Surprise! We have yet another chapter out for you guys this month. Be aware that because of this it may be a while till our next one. Still, I hope that you all enjoy this. Once again this was wrote by Draconichero21, who left a message for you all.
"I wrote this chapter knowing that it would be a thing at some point in the story. However, because of the way I wrote Candice, I felt the topic had to be addressed...now for reasons you will hopefully understand by chapter's end."
I do hope that you all leave us some kind of feedback on this chapter in a form of a review. It would be super appreciated.
Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo and Shounen jump. Fairy tail is owned by Hiro Mashima and weekly shounen magazine. I own NOTHING. This is all just for fun!
Just as Fairy Tail was happily welcoming its newest members, a situation of another kind regarding the guild was taking place in Era, the headquarters of the magic council to be more precise. Most of its members were busy with business that had to be personally dealt with, leaving only three members in attendance for this meeting.
"I can't believe this!" Org, the Vice-chairman of the magic council shouted out in frustration as he threw down a stack of papers to the floor. "Does Fairy Tail seriously expect us to just let these two criminals join their guild and just sweep their crimes under the rug?! It's ludicrous!"
"I agree." said Leiji, another member of the magic council said as he frowned. "Fairy Tail has some nerve thinking that we'll just go along with whatever they ask. Why, they still owe quite the bit in property damage last I checked."
"Not to mention the fact that it's only been one year since we allowed them to take in Mullan Rouge into their ranks despite the chaos she caused." Belno said with disdain. "Master Makarov had to use his Wizard Saint status to give her a pardon."
All wizard saints had the ability to pardon any wizards that they saw particular potential in, so long as they hadn't committed any major crime. Many famous wizards in the past had been given this second chance, and became respectable members of society. However, a wizard saint could only use it for a single incident every five years to prevent a potential abuse of power.
"But unfortunately for him, he won't be able to use his pardon." Org said as he looked over to his fellow council members. "So I think it's safe to say that we will be rejecting his requ-"
"That won't be necessary Org." A voice called out to the magic council as the sound of footsteps could be heard. Turning their heads, the three of them saw none other than Meifon Long. "I'll be using my pardon on the both of them."
"Miss Long, this is a private meeting!" Org yelled out at the woman. "Even despite your status as a wizard saint, you can't just come in here unannounced!"
"I was granted permission by Yamaji," Meifon said as she began to approach the council. "He told me that this would be a matter that I would be rather invested in...and it seems that he was right."
"Bah! The only reason Yamaji let you in was to assist your former guild!" Leiji said in disgust. "Honestly, you two are far too attached to your old guild for my liking!"
"While I admit it's rather coincidental, my being here has nothing to do with Fairy Tail." Meifon said as she now stood amongst the council. "I simply see mages that could do much more good for Fiore if they were allowed to use their powers in the right way, and Fairy Tail seems to be the best place for them to do it. "
She then smiled at them all as she continued. "It would be such a shame to simply put them behind bars for such minor incidents."
"Minor incidents?! Those two destroyed an entire bar, injuring everyone inside and stole countless jewel and belongings that belong to innocent civilians of this country!"
"And I've taken steps to see that all those involved have received compensation for their actions." Meifon spoke with confidence. "Medical bills, property damage, and stolen goods. It's all been taken care of. All I asked for was for them in exchange to not press charges."
"You're just misusing your family fortune to help out Fairy Tail!" Leiji accused Meifon. "I don't care if you're the heiress to one of the ten richest families in all of Ishgar, this is -"
"The only reason you're all so upset is because of Fairy Tail's involvement." Meifon interrupted them. "I seem to recall you letting Jura allow several wizards to join Lamia Scale despite their crimes on Galuna Island being far more severe." She smirked as she continued. "Attempted murder of an entire village and the release of a demon made by Zeref. Yes, surely what they did wasn't anywhere near as horrible as theft and property damage. So please, by all means, tell me I'm "abusing my power" when it's so clear that all your doing is holding a grudge.``
Silence fell amongst the council, none of the wizards having anything they could say to counter her argument. With no one bothering to speak up, she continued.
"I'll take full responsibility of the actions of Candice Catnipp and Jade Ladro if they misbehave. Now...are you going to continue bickering with me? Or can we move on and focus on actual problems that need to be dealt with?"
"...Very well." Org said as he signed the papers for their pardon. As he did, the other members of the council took their leave, walking behind Meifon though not without giving the saint a few glares as they did. She didn't bother to look back at them however. They weren't worth the effort.
"I thank you for being so reasonable, Org." Meifon said with sincerity.
"Just know that you're starting to get on thin ice with us, Meifon," Org said as he finished his paper work. He began to take his leave before he turned around to face her one last time. "...Did you truly do this for a reason other than to help out that insufferable old guild of yours?"
"I swear to you on my honor as a wizard saint that it had nothing to do with Fairy Tail." Meifon replied. "My reasons are entirely my own and for the good of Fiore. "
Seemingly accepting her answer, Org began to take his leave. Meifon sighed as she took a moment to sit down in one of the council's chairs. Thank goodness that went as well as it did. I don't have patience with dealing with such fools. To lose even one of our warriors before the war begins could have disastrous consequences.
After all, in a game of chess, to lose even one pawn piece before the game began, would result in a huge disadvantage. Though she believed the two she helped today to be far more valuable than mere pawns.
"I can't thank you enough for stepping in for them Meifon." A voice said to her before the wizard saint slowly turned around to face the direction it was coming from.
"Think nothing of it, Lady Sylphia."
With a flash of light, the goddess of Camaraderie appeared before the wizard saint. Meifon quickly got to her knees and bowed. "You honor me with your presence."
"Meifon, don't be that way. I have no desire for my own daughter to view me as her superior. Please, be at ease."
Meifon couldn't help but chuckle at her "mother's" choice of words. The two were not related by blood, but as far as the goddess was concerned, she viewed Meifon, as well as the other's she had brought over from other universes as her own adopted children. The daughters of Sylphia was what she chose to call them. As far as Meifon was aware, only 3 existed currently. Herself. Jade Ladro and Bambietta Basterbine.
"Very well...But I do have some...questions I need to ask."
"Is it about Jade? I believe you know that she's in Fairy Tail now, just as you and I always desired."
Sylphia had brought Jade into this world for reasons that Meifon had yet to figure out. Every time she asked, she was simply told "there is no reason!" with a smile on Sylphia's face...but she knew her mother better than that. Everything she did was for a reason. For Bambietta and herself, it was to be used for the war despite her kind intentions of giving them a second chance.
However, unlike her and Bambietta...she had made no effort at all to confront her "2nd child". She had a hands-off approach to Jade, telling Meifon that "I want to see if she'll make the right choice this time." and forbade her from getting personally involved. Not wanting to press the issue further, Meifon never brought it up again, though she often wondered about it in her off time.
