambietta was quick to change the subject, the Quincy losing any desire to bare her soul further.
Lucy had not expected a question in return, but the Celestial wizard could sense Bambietta's sudden disinterest in speaking of herself. She let it go then, unwilling to press a potentially painful memory for the fellow Fairy Tail wizard she wished to befriend. "Oh, what is it?"
"Why did you want to join Fairy Tail so bad? Why were you so excited when they made you a member?"
Some may have considered taking a moment to think over a valid response, but in this particular situation Lucy was not the type for such an activity. She knew the answer well, it having resided in her heart for years to come. "Because it's simply the best guild in Fiore!"
Bambietta watched Lucy then, noting the wide smile on her face. "It's as simple as that, huh? I'm guessing you're quite the Fairy Tail fan girl?"
"No, no, it's nothing like that. Well," Lucy continued, suddenly glancing away, "yeah, I guess I kind of am."
"Well, a girl's got to have a hobby." Bambietta glanced towards Lucy then, her eyes fluttering for a moment, the Quincy trying desperately to fight her need to sleep. "So Fairy Tail's kind of a big deal, huh?"
"Kind of a big deal?" Lucy couldn't help but laugh just a little. "That's an understatement. They're one of the most well-known guilds in all of Fiore! Maybe the most well-known! Sorcerer's Magazine is always reporting about Fairy Tail! Though usually due to the devastation they cause... but Mirajane has been their cover girl more times than I can count!"
"Well, whatever makes her happy," Bambietta said softly. "So it really is a big deal in this wor- around these parts."
"Oh, you're not from Fiore?"
"Not..." Bambietta yawned again. "Not at all..."
The Quincy's lips smacked together then, her mind drifting into sleep once more. She tried to fight it, curious to speak with Lucy more, but it was to no avail.
"I guess I should let you get some rest." Lucy yawned a bit then as well, Bambietta's sleepy nature becoming contagious. "I guess I could use some sleep as well..."
Bambietta opened one eye slightly then, watching as Lucy ruffled through one of her dresser drawers and disappeared into an adjacent room. The Quincy shut her eye once more, her thoughts drifting into slumber. Yet as she felt herself succumb to sleep once more she could not help herself and smiled slightly.
She was a stranger in a strange land and did not know the specifics of the world she called home now. In the end she had felt elated upon her first successful mission but that joy had faded when she had found herself not the top dog of her new group, not even close. Yet now that she had heard of this world's opinion of Fairy Tail through Lucy she could find some solace in her place here.
"I'm not... the best..." Bambietta said softly as she began to finally allow herself to sleep. "But... I'm at least... part of the best... That's..."
Her sentence never reached its conclusion, Bambietta at last asleep once more.
Lucy began to change into her choice of sleepwear, her bare feet momentarily standing on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. It was in that moment she wished she had had a spare set of pajamas to offer Bambietta but she had been travelling light ever since leaving home.
Home. Yes, that was a word that tore at Lucy's heart. However, as far as she was concerned, the old adage was true. Home was where the heart was, and the place she had grown up had lost its heart long, long ago.
Full dressed for bed, Lucy stared into a mirror as she went to retrieve a toothbrush. The Celestial wizard had to wonder then, if she had been selfish to walk away from her old life? No, she told herself in response. It was a house, not a home, and it was a cold, dark and repressive place in the end. Already had she experienced more love and friendship in Fairy Tail than she had back there in the last several years.
Yet then did the mage stop brushing her teeth for a moment, glancing hesitantly towards the door. She had to wonder then, what sort of misery her new roommate had been subjected to. She could not fault the Quincy for remaining elusive on the subject, yet still was Lucy curious.
Then, as if to break the solemn mood almost entirely, a loud snore echoed across the apartment, so loud that Lucy could hear it clearly even in the other room and behind a closed door. Lucy giggled slightly, bringing a closed hand up to her mouth as if to try and stop herself. She knew then that Bambietta's little habit would take some getting used to, yes, but she was willing to make the effort.
The Celestial wizard then stepped forth into the main room once more and began to move towards her bed. She stopped then, the sound of Bambietta's voice distracting her.
"Please... Don't do it..." Confused, Lucy turned to face the Quincy, thinking she was speaking directly to her. She saw it clearly, however, Bambietta still fast asleep. Yet the woman was talking slowly in her sleep, her body twitching slightly. "Please, Gigi... Don't..."
Lucy felt something stir within herself, the pity that Bambietta made clear she loathed. Yet the wizard could not help herself, watching as tears began to dampen the Quincy's face. Lucy grabbed hold of a tissue from the box by her bed and moved close, gently touching Bambietta's face to free her from the clear signs of sorrow.
"Huh? What?" Bambietta suddenly began to awaken, staring at Lucy while the mage continued to dot her face with a tissue. "What are you doing?"
"I'm just trying to help a friend," Lucy said, her heart skipping a beat. The look in Bambietta's misty eyes was not a particularly friendly one, leaving a shiver to run up the wizard's back. Still did she press forward. "You seemed to be having a bad dream."
Bambietta said nothing, simply cursing herself with her own thoughts. Having already lost to a Dragon Slayer in front of this woman, she had worked doubly hard to show strength of character instead. Yet now her tired state, born out of the losing battle against Natsu, had betrayed her entirely. Lucy had seen Bambietta in a moment of weakness, the Quincy not entirely sure what had transpired during her slumber. Yet still did she have an inkling.
The Quincy sighed then, the time for holding it in entirely clearly over. "I'm really not one to swap sob stories, well... not usually, but I'll say this much. I had friends in... another guild and they betrayed my trust. Really, really betrayed my trust."
Lucy could see it then, a blank expression etching itself across Bambietta's face, as if the woman was lost in a moment out of time. The Quincy said nothing for a moment, her breathing for the briefest of seconds rattled. Lucy noticed it quite clearly then, Bambietta's lower lip trembling slightly.
Then quite suddenly did the Quincy bite down on her lower lip, as if to spite whatever past memories had been dug up in her mind's eye. "Now I'm here," she said, composed once more, "looking to find my place in the world."
"Oh." Lucy did not know what to say. "That's-"
Bambietta grew irritated with herself once more, her anger at baring her heart and soul to another, even if just a little, threatening to overwhelm her. "I need to get back to sleep. It's been a long day."
Lucy watched as Bambietta forcefully shut her eyes, the woman trying to either feign sleep or truly achieve it she did not know. Lucy stepped away then, once more moving back to her bed. She slipped underneath the covers and lay on her side, her back to Bambietta.
The way she had spoken, the way she had referred to past friends, it had possessed a flittering amounts of rage and bitterness, her words poisoned by the dark emotions. Lucy's body began to curl up against itself, once more the wizard feeling she was selfish. She had considered hers a life worth running from, but it seemed that her new friend had experienced something potentially far worse.
"Thank you."
Lucy heard it then, the sound of Bambietta speaking from across the room. It had been unexpected but not unwelcome. The Celestial wizard smiled, wonder if she was referring to simply wiping away or tears or perhaps something else. Whatever the case was, Lucy began to respond "Your wel-"
Then was she cut off, Bambietta's snoring once more in full force. Lucy chuckled slightly and began to drift into sleep despite the noise.