"No, not that...I wish to ask you about this." Meifon said as she raised her right hand. "A few days ago, my hand glowed with a mysterious symbol...one that was made by your power I might add. I could sense a…connection with Bambietta and Jade...care to explain?"
Sylphia sighed before she sat down in the nearest chair. "I have lived for a very long time Meifon, and in that time...I've gone through many hardships. But nothing...nothing will ever surpass the pain of watching my own children murdering each other. It's a pain that I never wish to experience again...so I simply took pre-cautions to ensure that would never happen again."
"You placed command seals on us." Meifon said matter of factually.
"Yes. They will only activate when one of you has any intentions to harm the other with ill intentions. I'm afraid yours activated because I made the seals a bit too strong and sensitive than necessary. You'll have to forgive me, but I wasn't willing to take any chances of any of you being able to break the seal."
"Well, just so long as I'm aware as to why it happened, I won't take it personally." Meifon said before narrowing her eyes. "Still, the fact that Miss Basterbine even came so close to killing Jade in the first place, are you sure she was the right choice to give her that power? With it, she could easily-"
"I have no doubt that she is the one," Sylphia said, interrupting her daughter. "Bambietta may have almost made a terrible mistake, but I can sense her true feelings. She feels genuine guilt over what she did. She's come a long way from the person that she used to be."
"If you insist...but, to entrust her with such power-"
"She is worthy of it," Sylphia insisted with confidence. "Once Bambietta unlocks the true capabilities of her shrift, and gains control of the divine power I've placed within her soul, she'll become a being capable of changing the tide of this war. I have no doubt that the gods on the opposing side have already chosen their champion piece. She will be ours."
"I see...with your permission, I wish to meet Bambietta myself to determine if she is worthy of such power," Meifon said as she rose from her seat. "Besides, I haven't seen Jade since I left the orphanage thirteen years ago."
"I'll allow it." Sylphia told Meifon. "You may doubt her now, but I can guarantee she'll be able to reach your expectations."
We'll see about that. Meifon thought to herself. "Well, I must be off to Celestial Blade, but I must ask, have you found the Quincy Kaiser?"
Meifon hadn't bothered to ask the goddess about the traitor within the magic council. Her mother was forbidden to give her such information. Mortals had to deal with mortal problems on their own as the Gods had decreed many eons ago. The only reason she was told about Irene and Erza's connection by her mother when she looked into Erza's past after Elizabeth told her how much Erza reminded her of her old friend, was simple due to Irene's connection to Zeref who had connections to the divine realm. Being Syplphia's "daughter" had given her access to that information, though she herself was forbidden to share it with anyone.
Yhwach however, was considered a deity level threat from what she had been told and thus was allowed to inquire about the situation.
"I'm afraid not. The man seems to phase in and out of existence. Any time he appears within Fiore, or Ishgar for that matter, he seems to vanish into thin air when he finishes whatever his goal is. The only thing I can say for certain is that he resides within Bosco."
"Of all the places in Ishgar...he just had to choose Bosco." Meifon said.
This complicated things immensely. Bosco, formerly a nation of peace and prosperity, was now infamous for being a rather ruthless nation run by a tyrannical king for the past seven years. A powerful nation that had tried to invade Fiore more than once, it was also the new home of the Goddess of despair, a god who was banished from their holy realm for attempting to send the human world into chaos. She had since placed a barrier around the country, preventing any gods from entering or looking in with magic.
So in other words, the gods won't be able to find him until he wishes to make his presence known. He's more than just powerful...he's clearly a man with great strategical ability. Meifon thought to herself.
"I have no idea how he managed to figure out Bosco was our blind spot," Sylphia said. "It is at this point irreverent. All I can tell you is this be wary of his approach, Meifon. He is a wild card that could easily disrupt the balance of all the realms."
Meifon nodded, clearly in agreement. Sylphia smiled as she got up from the chair and gave her a hug. "I'm afraid I must take my leave now. Take care, and give Bambietta my regards."
Then with a flash of light, she was gone, no doubt returning to her realm.
Meifon began to turn around and head for her airship, but as she did, her mind wandered to think about her future encounter.
I'll see you soon, Miss Basterbine. For humanity's sake...I can only pray she's right about you.
It was a morning like any other in Fairy Tail. Even though Candice and Jade had been members of the guild for a little over a week, they seemed to fit right in, leaving the guild as noisy as ever. At present, only Jade was in the hall itself right now, sitting down and eating breakfast at the same table as Bambietta, Lucy, Rukia, and Wendy.
"Where's your partner?" Bambietta teased.
"What are we, joined at the hip?" Jade asked dryly. "We have separate rooms you know."
"Sorry," Bambietta smirked. "It's just…too easy."
Following her statement, Loke strolled in, hair a mess, biggest smile on his face.
"Oh, I know that look," Cana called from across the room. "How'd it go?"
"What can I say? I'm a walking magnet for the ladies," Loke said with a shrug.
Bambietta, Jade and Lucy all shot glazed looks at Loke from their seats, not that he noticed.
About ten minutes later, someone else walked in: Candice. Her hair was perfect, as always, except Bambietta could smell the perfume.
Oh no, she only wears that much perfume when…
"Aha, there's the finest woman in town," Loke said, winking at Candice.
Candice winked, pointed her index finger at him in the shape of a gun and made a clicking noise with her teeth to show she appreciated the compliment and thought he was pretty good looking himself.
Bambietta groaned.
"Wait, are Candice and Loke dating?" Wendy asked.
"No, Wendy, no they are not," Bambietta said, massaging her forehead with her palms.
"What the—since when?!" Cana suddenly shouted.
"Last night," Candice chuckled. "What's the matter, Cana? You jeal?"
"Look I know what we did wasn't exactly everlasting, but you jump to Loke like that?" Cana asked, snapping her fingers.
"I wouldn't say jump, more like a healthy rotation," Candice chuckled. "Besides, you still got him beat in pie eating."
Wendy sat at the table blushing as hard as Lucy.
"Hasn't it only been a week?" Jade asked.
"Welcome to consistent life with Candice," Bambietta said. "She will sleep with anything that suits her fancy if it doesn't say no."
Jade smacked her forehead into the table.
Liltotto was passing by the table with her dishes and noticed the argument Loke and Cana were getting into. She also took note of the mischievous look on Candice's face as she downed her shake while whispering things to Mirajane.
"She works fast," Liltotto said with a glazed look.
"You think she'll go for a full rotation?" Bambi asked her.
"Look as long as she stays away from Natsu, I don't care what she does," Liltotto responded.
"She tried already, said he was too dumb for her, but they're still sort of chummy. Totomaru already gave her a hard veto and she's got zero interest in Macao, Jet, Droy, and Wakaba," Bambietta said.
"Well, at least she has standards," Jade and Liltotto said at the same time.
"Bambi, isn't it wrong for a girl to be with so many people at once?" Wendy asked.
"I…um…" Bambietta tried to think of a PG way to explain this to Wendy.
"It's not…wrong per say," Lucy stated. "But unlike the stable relationship Bambietta and I have, Candice and the people she's with are like um…"
"Think of it like renting a house," Liltotto suddenly said. "You don't own the house, but you're borrowing it. Then, when you leave the house, it's available for the next person."
"Poor house," Wendy said, looking sad. "I'd rather own it than leave it all alone."
Bambietta's eyes looked somewhere between trying not to laugh, mortified and utterly grateful. I don't know if I should thank Lil for explaining that so perfectly or be upset that she just made Wendy feel bad for apartments everywhere. Her face returned to normal. Still, at least I don't have to worry about Wendy turning out like… She watched Candice belch loudly from the bar stool. That!
After finishing her shake, Candice strolled across the room after zeroing in on a new target: Alzack Connell.
Totomaru noticed as Bisca gripped the wooden table so hard with her fingernails, she cracked it.
"Hey there, Trick shot," Candice said, calling Alzack by a nickname. "You got time later to show me your white bullets?"
Alzack blushed brightly as Candice leaned in towards him, fingertips standing up on the nearby table, trying to give him a nice view down her shirt.
Bisca was ready to march over there and go full Mulan Rouge on Candice. For a second, Totomaru thought he was looking at Erza instead of the normally chipper Bisca Mulan.
"C-Candi, I um…I appreciate the offer, but I…I…" He tensed up, eyes shut tight and then loudly announced, "I'm already dating Bisca!"
Totomaru had never seen such a 180-personality change in a woman as Bisca blushed brightly. "Eh?"
Candice grinned. "That so?"
Jade winced while Bambietta looked on with interest. Alzack shook and sweated, refusing to open his eyes. He was surprised when he felt Candice's firm hand patting him on the inside of his left shoulder right by his neck. "Well, don't mind me then. True love conquers all. Go on and grab a mission and get on out of here with the woman you love."
"Wha…really?" Alzack looked back at Candice like she had two heads.
"What? I got something between my teeth? Grab her and go," Candice insisted.
Alzack was suddenly grabbed by the wrist by Bisca. "Come on, Alzack, we can go monster hunting together. I hear there's something called a Goreclaw out to the northwest." She began pulling on his wrist. "I don't know what a Goreclaw is, but we should get a train ticket and go kill it."
"Y-yeah…s-sure, I'll uh…" he shuffled away from Bisca. "I'll go get the mission scroll."
As he stumbled away, Bisca looked at Candice, the latter still grinning. Her gaze narrowed. "You know we're not actually dating, don't you?"
Candice nodded. "Yup."
Bisca eyed Candice suspiciously. "You knew about how he felt, didn't you?"
"Eh, kinda," Candice shrugged.
Bisca nodded firmly. "I owe you a drink."
"Doesn't matter if it's got alcohol in it or not as long as it's on the rocks, now go get 'em, Sunshine."
Bisca smiled and then walked away to go talk to Alzack.
"What just happened?" Jade asked.
"I'm…not sure," Bambietta said.
"She totally set them up," Liltotto said.
"Uh huh," Bambietta responded.
"You think she did it on purpose?" Liltotto asked as she and Bambietta watched Candice sit down and order another milkshake.
"Aren't you two supposed to have known her a long time?" Jade asked.
"Look, when it came to romance the Vandenreich was pretty frigid," Bambietta said. "Just look at me. I'm still getting used to the whole relationship thing."
Lucy did her best not to snicker at the truth.
It was of course now dawning on Bambietta as to Candice's behavior after she told the lime haired quincy that she was dating Lucy. Candice had sounded pretty proud of her. She looked at Candice now more intently. She didn't even seem bothered by getting shot down by Alzack as she ordered another milkshake and continued to chat with Mirajane about only gods knew what.
"I didn't know Candice was a regular cupid," Liltotto said. "She always struck me as the uncaring type."
"Shouldn't be that big of a surprise. We do wield bows and arrows," Bambietta chuckled. Liltotto frowned.
Liltotto decided to stop holding her tray and bring it to the back to be washed, as she passed by the bar the second time, she decided to stand near Candice. "Hey," she said.
"What's up, Lil?" Candice asked. Mirajane was presently down at the other side of the bar.
"That was a really good thing you did, Candi," Liltotto said.
"Huh? Oh! You mean setting up Bonnie and Clyde earlier?" Candice asked and slurped her milkshake. "What can I say? I've got a gift."
"Yeah, but…" Liltotto tried to find the right words to ask Candice how she managed it and why she even bothered.
Fortunately, Candice seemed to get exactly what was on Liltotto's mind. "When you spend thirty years after death, you get a lot of time to reflect on your life and the mistakes you've made. I might be younger than Meni and Bambi, but I feel like I had more hard life experience than all three of you combined. Just look at Bambi and her struggling relationship with Lucy," Candice said. "I don't do the whole stable relationship thing, but if she ever came to me for pointers, I know enough to know how to keep them afloat. I've been nothing, but a social girl all my life. I feel that, in some areas, it makes me a pretty wise woman. I might not know how to solve for X or how to translate Shakespeare into understandable modern language, but I can certainly turn a Sandra Dee into a Sandra Squee, you feel me?"
"Um, I think so…?" Liltotto wasn't sure.
"Look, let me put it like this," Candice said, scratching the back of her head. "I chose my lifestyle because it suits me as a person. If there's one thing I don't regret, ever, it's ditching the glasses and deciding to be the master of my own destiny."
"You used to wear glasses?" Liltotto asked.
"Focus, Lil," Candice said to her. "Point is, I know that everyone is different. People want different things from other people when it comes to relationships and sex. And so long as I'm here in Fairy Tail, you can bet your ass I'm gonna use my knowledge to help some cute couples make a few babies and have a goddamn perfect wedding. There's few things that irritate me more than a limp dick who can't tell his woman how much he likes her or a princess who can't be bothered to be forward enough with a guy that's caught her eye. Being passive gets you nowhere. Otherwise, next thing you know is you're getting cucked when the person you were after is dating some asshole or bitch that's only into them for their wallet or the sex and you're completely fucked."
"I didn't realize you felt so strongly about this kind of thing," Liltotto said.
Candice sighed. "Shit, talking about this makes me want a cigarette all of a sudden."
"You smoke?"