As always was the Fairy Tail guild hall busy. Wizards as far as the eye could see, some of them simply relaxing after a particularly stressful mission, others trying to psyche themselves up for one, yet others still simply hanging out with their friends. Levy McGarden, however, was simply on her own, her head all but buried in a book as she was want to do. The chaos around her was something she was simply used to, a necessary element of the guild she called her family yet one she was able to block out when the need arose.
"Good morning, Fairy Tail!"
That was when a certain factor she was not entirely used to broke her concentration. The mage glanced up from the book and towards the source of the interruption. Standing in the now open doorway of the hall was one Bambietta Basterbine, the woman wearing what Levy could only describe as the craziest, most disturbingly happy smile she had seen since Natsu had visited the guild an hour earlier. Behind the Quincy was the latest member of Fairy Tail, Lucy Heartfilia, and she was clearly just as taken aback by Bambietta's entrance as Levy had been. The Celestial wizard was simply staring wide eyed in shock, clearly not having expected the entrance.
"Hey, this is not a test!" Bambietta continued to shout as she entered the establishment. "This is everybody's favorite Quincy making the scene, yeah! Time to take a mission, earn some money, make some noise! Probably some rock and roll, yeah!"
Levy, much as everyone else, simply stared blankly as Bambietta marched right over to the job request board, the Quincy clearly not noticing just how much of a ruckus she was making, even by Fairy Tail standards. Though Levy did take notice of Loke's reaction. The young man was clearly keeping his distance, perhaps even backing up several feet. Levy was unsure what that was about but she kept her focus back on Bambietta. The Quincy was simply beginning to simply look over the board, trying to find a task that suited her interests. Lucy was quick to catch up them, looking over Bambietta's shoulder.
"Find anything good yet?"
Levy sighed and placed her reading material down, making sure to leave a bookmark in place. She walked over then as well, remembering that she had agreed to go out on a mission with Bambietta to help with her expenses. Just because the previous day had been thrown into chaos with the rescue of Macao did not mean she would go back on her word. "Hey, how are you two doing?"
"Oh, just fine!" Lucy exclaimed, turning to face Levy. "We just had a little sleepover last night and worked out an arrangement."
"Wait, what?" Levy was confused then and tapped Bambietta on the shoulder. "I thought you said you were staying at Mirajane's?"
"Oh, I lied," the Quincy replied, not losing her focus as her eyes continued to scan any and all jobs posted. "I was sleeping on a bench when Lucy found me and said we could be roommates and stuff. No big."
"No big?" Levy simply freaked out then. "Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how much this worries me now?"
"And that's why I didn't tell you," Bambietta replied with a shrug, still not looking back. "Besides, I figure I was already a big enough burden on you, what with having to sneak into Fairy Hills once. No way did I want to run into that Evergreen chick. And anyway, it wasn't that ba- What the heck is this?"
Bambietta all but shrieked then, staring at one of the jobs posted. She quickly ripped the paper down and began to eye it furiously. Levy could see that Bambietta was clearly shaking with rage, a low hissing sound slipping past clenched teeth. The Solid Script wizard grew concerned and peeked around the Quincy, reading out loud the request written on the paper. "A-Class wizards requested. Two hundred thousand jewel for anyone who slays the monster that was no doubt prowling the streets of Magnolia last night. My wife and I were unable to sleep thanks to the horrific noises it was making on Blueberry Avenue for several hours."
"Wait a minute," Lucy began to say, realization yet to dawn on her, "wasn't that where I found you sleeping last night, Bambi?"
The Quincy began to crumple the paper then, her voice betraying her irritation. "I can't help it if I snore!"
"Oh, don't worry about it, Bambi," Levy offered up, patting the Quincy gently on the shoulder. "It's not that monstrous sounding."
Bambietta sighed then, slowly tearing the paper in her hands to shreds. Her face began to go red then, her eyes narrowing with irritation. "Are you trying to make me feel better, Levy?"
"Well, yeah."
"Good job." The Quincy rolled her eyes as she tossed the shredded paper into the basket by the board and returned back to finding work. "Let's see, there's got to be an A-Class job request that doesn't involve me killing myself..."
Levy turned towards Lucy then, curiosity overwhelming her. "So you two are going to be roommates?"
"Well, that's the plan," Lucy explained. "I mean, we're both new to Fairy Tail and Magnolia, so we've got to look out for each other, you know? Right now we've got this nice place on Strawberry Street but maybe if we pool our future resources together we could get a place up in Fairy Hills. Though I guess our first priority is to buy a new bed. I don't think Bambietta's going to want to sleep on the sofa forever. Then again," Lucy suddenly giggled, unable to control herself, "I guess that wasn't a problem when she spent the night at your place."
Levy's eyes went wide, her face overcome with a blush before she got a little snippy with Lucy. "Oh no! Don't you dare be getting the wrong idea!"
"That's," Lucy began to say with a smirk, "what she said."
"I heard that, Lucy." Bambietta sighed, never turning her attention away from the board. The Quincy began to mumble to herself. "Maybe I should find a job that requires killing myself. Good grief." Bambietta forced herself to focus then, allowing Lucy and Levy to exchange small talk while she continued to read job request after job request. "Walk my dog; too boring. Go out on a date to make my cheating wife jealous; too awkward. Help me finds a matching pair of socks lost in my drawers; seriously?" The Quincy was about to give up for the day but it was then that took notice of one A-Class mission pinned to corner of the board. She bent down then and began to read it off just as she had the others. "An A-Class treasure hunt? Oh that could be fun! And one hundred and fifty thousand jewel? Yeah, I think Lucy and I can work with that!"
"What about me?"
Bambietta turned to look at Levy. "You want in?"
"Well, I did say I'd help you with a job after all," the mage replied. "Besides, a treasure hunt could be a fun diversion."
"Okay then," Bambietta said with a smirk and placing a hand on both a shoulder each of Lucy and Levy. "Plenty of jewel to be split three ways! Let's do this thing!" The Quincy then began to march forward, the job request in hand as she moved towards the guild hall's exit. She pointed forward, her boundless enthusiasm leaving both Lucy and Levy to wonder what they had gotten themselves into. "Bambi Force, roll out!"
"Really?" was all Levy could say in response. "I guess we know who's in charge then."
"Come on, it could be worse," Lucy said as she grabbed Levy by the hand and began to move towards Bambietta. "Let's go have some fun."
"So that's it, huh?"
Bambietta could not help but be a little bit disappointed, the Quincy staring at nothing more than a manmade opening in a nondescript hill in the middle of nowhere. All around herself, Levy and Lucy was nothing but trees, the trio having hiked far away from Magnolia to a forest.
"Well this is just sad," Bambietta said with a sigh of disgust, scratching the side of her head in irritation. "A treasure hunt should lead to a cool setting, like an ornate temple of doom or an abandoned castle with a sleeping dragon inside!"
"Yeah, I don't think we have to worry about running into a dragon," Levy offered up. "Natsu has been looking for one in particular ever since he joined Fairy Tail and he hasn't found it yet. In fact nobody has seen dragons in years."
"Wait, he's looking for a dragon?" Bambietta glanced towards Levy then, her curiosity enticed. "Why? He wants to slay it or something?"
"No," Levy said with a sigh, wondering at first if Bambietta was simply fixated on thoughts of violence. Then did she have to correct herself, realizing that Natsu's title as a Dragon Slayer probably did give off the wrong impression. "He said he was raised by a fire dragon called Igneel and he's been trying to find out where he disappeared to."
"That kid's dad is a freaking dragon?" Bambietta nodded her head in response, her disappointment in the treasure hunt dwindling. "That's pretty chill actually. Though it sounds like this dragon is awfully good at playing hide and seek. Maybe Natsu's looking in all the wrong places. Speaking of looking for things..."
The three young ladies stepped into the cave then, Bambietta in the lead as the darkness swallowing them whole.
"Well this is nice," Lucy said softly at first, a little panic in her voice. "I hate the dark!"
Bambietta was not so worried. While she could not see yet, her eyesight not adjusted, she was used to the darkness. She had been adopted and raised underneath the shadows of the Vandenreich decades ago and thus could no such thing as the lack of light give her any particular pause.
"Leave it to me." Levy, however, had a solution. She began to write in the space before her and soon enough did the letters she had created illuminate the cavern around them.
Bambietta looked towards Levy then, the word 'light' floating by her side, the magic under her command. "I told you that was a cool power."
"You're just saying that to be nice." Levy brushed a few strands of blue hair back with her free hand, trying to not let the kindness make her smile too much.
"Well if you want I could be a real meanie," Bambietta retorted. "But that wouldn't be too fun for at least one of us."
"So, Bambi," Lucy began to stay, making sure to stay close by her friends and the light Levy was producing, "what exactly are the details on this job?"
Bambietta pulled out from her pocket the paper she had taken from the guild hall and held it underneath Levy's spell. "Well it says here that the Veronica Museum of National History would like for assistance in retrieving a treasure buried here by Principality's first ruler, King McGuffin the Fourth."
"So it's a little dark," Lucy replied, "and that makes it an A-Class mission?"
"Oh, there's more," Levy interjected, glancing at Bambietta's paper. "It says that the king was so protective of his prized Jewel of McGuffin that he put his love of traps to good use when constructing a place to hide it away from prying eyes."
Lucy shrugged. "It still doesn't sound that bad."
"And then," Bambietta said, still eyeing the paper, "it said that while they were reluctant to turn Fairy Tail again after a certain job involving a man named Gildarts turned into quite the mess, the museum staff felt they had no choice as the archaeologist they sent to this place never returned."
"Okay, that's bad," Lucy said, feeling a little nervous sweat poll upon her face. "Does that mean he's-"
Lucy felt it then, her foot bumping into something on the ground in front of her. The Celestial wizard stopped in her tracks completely, a chill running down her spine.
"Please tell me I didn't just find him. Please tell me I didn't just find him. Please tell me I didn't just find him."
"Lucy, what's the matter?" Levy moved her hand around, to shine her light in front of Lucy. Then did the three young ladies see before them a man lying on the ground, a long spike driven into his back.
Lucy and Levy screamed in response, backing up several feet and quickly holding on to each other. Bambietta, however, simply starred down at the corpse and shrugged.
"I've seen worse."
"And now you're scaring me again," Levy offered up, not willing to budge another inch as she held the light in front of Lucy and herself.
Bambietta sighed and backed up then to join her friends. "Well if you want I could try pretending to scream in terror."
"Actually I kind of prefer the creepy indifference under the circumstances," Lucy replied. "At least then I know there's someone here who can kick some butt if need be."
"That's the spirit!" Bambietta exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Lucy and Levy's shoulders. "I think. Anyway, shall we get back to work?"
The trio pushed further into darkness then, slowly moving down the incline of a narrow tunnel. As they continued their descent, the women began to feel as if they were heading towards the very center of Earthland. Levy, to her credit, continued to keep her eyes peeled for any sign of the traps that King McGuffin the Fourth had left behind. Then did the mage take notice of something ahead and she called out. "Look out!"
It was much too late, however, and Bambietta's foot touched down on a particular spot, the slab of rock pushing down underneath her.
"Oh no," Bambietta said, glancing downwards at what she had done.
Levy felt her heart drop within herself, the mage realizing that no doubt something terrible was about to happen. "I think we better run."
The trio of women could feel it then, their surroundings shaking wildly. Acting on instinct, Levy turned up the tunnel, shining her light and that was when she, Bambietta and Lucy saw it.
A boulder was rolling towards then at incredible speed, its massive dimensions leaving no room on any side.
"You think?" Lucy felt her feet about to move then, ready to run for her life, but Bambietta simply stepped beside her, facing the oncoming boulder with the utmost confidence. "Bambi?"
The Quincy began to roll up her sleeves, eyeing the boulder not thirty feet away. Then did her skin light up the darkness, pale blue light flowing underneath the flesh. "Don't mind me. I'm just going to go be awesome, all right?"
Then did Bambietta vanish from sight, Hirenkyaku closing the distance she desired in an instant. She appeared before the boulder and began to spread her arms out to the sides, digging her feet into the ground as best she could.
"Come on, you big stupid boulder," she said with a confident smile. "Come to mamm-"
Bambietta never got to finish her taunt to the inanimate object. Blut Vene kept her free from any harm, but the velocity and mass of the boulder still took the Quincy off her feet. She dug her heels into the ground once more, pressing against the boulder with both hands, unwilling to roll underneath it.
"Well that was just rude! You know, Mister Boulder, between you and that Fire Dragon Slayer I'm getting really tired of stuff trying to make me look stupid in front of my friends!"
The Quincy tried to hold her ground as best she could but still the boulder would not give in the slightest. Then, quite suddenly, did Bambietta feel her hat beginning to give way, the article of clothing slowly starting to slip off her head thanks to the increased velocity.
"Oh hell no!" The Quincy's temper flared then and she moved one hand away from the boulder and gripped down tightly on her cap. "You may have taken my pride and my dignity but there's one thing I'll always have... even if I have to staple my hat to my head!" Bambietta suddenly cringed then. "Oh, that just sounds awful."
Composing herself, Bambietta retreated with another step of Hirenkyaku and let Blut Vene fade away as she appeared by Levy and Lucy's sides once more. She had no hope of stopping the boulder with two hands, let alone one.
"Not a word," the Quincy said, not even giving them a glance. "Still being awesome!"
Bambietta then resorted to another of her specialties. Her bow formed within her hands and she raised it high. Levy and Lucy simply watched on, their fellow Fairy Tail guild mate standing her ground a second time. The Quincy began to fire arrow after arrow, tearing from the boulder piece after piece, the remains disintegrating under the duress. Little was left of the massive construct and Bambietta fired off one more arrow to finish things. It struck the remains, forcing them to vanish only a few inches away from the three members of Fairy Tail.
Bambietta sighed then, allowing her bow to fade away upon her command. She spoke confidently then, trying to brush off her initial failure. "See? Totally awesome."
Bambietta turned fast, unwilling to allow either Lucy or Levy to see the look of embarrassed relief on her face. She pressed forward then, slipping further down the tunnel.
"Hey, wait up!" Lucy and Levy ran to join her then, the latter making sure to angle the light so that the Quincy could see what was up ahead.
Yet then, as the ground began to become level, the three could see lights in the new chamber. Torches were lit along the walls, casting a hellish glow.
"I'm going to take a wild guess that King McGuirk or whatever didn't leave this for any archaeologists to see what they were doing."