"Used to. Gave it up when Haschwalth drilled it into me how bad they are, and yet whenever I think about my younger years, muscle memory kicks in and I remember just how fucked up I was. I wouldn't say I've changed too much, but I was pretty awful at my lowest points." Candice grabbed her shake. "Hey, when Meni eventually gets here, let's all four of us go on a camping trip or something and spill our guts. I think we can all get closer if we don't keep secrets from each other."
"What about Giselle?" Liltotto asked.
"Cockroach can go fuck herself," Candice remarked.
Liltotto looked right with only her eyes. She really shouldn't have expected less.
Candice scanned the guild. "The atmosphere here is really different compared to the Vandenreich. No one's being forced to hunt hollows or this world's equivalent of them. Morale is high. We're not training to fight some big army. We're just…living our lives here, freely." A small smirk appeared on Candice's face. "It's nice."
Liltotto smiled. "Yeah."
"I hear you and Erza are close. That true?" Candice asked.
Liltotto nodded.
"Keep an eye on her for me, would you?" Candice asked.
"Huh?"
"Erza's an enigma," Candice stated. "Everyone else in this guild I can read at least the first chapters of them like they're open books. Erza on the other hand…she's difficult and almost next to impossible to read."
"What do you mean?" Liltotto asked. "Erza seems pretty straightforward to me."
"That's just it. She's a paragon, Lil. The defining standard by which the rest of Fairy Tail seems to aspire to. You don't get that way overnight and no matter how many times I hang out with her, nothing brings me closer to answering the question: What makes Erza, well…Erza?"
Liltotto stopped and realized that she never gave the question much thought.
"This isn't the Vandenreich. I can't afford the luxury of not getting attached to this place. It's a second…well…third chance at life and I don't intend to fuck it up. Who else should I give my best for if not the people that gave me a real home? Everyone here is open to who I am. I can just…be myself. I know that might be harder for you and Bambi in some circumstances, especially for Bambi, but…I just feel free here and…well, look at all those smiles," Candice said and chuckled. "I want to protect those smiles. You get me?"
Liltotto smiled. "That much I completely get."
Candice ruffled Liltotto's hair. "Welp, I'd better stop drinking shakes and get a move on. If you see Twizzler, tell her I'm sorry I missed her this morning." Candice then grabbed a random job off the board and walked out.
Liltotto went back to the table Bambietta was at. "So?" Bambietta asked as though she was in high school and about to receive second hand gossip.
"Seems there's a lot more to Candi than you or I ever gave her credit for," Liltotto said, smiling. "She said when Meni gets here we should all hang out."
Bambietta smiled. "I'd like that."
Liltotto decided to keep the rest of what Candice said to herself for now. It had felt like Candice was laying bare a lot of her soul to her. Until Candice outright told Bambietta all about it, until that day that Candice mentioned when the four of them laid bare everything to each other, Candice's secrets were safe with Liltotto.
If Jade had been told three weeks ago that she would be teaming up with the same woman who had threatened to kill her, she would have called them nuts. As of now, however, she was more than willing to lend Bambietta and Rukia a hand when they had asked for her help back at the guildhall for a mission, the former more than curious just to see what she was made of. Jade, needing the cash and wanting to get to know a friend of Candice's better, accepted on the spot. Bambietta was much friendlier and open than she first let on in their first encounter. With Bambietta's smile always present on her face, witty sense of humor, and overall friendly personality, she could see now why Candice and her got along so well.
Her time in Fairy Tail had been brief, a mere nine days, but it was one that Jade was already far preferring to her old life on the run. No longer did she have to constantly look over her back when she was alone in some bar or back ally, needing to steal to survive. Now she could just take job requests off the board and feel safe whenever she wanted to stop for some food. She...liked it. Her time in Chicken Fangs wasn't unpleasant by any means, but Lady Emberella had insisted on Jade not attach to anyone else, simply telling her that her time in the guild would be brief and make what would happen harder on her.
Your path is one of darkness, Jade. Until we destroy the magic council for what they've done...a normal life is beyond the both of us. Just stick with me...and I promise everything will be fine.
She still wondered where her adopted mother had run off to after all this time. It was the main reason she hadn't bothered to join any guilds, her search for Emberella taking priority above all else at the time. Emberella was the only person besides her best friend Meifon back in the orphanage that had ever shown her any sort of compassion. Emberella taught her how to fight, how to use magic, hell, she even gave her a basic education and was, quite frankly, the closest thing to family Jade ever had. Emberella loved her. More than anyone ever did.
But things changed for the mint haired woman once she had met Candice. For the first time in over nine years, she had someone else she could consider a friend. Sure, Candice often joked at her expense more times than she cared for but she knew that it came from a good place. Meeting her...had allowed Jade to put things into perspective. That she didn't have to spend her whole life on the run or looking for her mother figure. If Jade had to be honest, she still desperately wanted to find Emberella even now, but if she had to live the rest of her life as a member of this guild...she was more than fine with that.
"So, this is where they're held up," Bambietta said as the three of them looked down from a cliff. Below them lay a base of bandits and dark mages. With low wooden walls, several watch towers, a considerable number of tents, a few cabins and a large stone building in the middle, it looked more like a fortress than a camp for Bandits. For the past week, they had been plaguing the town of Sunflora with their theft and arson. Local law enforcements were beaten to a pulp and the squadron of Rune Knights sent in had also failed. Thus, they called out to Fairy Tail for assistance.
"They don't seem that tough to me," Bambietta said as she gauged the power of their targets. "About one-hundred seventy slightly empowered humans and thirty C-class mages." She then sighed. "Here I was hoping for a challenge. This'll be a cake walk."
"Don't get too overconfident." Rukia said to Bambietta. "Word is that their being led by Ex Dwarf Gear mage Murasaki Nuku. He was an B class who-"
"Rukia, that's great and all but...B class ain't got nothing on me." Bambietta told her. "Our A classes are practically everyone else's S class and I was already at that level several months ago. So excuse me for not being super thrilled."
"Look, just because you're recommended for S class doesn't mean that you should underestimate enemies on a lower rank than you. I knew a fifth seat who was on par with most lieutenants!" Rukia scolded Bambietta.
"Yeah, yeah yeah. Mr "I chose five because I don't like how 4 looks" guy. But he's, like, an exception to that rank stuff as far as I'm concerned when it comes to you soul reapers...oh and Ikkaku. That guy's Bankai was pretty kick ass."
"Ikkaku had a bankai?" Rukia asked, more than a little surprised.
"Ohhhh, shit that's right, he didn't want anyone knowing about that did he? ...Oh well, cat's out of the bag now," Bambietta said before shrugging. "His loss, I guess."
"Can we please focus?" Jade said as she was the only one still looking down on the Bandit camp.
"Oh, right. Sorry." Bambietta said before she pulled out her binoculars, a gift she had gotten from the little dragon slayer. As she looked around, she didn't see anything of concern...until something caused her to frown. "Well, shit."