"McGuffin," Levy whispered, correcting Lucy, "and I think you hit the nail on the head. Considering how long that archaeologist seemed to be deceased further back, I doubt these torches were lit by him."
"So somebody beat us to the punch." Bambietta smiled, gleefully rubbing her hands together. "And here I thought this mission wouldn't have any real fun..."
Lucy and Levy began to slowly creep into the main chamber, trying very hard not to draw any undue attention to themselves. The Solid Script mage undid her spell, the word light fading from view, and she quickly replaced it with another. The word shadow formed above the two women, casting darkness around them and further aiding the Levy and Lucy as they pressed against a wall.
Bambietta, however, simply stepped directly into the light of the torches, her hands on her hips. "Hey, if anybody here is up to no good and wants a fight, I'm game! Bring it!"
Then did an individual step forward, clothed in black, his right eye covered by a patch. In his hands he held twin swords, both of the blades catching the light of the flames. "Well now, what do we have here?" the man asked, twirling his wrists and the corresponding sword slightly. "Somebody after the treasure of King McGuffin I take it? Oh, we can't have that. No, not at all."
Levy and Lucy, still covered in darkness, lowered their heads in dismay, realizing that they had clearly been spotted by Bambietta's brash actions.
"We, huh?" Bambietta said to the man, folding her arms defiantly across her chest. "So, what? You and some stupid bandits here for my treasure? Well news flash, buddy. The Jewel of McGuffin and the one hundred and eighty thousand jewel its worth are going to be mine." Bambietta suddenly remembered well that she was not alone. "Well, actually, that's just plain greedy sounding. I'm splitting the reward three ways."
Then did Bambietta look back towards Levy and Lucy, nodding towards them. The two stared wide-eyed at her and sighed as they noticed the bandit seeing them as well. Levy dismissed her darkness spell then, seeing no more need of it.
"Oh don't act so down," Bambietta replied, noting their combined annoyance. "I can handle this jerk and a hundred more of him if need be."
"Are words your only weapon?" the bandit asked, taking one step forward. "I am Theo Laamer of the Sweeping Winds. Within my hands lie the blades of Talc, weapons from ancient times that have tasted the blood of all those who have dared to stand in my way. A path of carnage lies behind in my wake, chaos my trail into the future. You three will not leave this place alive. For I shall-"
A blue arrow struck Theo in the chest then, interrupting his never-ending speech. It burst apart on impact, sending the man to the ground with enough force that he simply fell into an unconscious state.
"All talk, no action. So boring." Bambietta derisively yawned as she let her weapon fade away again and simply walked over the defeated bandit, paying him no real mind as she motioned for Lucy and Levy to join her.
The two joined up with Bambietta then and thus did they begin to move forward once more. Now however they were on high alert for any bandits. More particularly, Lucy and Levy were. Bambietta was barely giving it a second thought.
"Now let's be careful," Levy said, keeping a close eye on Bambietta. "I'd rather none of us step on and activate another-"
Levy felt it then, a stone underneath her foot depressing. The mage closed her eyes for a moment, cursing that she had spent so much effort on watching Bambietta that she had been the one to mess up this time.
"Darn it."
Lucy began to panic then, turning around towards her friends to state the obvious. "It's a trap!"
The floor gave way then, dropping the three Fairy Tail members down into a pit. Lucy and Levy hit the ground hard, the former in a rather unbecoming manner, while Bambietta managed to at least come down in a crouching position thanks to reflexes honed over a long lifetime of training and combat.
"Oh, that hurt." Lucy winced, rubbing her bottom as she stood.
"Well hopefully you had enough padding back there to soften the fall," Bambietta said as she glanced around and took notice of what trap they had dropped into. "Oh, this is not going to be good."
"What's the matter?" Levy began to move when she suddenly felt a brief burst of pain upon her left arm. She moved away from whatever had poked her skin and looked towards the wall. She could see it then, spikes jutting out in a pattern all across the stone structure. She turned then and could see it on the other side as well. "It's a good thing nobody hit one of those on the way down Still, it could be worse"
Suddenly the room began to shake and the three members of Fairy Tail could see the walls slowly closing in on them.
"You just had to say it." Bambietta looked at the approaching heralds of death, growing slightly irritated. "Really, how over the top did this stupid king have to make this trap? The crushing walls would be more than enough to take care of just about anyway. But no, he had to go the extra mile and add spikes. I swear, some people just don't know the meaning of the world restraint."
The Quincy began to think over her past in the Vandenreich for a moment, recalling the creative endings she had been responsible for, whether it had been friend or foe.
"Maybe I'm not one to talk."
"Now's really not the time for this," Levy protested, trying to think of some way they could escape the current predicament.
Lucy began to fumble for the Celestial Keys within the pouch on her belt while Bambietta began to summon Blut Arterie. One had the plan to attempt to ask a Celestial Spirit to come to their rescue, the other intent on perhaps throwing her allies right out of the trap with all her might.
Levy, meanwhile, simply began to write in the air. Her work finished, the word iron formed into exactly that, falling to the ground with a loud bang.
"What are you doing?" Bambietta asked.
"Trying to make something to hold these walls at bay so we can get out of here. Still, four letters is hardly enough room. Maybe steel? No wait, I've got it!"
Levy wrote exactly the word that had come to her mind then, leaving Bambietta and Lucy to simply watch and try to spell it out. Then, the word fully formed, its magical properties came to life. The newly forged metal fell to the ground hard then, filling up more space than the iron had.
"Orichalcum," Levy said, staring down at the legendary metal alloy. "That ought to buy us some more space and time."
The walls suddenly came into contact with the 'o' and 'm' letters, no longer able to proceed any further. The Fairy Tail wizards glanced at the spikes then, breathing a slight sigh of relief.
"Levy, you little genius you," Bambietta exclaimed. "Say, now that I think about it, you could just write gold over and over again and we'd all be set for life! Certainly would be easier than this mission is turning out to be."
"It's not that simple," the Solid Script mage replied. "My magic only lasts so long. Besides, that would be really cheating the system, Bambi."
Bambietta sighed, her arms hanging limp for a moment as her head dropped. "There's always a catch." Then did the Quincy suddenly look at both her allies, Blut Arterie still empowering her body. "Oh well. Do you two trust me?"
"Well, yeah," Levy replied, feeling a little nervous, "but now that you ask, I'm kind of worried."
"Lucy?"
"I guess so."
"Okay then!" Bambietta suddenly scooped up Lucy and threw her up into the air and out of the pit. Then she looked at Levy. "Your turn!"
The Solid Script mage could hear Lucy suddenly grunting as she no doubt landed on the floor above and the Solid Script wizard grew a little nervous. "Now wait a minute, Bambi. I think I can come up a better way to-"
Levy suddenly shrieked as she went airborne, landing on the floor beside Lucy. She shrugged off the impact as best she could, taking note of the newest Fairy Tail wizard rubbing her backside again.
"Not your best day, huh?"
"Okay, so we're free," Lucy said, trying to ignore the comment. "But how's she going to get out?"
"Don't worry about it!" Bambietta shouted upwards. "You should already know I've got quite the bag of tricks and treats!"
Bambietta had not been particular worried about the spikes, not as long as Blut Vene was at her disposal. Thus did she shift from Arterie to the more defensive option. The Quincy reached out with both hands, taking hold of two spikes. There was no pain, not in the least, her hardened skin enduring the sharp surface. Bambietta began to climb then, finding purchase with her feet upon other spikes. Slowly but surely she made her way to the top and threw her arms up and over the edge of the floor. She could see the looks of amazement on Lucy and Levy's face but the Quincy simply shrugged.
"Yeah, I'm just that cool," she said. "Though I wouldn't mind a hand or two anyway."
Lucy and Levy shook off their shock and moved over then, gripping hold of an arm each. They began to pull Bambietta up then, none of the women able to hear the faint ripping sound coming from within the pit as Bambietta's lower body began to clear the edge, the sound drowned out by the grunting that Lucy and Levy were making as they struggled to help their friend.
"Thank you, thank you," Bambietta said as she stood up straight. She noticed then that Lucy and Levy were simply looking at her with wide eyes once more. "Listen, I know you think I'm amazing and all that and I appreciate it, honest, but enough with the staring."
"Okay, Bambi," Lucy began to say, trying to be as polite as possible, but-"
"You kind of lost your skirt," Levy finished, trying to hold back any laughter dwelling within her.
"What?" Now Bambietta's eyes went wide. The Quincy glanced down and sure enough could see that her black undergarments were on display, no skirt adorning her hips. Bambietta's face went red then and she quickly tugged on her cloak, pulling it around her body as best she could. "The fact that this happened does not leave this room, understand?"
Lucy and Levy each giggled slightly, but still did they nod their heads. "Fairy's honor," Levy answered, trying to stifle her mirth.
Bambietta shook her head slightly and turned back towards the pit. She bent down slightly and reached into the trap, gently pulling her white skirt from the spike it had been caught on. Glancing at it, the Quincy was disappointed to see that it was torn down one side, and in no position to be worn.
"In a perfect world Blut Vene would extend to my clothes too and then I wouldn't have mortifying experiences like this." The Quincy shook her head. "Then again, this sort of thing never happened to me back in the Vandenreich. Go figure."
Standing up, the Quincy tossed the damaged article of clothing back into the pit, seeing no further use for it. Sighing, she began to undo her cloak. She lower it then, wrapping it around her waist and hooking the fasteners together tightly. The makeshift skirt hung down to her knees and was hardly the type of fashion sense Bambietta would normally apply, but it would have to do.
"First thing I'm doing with the reward money is buy a new skirt," she said under breath, irritation evident. "Easy come, easy go."
The Quincy moved towards Lucy and Levy, ready and willing to put this mission behind her now more than ever.
"Okay," she said as she began to move deeper into the cavern, her friends close behind, "let's just go get this silly jewel, kick some bandit butt if need be and go get our reward."
The group kept moving forward then, stepping into yet another tunnel. This one was much better than the previous, torches lighting the walls just as they had in the main room. The trio continued their march, wondering just how far in this treasure was tucked away. Then did they come across the entrance to another chamber, the room dark once more. Levy was quick to respond, writing the word light once more to help guide their way.
"There it is!"
Bambietta grinned ear to ear when she saw it. Towards the back of the room there was an altar possessing an ornate design and resting atop it was a glittering crimson jewel, one that caught and reflected the light of Levy's spell. Content with a job at last nearing its conclusion, Bambietta began to move forward. Yet then did she notice something else. There were more dead bodies, all of them dressed in similar fashion to the bandit that she had come across earlier.
"What the hell did this?" she asked, taking note of the horrified expressions that were etched upon the faces of the dead men. Now the Quincy had to admit, while it was still not the worst thing she had seen, it was kind of foreboding.
"Bambi?"
The Quincy turned and took notice of Levy. The mage was staring intently at a message inscribed upon the flooring by the main entrance. Bambietta squinted then but she was unable to make out the strange writing.
"You can read that?" Bambietta asked, rather impressed by it all.
"It's ancient but I've seen translations in some of my books." Levy shone the light on the text and began to read aloud, slowly at first, trying to work out the syntax. "You who have braved the darkness and my traps in search of my greatest treasure, I congratulate you. Yet you face one final trial. Step forward and you will stand before the Pooch of McGuffin."
"Yeah, that just sounds horrifying." Bambietta shook her head, trying not to laugh. "Really, that's it?"
"Wait, there's more," Levy said, struggling to make out the continuing text. "Have... fun."
Bambietta waited then, her eyes staring at Levy as the mage continued to look down at the ancient text. "And?"
"That's it," the mage replied, shining light back towards Bambietta and the Jewel of McGuffin.
"Have fun, huh?" Bambietta shook her. "I'm really not liking this dead king right now. Still, I'll go take him up on his offer."
"But," Lucy stammered, "all these bandits..."
"Again, I said I could take a hundred of them and I only count," Bambietta began to scan over them all, "oh, one-hundred and one. Lovely. Well like I said, still seen worse."
"And like I said," Levy interjected, "still scaring me."
Lucy and Levy began to step back towards the entrance and watched as Bambietta continued to walk forward. The Quincy grew closer and closer to the Jewel of McGuffin, her eyes on the prize.
Then did light burst up all around her. Bambietta glanced around slightly, taking notice of what she could only describe as a magic circle enveloping the entire room. The Quincy felt the magic begin to concentrate then, the light fading as something came into being before her.
Still was Bambietta more than willing to put on a brave face. She looked back towards Lucy and Levy then, giving them a smile. "Don't worry. I've fought a doggie once before. They're not so bad. Well, unless they start talking, looking human and busting out immortal and unkillable giant monsters to help them. Then they can be kind of a big old pain in the butt."
Lucy and Levy simply did not know what to make of that in the least.
Bambietta sighed. "Tough crowd." She began to turn back to the creature forming before her, intent on looking her enemy in the eyes. "Come on, you big fleabag, let's-"
Bambietta realized something then and in response she began to crane her neck upwards. Only then could she see the forming eyes of the monster, her head only reaching the halfway point of its front legs.
"- Go."
Bambietta could see it clearly then, the Hound of McGuffin towering over her, its fur jet black, red streaks rippling through its body and protruding outwards, forming spikes. Its eyes glowed yellow, and from its mouth dripped a green liquid.
"Good doggie," Bambietta said meekly. "Would a treat make you go away?"
The monster roared them, making the cavern shake as it threw its head back.
"Yeah, I didn't think so!" Bambietta shrugged as she allowed Blut Vene to flow through her body. She reached out with her right hand, her sword coming into existence from the power that dwelled around her. "Well that's just fine! I didn't bring any dog treats or puppy repellant in my Quincy utility belt! Come on, poochy! Let's rock!"
The momentary lapse of fear was no more, replaced instead by Bambietta's brash confidence. The Quincy was ready for battle. She could sense this beast's power and she was not impressed. It was unfocused and unrestrained and that was going to be its downfall. Something like this could not keep secrets and what little it had to offer was not entirely worthy of concern.
"Bambi!" Levy shouted. "Don't play games with it! It'll kill you if you do!"
"We can help you!" Lucy shouted, reaching once more for her Celestial Keys.
"You two stay put!" Bambietta shouted as she dodged the snapping jaws of the hound. "He may look big and mean, but his power is nothing more than that of a big fluffy puppy with bad teeth!"
Levy freaked then and there. "Are you crazy?"