"What's the matter?" Rukia said as she tried to see what Bambietta was looking at.
"Look over there, the building located in the middle of the base. Upper right window," Bambietta instructed the reigai as she took her advice.
Once she did however, Rukia frowned as well. "Hostages."
There were four women, all of them wearing rather revealing clothing in the room that they were looking into. None of them looked happy to say the least, the handcuffs on their hands more than enough evidence that they were prisoners of some kind.
"Those bastards must have nabbed some women in their last raid," Jade said with a growl. "I don't want to know what they have planned…or already done for that matter."
"This complicates things," Rukia said. "If we just go in guns blazing, we'll no doubt be putting them in danger."
"Gah! I suck at hostage situations!" Bambietta yelled out in frustration. "Kicking ass and taking names, I can do that all day...sneaking in behind enemy lines or negotiating? That's more Lil's forte than mine!"
"With as many people as there are in the base, I doubt I could just make a run for it," Rukia said as she pondered. "Not to mention they likely have guards inside that very room. One mistake could cost them their lives. Maybe we should come back and rethink-"
"I'll go." Jade interrupted bluntly.
"Are you serious?" Bambietta exclaimed. "There are at least two hundred people down there, you can't possibly think that you can just sneak in?!"
"Look, I know neither of you know me very well yet, but sneaking into place's undetected is kinda my specialty. I can't begin to tell you how many bandit camps I raided before I met Candice when I was on the run. I'm the best shot we have at this!" she insisted.
"No way, it's too dangerous," Rukia told her. "If you go all by yourself, who knows what could happen?"
"I could say the same when it comes to them!" Jade said as she pointed at the window the four women were in. "Anything could happen in the time we're gone. I know I can do this so...please. Let me try."
Bambietta stared at her for a moment before sighing. "How sure are you about this?"
"Bambi!" Rukia protested.
"Enough that I'm willing to give it a shot," Jade told Bambietta. "Look, I'm not going to try taking them on, I'm just going to sneak in and make sure the hostages are safe. I'll give you guys a single once their safe."
"...You have thirty minutes to get in and get them secure." Bambietta told her. "If you take any longer than that, get out. Understood?"
Jade merely gave a cocky smirk in response. "And here I thought you were gonna give me a tight time limit."
Sneaking inside of the camp had been easy enough, the emerald haired thief made use of the nearby trees to pass undetected. Dropping down below when she noticed her path was clear, she proceeded to move and sneakily made her way through the camp. She hugged near the walls whenever she could, and snuck to the shadow's, making use of every trick in the book that Emberella had taught her.
Her mother figure had been a former assassin. Emberella's whole family had in fact. They were used quite a bit by the council back in the day when assassination requests were still legal. However, one thing led to another and Emberella's family met a tragic end. The specifics were unknown to Jade, Emberella not liking to talk about her family much. All she knew was that Emberella placed the blame solely on the magic council.
But because of Emberella's experience and training, Jade herself had become a rather skilled assassin, the woman often taking care of any individuals that Emberella wanted to "disappear." In almost all case's these tended to be dark mages that couldn't follow orders properly or people who had threatened to overthrow her as the guild master of Phoenix's Talon, the dark guild that Emberella had grown over the years by accumulating smaller dark guilds into her own.
Her talent in the art of killing however would be unhelpful to her now, Fairy Tail's no killing policies were made very clear to her and Candice during their orientation to the guild. The only things she could kill now were monsters and demons. Human life could only be taken under the direst of circumstances.
She doubted she would need to rely on such skills right now however, most of the people in the camp were incapable of being considered a threat as far as she was concerned. Ducking and weaving from the sight of the watchtowers and making use of the wooden barrel she found to avoid detection from guard patrol, Jade found herself making steady progress.
As she continued to make her way through the camp, she was able to see the entrance to the main building. A mere four men guarded the entrance and while she had no doubt that she could easily take them on in a fight, confrontation needed to be used only as a last resort. She had yet to make use of her illusionary powers just yet, the magic putting quite a strain on her reserves if she used it for too long or on too many people at once. However, given the likely low intelligence of these bandits, she soon put a plan into motion. Throwing a rock at a distant window, the four men quickly rushed over to see the cause of the sound. Once they were out of sight, she opened the door and, seeing no one within, made her way inside. The interior was nothing special, looking fairly bland with a bunch of crates of likely stolen goods and the only sources of light coming from the torches that lit the inside.
Guess I shouldn't expect more from a bunch of bandits. Jade thought to herself.
She proceeded inside, making use of whatever furniture and crates she needed when a possible encounter with the occasional guard would occur. For a few minutes she even made use of a cardboard box to make her way undetected. So far everything was going smoothly.
Finally, she had made her way up to the fourth floor, the place where Bambietta had located the hostages. She was currently looking down below while she sat atop a wooden support beam. Five men were guarding what appeared to be the only door in the room. No doubt this was where the women were being kept. While she could just use her illusions to get inside, Jade was aware that she may possibly need them to help the hostages escape when Bambietta and Rukia attacked. She would need as much of her magic as possible if she were to help them escape.
Attaching a silencer to her revolver, Jade took aim and fired two shots. The two bullets hit their targets, and thanks to her use of rubber bullets, merely knocked them out though they would undoubtedly be waking up with a concussion.
"Hey! What just-" One of the guards yelled out before Jade jumped down and delivered a kick to his head, sending the man down to the floor where he lay still. The man behind her instantly drew his sword and attacked, but with a quick dodge to the left and a swift chop to the back of the neck, he soon joined his other comrades in the land of the unconscious.
The last man standing began to channel what appeared to be fire in his hand, but Jade was more than ready. Changing her weapons forms from revolvers to kama scythes and swung them at her intended target. Wrapping around his body, she pulled them forward, sending the man flying right into her fist. The man groaned out and tried to get back up, but a rubber bullet to the head once her weapons changed forms once more ensured that he would stay down. She took a sigh of relief as she looked down at her defeated enemies. Looks like I still got it. She thought with a smirk.
Jade opened the door and just as she suspected, this was indeed where the hostages were being held. She walked in slowly, making sure that no one else was inside. The woman saw her as soon as she entered and looked at her with fear. "P-Please...don't hurt us." One of them begged.
"Oh come on, is that anyway to treat the one who came to bail you out of here?" Jade said with a smile. Instantly, hope filled the eyes of the young women, eager to be free of this torment. "I just got to take care of one thing real quick." Jade said as she walked over to the window. She opened up and, after loading up a special flare round, fired it out to the sky.
"There's the signal!" Bambietta said with a grin as she got up. "Time to kick some ass!"