"Come on, Levy!" Bambietta replied as she used her sword to parry another bite, scratching the beast's jaw. "You should know better than anyone to judge a book by its cover!"
Bambietta turned her focus truly back on the Pooch of McGuffin, seeing it lick at the wound on the lower half of its mouth. Then did it lunge for her again but once more did its mouth bite into nothing but thin air.
Bambietta was gone, once more using Hirenkyaku to her advantage. "Up here, Cujo!"
The hound roared as it turned its gaze in the direction of its prey's voice, catching sight of Bambietta high in the air. She was falling fast now, Hirenkyaku's momentum having lost its edge over gravity, but she had her bow at the ready.
"Pure Blood Quincy Arrow of Awesomeness!"
Once more did Bambietta have to admit that shouting such names was just too sweet. She let loose an arrow, one she had poured a decent amount of power into. It fired downwards then, piercing through the monster's head.
The Pooch of McGuffin roared in pained defiance then, its body slamming hard to the ground as the power behind the attack forced it down. Then did Bambietta landed in front of the monster, her bow still in hand.
"Boom," she began to say, "head shot."
Yet then did Bambietta sense it, a moment before Lucy or Levy's relieved faces turning to frightened expressions told the whole story. The Quincy turned and saw the wounded beast's head lunging for her again, its teeth bared for the kill.
Bambietta simply fired another arrow, the attack quickly striking the monster between its glowing eyes. It slumped back then, that very light fading. The beast itself beginning to fade, the magic that had created the artificial form of the unliving beast no longer able to support itself.
"Multi-kill."
Bambietta smirked, her eyes settling once more on the Jewel of McGuffin. She began to move forward once more, allowing her weapon to return to the magical particles that it had formed from. As she approached the alter she kept her eyes focused on the crimson jewel. She remembered well what Levy had translated, that this was the first king's greatest treasure.
"What's the big deal with this little trinket?"
Slipping off the glove of her right hand to get a better feel for it, Bambietta gripped down on the jewel. Yet then did she suddenly cry out in surprise. It was not pain, no, but a sudden influx of images and sounds that overtook her. One minute she was looking at a woman dressed all in white and Bambietta felt as if she was slipping a ring on to her finger. The next she was watching as that very same woman was holding a baby wrapped in a blanket, doctors all around. More images began to flash again and again, all of them unfamiliar to the Quincy but still leaving her to feel an unspeakable form of jubilation.
Then was it over, Bambietta gasping as her senses returned to the cavern in which she stood. She glanced down and could see that she no longer held the Jewel of McGuffin. Turning slightly, the Quincy took notice of Lucy and Levy by her side, the latter wearing Bambietta's own discarded glove, the orb in hand.
"What... was that?" Bambietta asked, her eyes focusing on the real world around her.
"You saw something, didn't you?" Levy asked. "What?"
"I didn't just see something," Bambietta panted. "I saw things, heard things, felt things. A life not of my own. So much... joy."
Lucy was inherently nervous, taking notice of the twin tears that were streaming down the Quincy's face. "Bambi?"
"So it's a recording lacrima," Levy said, eyeing the jewel. "Making direct contact with it allows the one in possession sees what was magically encoded within."
"So that was the first king's treasure,' Bambietta said, her breathing beginning to return to normal. She ran a sleeved arm across her face, wiping away the tears born not from her own memories. "The happiest moments of his life."
Bambietta was unsure how to understand what she had just experienced. She had been happy before, yes, but what this king, this McGuffin the Fourth had felt, it was something far different from what she was used to. She had been one to find joy in the heat of battle; even now, when she had faced the hound, she had felt a rush. Yet what she had sensed with this jewel, this lacrima, was something else entirely. It had been the jubilation of another, joy born from a life far removed from the field of battle. The Quincy was unsure if she could admit it, the feelings and sensation she had experienced having belonged to a long dead individual, but it had been something even more intoxicating that what she had felt in her own life. The Quincy had to wonder if that was true happiness. More importantly, however, she had to wonder if it was something she would truly want for herself someday.
Yet for now she knew exactly what would bring a smile to her face. "Let's go get our reward."
The sun was still shining upon Veronica Forest as the trio of Fairy Tail wizards made their way out from the cavern once more. Yet that was not all that was awaiting them.
"Well now," Bambietta said, her eyes locking on the group of well-armed bandits in black that were standing in wait, "you guys just don't know when to quit."
"Give us the Jewel of McGuffin," one of the bandits said, keeping a dagger held in a reverse grip, "and maybe we'll let you pretty little ladies walk away alive."
"Oh really?" Bambietta walked forward, grinning wildly. "Funny, because I was just about to say that if you get the hell out of our way nice and peaceful like I'd let you walk away still able to have children in the future."
"Did she just-?" Lucy whispered, wide eyed.
"Still kind of scaring me," Levy replied.
"Oh, a big toughie, aren't you?" the bandit retorted. "I wonder how much of a witch you'll act like once I've cut out that flippant tongue of you-"
The bandit never got the chance to finish his sentence, his face becoming consumed by an expression of shock. It was the same for all the other bandits, the lot of them quaking where they stood, their bodies shaking and buckling underneath an unseen pressure.
Both Lucy and Levy could feel it as well, though theirs was a less pronounced response. Both of them could feel their skin crawling at the sensation but still did they remain unchanged otherwise, able to resist the pressure bearing down on them both. Despite that, however, they were concerned.
"What's the matter, boys?" Bambietta asked calmly. "You came here to talk big and show off what power you had but now, when I only offer you a fraction of my own, you buckle down like a bunch of pansies. What a joke."
It was exactly that, a fraction of the spiritual pressure Bambietta had within her still, but as she flexed it across the magical wavelengths of the world around her she could see that it was still potent enough for mere mortals. They were beginning to drop like flies then, first to their knees then to their sides, unable to stand up to her power.
Yet then did the Quincy become slightly worried. She turned towards Lucy and Levy and could see them in clear shock at her display of strength, goose bumps spreading across their skin. It was not nearly as bad as what had happened to the bandits but still did Bambietta stop herself then and there, pulling her power back within herself. "Oh, I'm sorry! Really!"
"It's fine," Levy gasped, trying to restore the feeling in her body by will alone.
"What," Lucy said as she rubbed her arms with the same goal as Levy, "was that?"
"An attack on an individual's spirit, eh? How interesting."
Bambietta turned and could see one and only one of the bandits slowly beginning to rise to his feet. This one, she could tell, was different from the rest. Clad in black robes, a hood atop his head, he was far different from the others indeed. The Quincy could feel a spark, no matter how ineffective, within his very being.
"Oh, so you're an actual wizard," she said calmly. "Well bully for you. I guess I just need to flex my power a little harder then. I'm sorry but I'm not in the mood to play around with small fries like you right now."
Then did an idea cross Bambietta's mind. She turned towards Lucy, a devilish smile on her face. "Hey there, roommate. I've kind of done a good chunk of stuff today, and Levy's been a big help, but..."
"But?" Lucy repeated, slightly worried.
"But all you've done is fall on your butt," Bambietta replied, closing her eyes as she continued to smirk. "And don't hide it, I've seen you reaching for those keys you've got on you again and again. I bet they're just plain magical. So show me what you can do! Give him hell!"
Bambietta had to admit that she was curious to see what Lucy could do and there was time like the present. It was only fair she knew what her new friend was capable of, especially if they were going to be living together. The Quincy had to know if Lucy could pull her own weight when it came to making the money for her portion of the rent after all.
"All right then," Lucy began to walk forward, pulling forth one of the keys in her possession. the Celestial wizard kept her face calm, uninterested in looking bad in front of one who was placing such faith in her.
"You dare take me, the great Pax Serpia, as a fool?" the black robed wizard shouted, his rage out of control. "I will not be made light of!"
He brought his hands up high above his head, magical energy beginning to swirl between his palms.
"I will kill you all where you stand! I will become the greatest mage that Veronica has ever seen! Then shall the Carbuncle guild recognize their folly in discarding me!"
"Yeah, more big talk," Bambietta said, watching with interest. "Try making it in Sorcerer's Monthly, then maybe you'll be worth taking seriously!"
"How dare you?" Don shouted, his anger getting the best of him.
"Hey, don't get mad at me," Bambietta replied with a casual shrug. "It's just what I heard is all. Lucy?"
Lucy brought the key forth, energy swirling around it. Then did she speak, uttering the command spell to put her power to good use. "Open the Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"
Light burst all around Lucy then and before her came into existence something that actually did leave Bambietta in complete surprise. It was half man, half bull, and wearing armored bracers and a black shorts. In its hands was a massive axe, one that was quite threatening, but still was the strange creature's appearance something Bambietta had not been expecting.
"Okay, I was just thinking she was going to summon an actual golden bull," Bambietta said softly. "I hope this isn't the perverted bull thing she mentioned back on Mount Hakobe."
"Well aren't you looking quite beautiful today, Miss Lucy!" Taurus said, glancing over his shoulder at his summoner. "And I must say, even when it s not cold out like last time, you are still possessing the finest of udders!"
Bambietta's head dropped forward then. "So it's true. He really does exist. Just... damn it."
"Hey, I brought you out here to help me, not hit on me!" Lucy shouted, slightly flustered with Taurus' usual antics. She was beginning to wonder if she had made the right choice in summons, especially if she wanted to impress her friends.
"Oh, you mean that guy?" the bull spirit asked, tilting his head towards Pax, the man still building his power. "No problem. Nobody is going to lay a hand on my fair lady's hot bod, not whi-"
Suddenly did Taurus's feet dig into the ground, the spirit being pushed back as Pax's magical attack slammed into him.
"No foolish Celestial spirit can handle me, the great- Huh?" Pax watched as the smoke cleared around Taurus' body, the bull spirit's malicious smile coming into focus.
"That stung a little, I'll admit. But let me tell you something." Taurus began to take a step forward then, giving Pax a reason to slowly retreat. "You mess with the bull," Taurus began to say as he suddenly charged, "you get the horns!"
The creature swung the flat edge of his massive axe to the side, striking Pax with it so hard that the dark wizard was thrown to the side, his body hitting against a tree with enough force to leave him passing out almost immediately.
"And now you know," Taurus began to say in triumph, "how horny I can be."
Bambietta simply groaned in response, dropping her face into the waiting palms of her hands.
"Good job, Taurus!" Lucy shouted as she moved over to high five her summon. "I can always count on you!"
The spirits eyes suddenly lit up in joy, leaving Bambietta to almost question her sight. For a moment she could have sworn she saw the creature's eyes turn pink and shift into the shape of hearts. The Quincy rubbed her eyes with both hands then and looked once more, only to find the same sight awaiting her. "Tis world is full of many strange and horrifying things."
"You're happiness always moves me, Miss Lucy!" Taurus shouted. "Now how about I get a big hug as a sign of appreciati-"
"And away you go!" Lucy shouted, using her magic to return Taurus to whence he came. She then turned back to Bambietta and Levy. "Pretty cool magic, huh?"
"Yeah." Bambietta said it with some manner of hesitation, but she wasn't lying, not exactly. The magic was impressive, yes, but she had to hope that her new friend had less disturbing spirits to summon. "Anyway... Bambi Force, let's go get our reward and start living it up!"
Time passed, day beginning to turn to night. A museum had been visited, a reward collected and immediate shopping for a new white skirt completed. All that done, the trio of Fairy Tail members had returned to Magnolia conquering heroes of a sort and went their separate ways. Levy had returned to Fairy Hills while Lucy and Bambietta had gone back to their shared apartment for some much needed rest. More time passed then, night turning to day, and Bambietta was sleeping peacefully on Lucy's sofa once more. That peace, however, was about to end.
"That is totally not fair! You tricked me!"
The shrill cry dragged Bambietta from her slumber, the Quincy all but falling off the sofa and to the floor as she awoke in a startled panic. Entangled in her blanket, she clawed out at it until at last she could stick her head out and look around.
"What's the deal here?" she asked, her eyes blinking as she tried to concentrate. "Can't the cute get some beauty sleep?"
Then did Bambietta see it, Lucy conversing with Natsu Dragneel and Happy. Also did the Quincy take notice of a strange and small white creature possessing a gold horn in place of a nose.
"Okay, I guess I'm still dreaming."
Lucy looked down at the frumpy and disheveled Quincy, honestly surprised that she had slept through the entire conversation she had just had with Natsu since he had mysteriously shown up in her apartment. One minute she had simply been walking out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel after a nice shower, the next she had been horrified to find the Dragon Slayer simply sitting in a chair, waiting to greet her. The question of how he had gotten in was still something Lucy had yet to receive an answer for.
"Can you believe this jerk?" Lucy exclaimed, leaving Bambietta to stare up at her in confusion. "First he goes and acts like I'm the best thing since sliced bread so I'll join his team and then he has the nerve to reveal he only needed me because the job request he has in mind requires a blonde haired girl to dress up like a maid!"
"Wait... what?" Again was Bambietta trying very hard to awaken fully, not entirely sure she had comprehended what Lucy had just said. Then, quite suddenly, did one word the Celestial wizard had spoken begin to repeat over and over again in Bambietta's thoughts. Then did she suddenly stand up and point an accusing finger at Natsu. "Oh no, Dragon Slayer! Lucy's a proud member of the Bambi Force! I won't have you stealing from me!"
The Quincy began to crack her knuckles then, leaving Natsu completely thrown for a loop by the awakened woman's action. Lucy, meanwhile, was simply aghast. "I can kind of be on two teams, you know?"
Bambietta sighed and sat back down on the couch. "Okay, fine. So much for a good excuse to fight the Dragon Slayer again."
"You were going to fight him in our apartment?" Lucy all but screamed. "Are you nuts?"
"So I've been told in the past," Bambietta answered, "but at least I can share. I guess . Anyway... So what, you two going out on a mission?"
Lucy suddenly walked over to Bambietta, handing her a paper. "Sadly, yeah. Doesn't this one just sound like fun?"
Bambietta glanced at the paper and began to read it over. "So you've got to procure a book from a guy. It doesn't sound that bad- What the heck am I looking at?"
Bambietta could see it then, a drawing a short and overweight man in a black suit, the individual playing with a mustache that seemed less like it was growing from his face but rather extending out from the nostrils of his bulbous nose.
"Wow, and I thought PePe was one ugly son of a gun." Bambietta glanced over the paper again, giggling slightly as she read the fine print. "So you're going to infiltrate this bozo's mansion disguised as a maid. Doesn't that just sound like fun. Sorry, Lucy."