Nodding in agreement, Rukia joined Bambietta as the two fairy tail wizards rushed into the camp. Rukia making the first move. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren! The gate and several of the bandits standing guard were instantly frozen, the few behind them lucky enough not to get caught up in the attack soon hit by Bambietta's arrows.
"Ohhhh, I've been waiting for this!" Bambietta said as she rushed forward and began to take down bandits left and right with her bare hands. "Come on, come at me you bunch of jackasses!"
Rukia sighed as she watched on. If you were a soul reaper...You would totally be part of squad 11. She thought before rushing in with Shunpo to assist her friend.
Well, she's having fun, Jade thought to herself as she watched Bambietta unleash chaos upon the bandits. "Ok, my friends are out their giving them hell, so I say now would be a good time for us to get go-"
"What? And miss out on all the fun?"
Instantly, Jade froze as she turned around. Standing in the doorway was a young man with short purple hair and purple eyes, a smug look clear on his face. "And I was just thinking you would be perfect to add to my collection."
"Murasaki Nuku." Jade said as she narrowed her eyes. "I heard about you...You were kicked out of Dwarf Gear for sexual harassment."
"Oh, people just love to make big deals about the smallest of details." Murasaki said as he slowly walked inside. "Honestly though, getting kicked out of Dwarf Gear was a blessing in disguise. If I had just stuck there, I would have just remained a run of the mill mage...but here?"
Murasaki then sneered as he looked at Jade. "I can do whatever the hell I damn well please. I don't have to be chained down by something as pathetic as laws or guild conduct. I follow my own damn rules!"
He slowly licked his lips as he eyed Jade. "And I have a few idea's what I'll be doing once I take care of-"
"Yeah, how's about fuck off?" Jade said. Candice is rubbing off to much on me. Greaaaat.
Murasaki narrowed his eyes. "Looks like I'm going to need to put you in your place first!"
In that moment, Murasaki's arms began to change from that of a normal humans to looking like some sort of disgusting tentacle.
"We'll see how you like a taste of my Take Over: Worm soul!"
He lashed out his arms at Jade, the nonhuman appendages stretching out across the room. However, Jade was able to see the attack and flipped backwards, smirking as she landed. "Really? Take Over: Worm soul? And from the look of it, you can't even manage a full take over. Oh yeah I'm sooo impressed." she said sarcastically.
Murasaki growled in anger as he continued to whip his long arms at Jade again and again, but it was of no use, the woman slowly making her way closer and closer to him as she moved forward, until she finally turned her guns into Kama and sliced at his left arm, cutting off a good chunk of it.
"You dumb bitch!" He yelled out as his arm slowly began to reform. His other arm began to glow purple before large needles began to fire from its flesh. Changing her right hands weapon form once more, she fired her bullets in response shooting the projectiles out of the air.
"I'm starting to see what Bambietta meant," Jade said as she cut his arm with her bladed weapon in her right hand. "You're a complete joke."
"Shut up damn you!" Murasaki yelled out before more worm like arms appeared from his back. He charged forward, eager to knock Jade down into submission, but his attacks were too slow and sluggish, the woman able to dodge them with ease. "I'm going to make you regret looking down on me. As soon as I get my hands on you, I'm gonna-"
He never got a chance to finish his sentence, Jade slamming her right fist into his face. He groaned in pain but before he could retaliate, Jade had proceeded to kick him right in the testicules before upper cutting him with her left hand. He fell to the ground, exhausted and groaning in pain. He slowly rose up, eager to continue, but just as he barely managed to get his head off the floor, his face made personal contact with Jade's heel, kicking in back to the wall. Murasaki slouched over, groaning in pain and seemingly unable to get up.
"Well, so much for that." Jade said as she looked outside the window. It seemed in the time she had dealt with Murasaki most of the bandits had been taken care of, only a few putting up a futile resistance against her comrades.
This guy fought back a whole squadron of Rune knights? Hardly much of a challenge...but then again, when have I said no to easy money? Jade thought before she walked over to the women. "Alright, time to get you back safe and so-"
"Heheheheheh….Hahahahaha….HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Her thoughts were interrupted however as she began to hear Murasaki laugh in the corner, slowly getting back up. "What? You a glutton for punishment?" Jade asked as she got her Kama weapons ready for more.
"Oh no, no no." Murasaki said as he chuckled in response. "It's just...I wasn't expecting to have to use this again so soon!"
He continued to slowly get up, and as he did, Murasaki began to change form. His skin began to turn dark purple, his eyes turning completely yellow and his head began to grow two large pairs of horns.
"What the hell are you?" Jade asked as he finished his transformation. He was now quite bulky and looked completely inhuman.
"Oh this? This was a gift from someone who offered me power when I left my guild." Murasaki said as he began to walk over her. "A woman from Tartaros."
Tartaros? Possibly the most powerful guild in the Balem alliance? Jade thought to herself as she prepared herself for combat. "What did she do to you?"
"She gave me the one thing I desired so I could do what I wanted. Power. Absolute power. With this form I was easily able to wipe out the rune knights that the council sent to stop us!"
"Surely something like that comes with a price." Jade said. "You got it from a dark guild. Tartaros of all places. There's no way this person just gave it to you out of the kindness of her heart."
"Oh she didn't ask for much." Murasaki replied. "She just wanted me to cause some chaos. Wanted to see what I could do with my new power. Though, I guess you could say it did come at a cost. You see...I'm no longer human."
Rushing forward with speed far faster than most mages she knew, Jade was only barely able to raise up her Kama to defend against one of his attacks. It did her no good however as she was sent flying through the room and onto a nearby coat rack, dropping one of her weapons as she did so. As she began to get up however, Murasaki grabbed Jade by her hair and kicked her to the other side of the room.
"I'm a full-fledged demon now! What you dealt with before was just my human form!"
Jade groaned in pain as she slowly got up, the mage clearly hurt by his attack.
"What's wrong? Not feeling so tough against my real power now are you?" He asked her mockingly before he rushed forward and pinned Jade to the wall. "Not so weak now am I, bitch?"
He punched Jade right in the stomach and smirked when he felt something break, a loud CRACK being heard throughout the room. He grabbed her by the throat and pressed her even harder against the wall. "You know, I first thought I'd just make you one of my little pets like those whore's in the room...but I think I'll just enjoy eating you instead."
She began to choke as he continued to squeeze her neck, the woman kicking in defiance as he strangled the life out of her but Murasaki couldn't even feel them. Her eyes began to roll up in her head and her struggles weakened considerably. She struggled and kicked weakly at him but it was clear that her efforts were fruitless.
"Gah….Ahgh...Egh….Igh." She sputtered out.
"Aw, I almost feel sorry for you." He said as he looked into her eyes. He stopped chocking her, if only so he could hear her speak.
"Please...please...I'm sorry. I'll do whatever you want, Just...don't kill me." She begged. "I'll do...anything. Just...please."