"It's a shame you're not a pretty blonde," Happy said as he looked at Bambietta from the floor. "Then you could be a member of Team Natsu too!"
"Yeah, I'll go dye my hair right now just so I can dress up as a maid and flirt with this Duke of Everlue fellow. That'll be fun." Then did Bambietta twitch, the Quincy what else Happy had said. "And I am pretty, you darn kitty!"
"No worries," Natsu replied with a smile. "Lucy should be enough. Besides, after that fight we had, I'm kind of worried you might punch out the guy if he gets on your bad side."
"So wait, I'm not good enough for your team now?" Bambietta stood up again, raising a fist in front of her. "Those are fighting words, Dragon Slayer! Any day, any time!"
Natsu suddenly smiled then. "Sure, we can have a rematch!"
Lucy, meanwhile, simply sighed in realization that she was clearly becoming friends with people who were quite crazy indeed. "Guys, the landlord is going to kill me if you wreck the place."
"But that'll have to wait!" Natsu suddenly grabbed hold of Lucy's hand, guiding her towards the apartment's doorway. "First me and Happy got to get a sweet maid outfit for our newest teammate!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy exclaimed, running up beside his friend's side.
"Wait a minute, Natsu, I really don't want to-"
Then Lucy was out of sight, the Dragon Slayer having brought her out into the hall and shutting the door behind him.
Bambietta simply stood there in silence. Then did the Quincy begin to giggle slightly. "Oh, poor Lucy. Better her than me."
She began to stretch then, realizing that she had plenty of alone time to herself now. She pressed against her neck, trying to work the stiffness out of it to no avail.
"Yeah, that sofa is better than a freaking bench," the Quincy mumbled to herself, "but I really need to go buy a bed. Oh well. Plenty of time to kill now."
"Darn it. It looks like somebody already took the book stealing gig." Levy sighed as she looked at the job request board, having noticed quite well that the mission was gone. While she had made a decent amount of capital with Bambietta and Lucy, fifty thousand jewel nothing to sneeze at, it was only half the rent for her apartment. "I really could have used that money."
Disappointed, Levy turned back towards the members of the group she called her own, Shadow Gear. Jet and Droy shared her disappointment, willing to do what they needed to help the woman they called a friend.
"Good morning, Fairy Tail!"
There it was again, as if the morning was a repeat of the last. Levy did not even need to look but she did so anyway and saw Bambietta walking into the guild hall once more.
"So what A-Class mission can I find today?" Bambietta began to look over the mission request board herself, standing close to Levy and the others. "Hopefully something a little less stressful than another treasure hunt." Then suddenly did the Quincy look towards Levy. "You want to come along again? I think we make a pretty good team."
"Well, I'd like to, but-"
Levy was interrupted, Jet stepping in front of her and looking Bambietta in the face. Droy was soon to follow, pointing an accusing finger at her.
"Hey," Droy began to say, "listen up, rookie."
Jet was the next to speak. "Levy's a proud member of Shadow Gear, so don't think you can just snatch her away!"
"Okay," Bambietta said, growing a little irritated. She glanced at Jet and then looked at the tall hat he was wearing. "One, I've already pretty well learned that Fairy Tail wizards can be on as many teams as they like. Two, personal space. Respect mine. And three, my hat is so much cooler than yours, Doctor Seuss."
Silence settled over Bambietta and the male members of Shadow Gear, their eyes now doing the talking for them. Bambietta, however, found that a little boring and pushed the situation over the edge the only way she knew how.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot number four. I've actually shared the same bed with Levy. Top that."
The Quincy smiled then, getting confirmation from both Jet and Droy that her comment had done the trick.
"Why you!"
"We're not going to be disrespected by a rookie!"
"Bambi!" Levy exclaimed, her face going red. "It's not what it sounds like, guys! Really!"
Levy moved between her friends, trying to calm them all down.
"You two need to cool it!" she said sternly to Jet and Droy, waving a stern index finger.
Bambietta smirked. "Yeah, just chill out, gu-"
"And you," Levy said, turning to face Bambietta. "You have to stop provoking people. First Laxus, then Natsu, now my friends."
Bambietta did not know what to say, having not expected to be lectured like that. A part of her was angry but she also could not help but understand where Levy as coming from. She spoke then, using an honest tone as she diverted her eyes away from the judgment that was displaying in Levy's own. "Sorry."
Levy took note of Bambietta's suddenly humble attitude, happy to see it was possible, and she made up her mind then. She turned to the other members of Shadow Gear. "Well, since the Duke of Everlue mission was a bust I guess this just isn't our day. So how about this? I'll do a mission or two with Bambi today, then maybe tomorrow or the next day we can find something for us, all right?"
"Okay, fine," Jet answered.
"I can deal with that," Droy replied. "See you later, Levy."
The two began to depart then, going their separate ways and leaving Levy alone beside Bambietta at the job request board.
Meanwhile, Makarov simply watched on with simple curiosity. He had known quite well that Bambietta was a brash one, but the master was content in seeing her hold back just now once Levy had spoken to her. Yes, Makarov could see that Porlyusica's concerns were perhaps valid, but so to was his faith that she could better herself in time.
"It's perhaps best you not gotten involved with the Everlue mission, Levy," he suddenly said. "The client actually contacted me to raise the reward, so I can only imagine he has grown more desperate to see it through or that the task has grown much more dangerous."
"What? Twenty thousand jewel wasn't enough?" Levy was quite surprised. "How much did they raise it?"
"Oh, it couldn't be that bad," Mirajane said with a smile. "Right, master?"
"I'm afraid it may be," Makarov replied. "It was raised to two million jewel."
"What?" Levy, much as everyone else, was quite shocked. "What kind of book are they after?"
Perhaps none was quite as surprised as Bambietta herself. "Are you kidding me? Darn it! I hope Natsu and Lucy are happy with that money! That so would have totally been worth getting my hair dyed blonde!"
Only then did the Quincy suddenly remember exactly what the lecherous Duke of Everlue looked like in the picture she had seen.
"Wait, no," Bambietta said quietly, her skin crawling. "No reward is worth that."
Bambietta turned back to the board then, trying to find something more to her liking. She noticed that that Levy was moving close to her, the woman quite worried. "Are you sure Lucy will be all right?"
Bambietta was not concerned in the least. "I'm sure. She's got Natsu by her side after all. That kid's a real firecracker. Pun intended, yes."
"Well, if you're sure." Levy began to gloss over the job request board. "Oh, how about this one?"
Bambietta looked at the paper that Levy was pointing to and then did the Quincy smile widely. She snatched it off the board and wrapped an arm around Levy's shoulders. "The Bambi Force is back in action!"
I figured it would be best to have Bambietta experience at least one mission before she was exposed to fairy tails more...crazy missions...Then again, considering her old home...Wont be that big of a difference.
Still, anything to get her to spend more time with Lucy and Levy, and she needs it as you could tell from her...Nightmare. Yeah, she's not going to get over what happened to her anytime soon, and really, can you blame her? I sure cant.
But thats why she's hear now, isnt it? To get over the past, and make new friends.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to leave a review, they make me and Ankoholic strive to do better, be the review positive or negative.