"Oh I'm afraid that I'm going to enjoy snuffing the life out of you too much to take that into consideration." He said as he enjoyed her look of pure despair. "In just a moment, Im going to eat you alive in front of your friends...So...any last words?"
"Yeah, just one." Jade choked out. "...Gotcha."
Then, she was gone. In her place, in Murasaki's hands, was nothing more than a coat rock, the bottom half of the thing being smashed to pieces while the other half remined tight in his grasp.
"What!?" He said in surprise. However, just as he was about to try to figure out just what had happened, he heard a loud BANG and knelt over in pain. He turned around to see none other than Jade, holding her revolver at him with a look of extreme hatred.
She fired more shots. One in his right knee, another in his left arm and several more in his chest. Murasaki groaned out in pain before he fell to the floor, his red blood slowly pouring out of his body. "B...But how?" He asked in disbelief as he looked up at the woman who had shot him whole of holes.
"Am I still alive?" Jade asked, finishing his sentence as she walked over to him. "Or how did some rubber bullets make you look like swiss cheese? Well, the answers simple, really. I specialize in illusions. So, when I saw you transform and you kicked me half way through the room, I decided it was best not to take any chances and make you think that coat rack over there was me instead and did the classic switcheroo. As for the damage? Also simple. I replaced my rounds with special holy bullets while I "begged for mercy". I don't leave home without them just in case for situations like these."
Murasaki tried to get back up, groaning as he made the attempt but stopped when he thought better about it. If I make a wrong move against her, she'll just shoot me again. As I am right now a straight up fight isn't an option. However, if I can just get one of the hostages, I can bargain my way out of this. Now all that matters is how many-
"Nu uh uh." He heard Jade say before he slowly looked up at her again, freezing in place. Her red eyes staring right into his as she pointed the gun at him.
"I know what you're thinking. Did she fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, which I now have more than enough permission to do with you being a demon and all, you've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" She said before she took another step closer. "Well, do ya, punk?"
Murasaki paused and seemed to think for a moment...before he tried to lunge forward for one of the girls. He just had to get her and then-
BANG!
Murasaki stopped dead in his tracks, literally. The round of the .44 leaving a nasty looking hole in his head. Jade let out a sigh of relief as she looked down at him. Well, that's one way to start my time here at the guild. Jade thought to herself before Bambietta and Rukia came burting into the room.
"Don't worry Jade, I'm here to save-" Bambietta said before she looked around the room. Jade was fine and well, if a bit beaten up and the hostages safe and sound, much her confusion. "You?"
"We sensed some rather high spiritual pressure and came in here as fast as we could." Rukia informed Jade. Bambietta looked down at the ground, noticing the demonic looking corpse. "Yeesh, what happened to this...thing? Hell what is this thing?"
"That...would be Murasaki Nuku." Jade sad as she went over to untie the women. "Apparently he became one of Tartaros's guinea pigs when he was kicked out of Dwarf Gear." She then looked at Bambietta. "As you can see, he wasn't exactly...human anymore. He tried to take one of them hostage and...I put him down."
"Oh, that is hardcore!" Bambietta said. "Well, good work on the first day...assuming you didn't kill anyone else."
"No, that was the only one. Trust me, I wouldn't have killed him if he was human." Jade said in response.
"In any event, we should probably inform the magic council of this recent event." Rukia spoke up. "Tartaros is considered by many to be the most dangerous of the Balem Alliance since so little is known about them. The sooner they investigate this incident the better."
"Works for me!" Bambietta said as she wrapped her hand around Jade's waist, smiling as she did. "As for you...I think you're gonna fit right in. Welcome to Fairy Tail...and Team Bambi."
Jade looked at Bambietta and smiled back. "Yeah...I think you're right."
It was dinner time when Candice finally made her way back to the guild with a job well done. She also instantly began chatting with Bisca to hear how things went. While it was too noisy for Bambietta to hear everything from her position, it seemed like, based on some hand gestures she could see, that things had gone positively.
Maybe I should ask her for relationship advice, Bambietta pondered. She shook her head and rolled her eyes upward. What the hell am I thinking? What could Candi possibly know about a stable relationship?
It was then she noticed that Candice was headed to her table with a tray of food and sat down. "Sup, everyone?"
"Why are you sitting here? Aren't you going home with your boy toy, Loke?" Bambietta asked.
"Eh," Candice shrugged. "If you have too much of a good thing too consistently it gets stale." She then quickly added. "Besides, he's out of town overnight."
"So, what? Going home to a cold bed?" Bambietta asked.
Candice shrugged. "It happens. That or I might patch things up with Coconut."
"Cocon…" Bambietta scratched at her head. "Must you nickname everyone?"
"What? It's fun, besides, it fits Cana. Look at what she's wearing. She looks like one of those hula girls."
"Not looking," Bambietta said, shutting her eyes. "Stable relationship!"
"Bambi, it's fine. She's just asking for an opinion," Lucy said as she held Bambietta's hand.
Bambietta sighed and looked over Cana, all the while Lucy massaged the back of her hand with her thumb. "Okay, yeah, I see what you mean. She'd be a pretty drunk hula girl though," Bambietta said.
Candice laughed. "You know, I've never tried drinking her under the table, but I bet it would be hilarious to attempt."
"You'd lose," Bambietta, Lucy, Liltotto, Rukia and Carla all said at the same time.
"Win or lose, doesn't matter as long as it's fun," Candice said.
"Life is just one big game to you, isn't it?" Jade asked.
"Yup, with it's good ol' pal the roulette wheel," Candice chuckled.
Bambietta and Liltotto both sighed.
Just then the door to Fairy Tail opened as a loud voice announced, "MANLY!"
Huh, I forgot he's been out of town all week, Bambietta thought and then instantly saw the look on Candice's face. "Candi, no!"
"Candi, yes," Candice thought, drooling.
Candice watched Elfman stroll into the guild, eyeing him like a piece of meat. He was carrying a written notice of completion from the client of the mission he was out on all week, but that was the last thing she noticed. He was shirtless, toned and buffer than any guy in the guild she'd met yet.
"Welcome back, Elfman," Mirajane said. "So, resounding success?"
"Yup, you bet. I'm a man after all!" Elfman said, slapping the success notice on the table.
"Great!" Mira exclaimed. "I'll add it to the report. Hungry?"
"Full rack of ribs," Elfman said, pounding his fist on the table.
"Coming right up!" Mirajane exclaimed and headed into the back.
That was when Candice made her move as she ran her hand up Elfman's back, sending a shiver up his spine.
"Hey there, big guy. Got room for a dinner mate."
Elfman turned his head to see Candice behind him. She waggled her fingers at him. The first thing he noticed was her guild emblem and the second thing he noticed was her very nice valley of two mountains. He blushed and turned back around. "Uh, the seat next to me isn't taken."
"Aww, how sweet of you to offer," Candice said and jumped onto it. "Name's Candice Catnipp. My friends call me Candi, but you can call me any time, ssssstud," She said. She ran her fingers up Elfman's arm. "Mmmm, I bet you could carry me with one arm with those muscles. And those abs, I could iron laundry and grate cheese on them at the same time."
"Uh, well, I'm a manly man, so—"
Candice chuckled. "I can tell. So, you got a name handsome?"
"Uh, Elfman. Elfman Strauss."
"Ohhhhhh ho!" Candice's eyebrows raised with interest. "So, you're Mira's little bro. The way Sprinkles talked about you, I always assumed you were some scrawny nice guy, but mmmm," she audibly licked her lips as she undid one button. "All I see is a man."
Elfman's heart began beating a mile a minute. Despite his size, he'd never been flirted with this thoroughly by someone before. Candice then tugged on her lapel. "Whatdya say, big guy, I'm all sweaty from my mission today? You wanna help me out of these clothes? Maybe go a few rounds at tonsil golf and a roll in the hay?"
Elfman's vision started to fog up mentally as he had a problem doing anything other than stare down Candice's shirt and breathe heavily.
"Awww, what's the matter? You're breathing so heavily. You're not sick, are you?" Candice asked. She leaned over towards hi, putting one hand on his leg and one on his arm, giving him a look like a concerned puppy. This is too easy. I hope his dick is as big as his muscles. Definitely a cherry boy, but goddamn it this is going to be so worth it.
"I…uh…"
"Oh, Elfman, I see you've met Candice."
Mirajane's sudden appearance from the back broke the moment a moderate amount, but it didn't kill it completely.
"Sprinkles, you didn't tell me your bro was such a handsome," Candice said, rubbing her hand all over Elfman's chest, "man of a man!"
"Oh, taking interest in Elfman I see," Mirajane said with a smile. AAAAAHHHHH!
"What can I say? The big and hunky types have always been my favorite. The way you described him, I always thought he was like half the size he actually is. Your brother is a regular Pound Cake."
"Pound…cake?" Mirajane inquired.
"Yeah, cause he can pound my cake any time," Candice grinned.
Elfman swallowed.
"L-let me go check on those ribs," Mirajane said and went to the back.
"Wait, nee-chan," Elfman said, but she'd disappeared into the kitchen.
"So, Elfman," Candice said, "Tell me about yourself. Where have you been for the past week?"
"Well, I was…uh…"
Candice was sitting back and leaning back a little to give him a nice view of her tits. She also had a firm hand on the bottle she'd been drinking from, deliberately letting a tiny droplet run down her cheek and chest and straight into her cleavage.
"U-um, you uh…"
"Hmm?" Candice looked down and with faux surprise said, "Oh darn. I dripped." She gave Elfman puppy eyes. "Would you be a dear and clean that up for me?"
"I…uh…"
CLACK!
The sound of a tray of ribs hitting the bar table, shocked both Elfman and Candice. "Here! Ribs! Eat up!" Mirajane exclaimed, smiling ear to ear, eyes shut tight.
"You okay, Sprinkles? You seem a little…stressed out."
"Nonsense, it must be your imagination," Mirajane responded with a smile.
"Hey, nee-chan, how did you describe me to Candice?" Elfman asked. "Did you make her think I wasn't a man?"
"What? No! I said—"
"She said you were a really nice guy with a heart as big as your muscles. I figured you were strong while looking like the genderbent version of your sister, but boy was I off the mark. You're way better than what I was thinking."
"Like I said, I'm a man, right nee-chan?"
"Yup, manliest man in all of Fairy Tail." AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!Was the only sound going through the former S-class wizard's mind.
"Um, Lil…" Bambietta said, watching the scene unfold. "C-correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that smile remind you of—"
"I know what you're about to say and I want to say I think you're imagining it, but…"
"Yes, yes it is," Rukia shivered. All three of them shuddered.
"So, Sprinkles, I know there's no men allowed in Fairy Hills, so what do you say we swap homes for the evening? You can have my place and I can have a night of passion with your stud of a younger brother here."
"Really?" Mirajane asked. "What an offer! I don't suppose you'd like to put a ring on that finger, would you?"
"Oh come on, Sprinkles. You should know me by now," Candice chuckled.
"I see," Mirajane said, smiling straining with tension. "Candice, could you come with me really quickly?"
"Huh? Uh, sure," Candice said. Mirajane then walked around the bar and grabbed Candice by the wrist, escorting her to the nearest closet and shut the door behind them. Bambietta, Liltotto, Rukia, Lucy, Elfman, Wendy, Carla, and Jade all had their eyes glued to the closet door for the solid minute or two that it was closed. And, shortly before it opened, everyone saw a purple shadow emerge on the front of the door with piercing red eyes and demonic looking horns, fading just as quickly as it appeared, accompanied by a shriek of the damned.
Elfman found himself short of breath, diving into his rib plate nervously, sweating profusely. Bambietta and Liltotto felt shivers run up their spine. Wendy herself went so pale it was like her clothes had lost their colors as well. Lucy even used Bambietta as a shield.
It's like Captain Unohana, Rukia thought, sweating.
What the hell was that?! Jade wondered.
Seconds later, the door clicked open and Mirajane skipped out of the closet and back into the kitchen with the sweetest smile on her face.
The others eyed the door suspiciously, wondering when the hell Candice was going to emerge. They weren't waiting long as she bolted over to Elfman, standing, looking like she'd just seen a ghost or something worse. She then bowed over exaggeratingly to Elfman.
"I'm very sorry!" she exclaimed, clearly rattled. "I'm not in love with you!" she said, bowing the same way again. "Please forget we ever talked!" She bowed one more time and then ran out of the guild faster than Bambietta had ever seen her use Hirenkyaku.
"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!" Bambietta shouted.
"Oh, didn't you know?" Erza asked, approaching the table. "Mirajane used to be an S-class mage."
"Wha…no…you're joking," Bambietta said, eye twitching, sweat forming.
Erza shook her head. "Nope. She used to be my rival too."
Oh my gods, it really IS just like Unohana, Bambietta thought. She shivered in her seat.
Lucy had heard the story. "Wait, you two didn't know? I learned about that from Mira a while ago."
"You…what?" Bambietta asked.
"I thought you knew," Lucy said.
"No I didn't!" Bambietta shouted. "I heard she used to be good but not...That!"
"Why are you yelling?" Lucy asked.
"I'm terrified!" Bambietta shouted back.
"Terrified of what?" Erza asked.
"Nothing is scarier than a woman who smiles while hiding a knife so sharp it could slice you up through your butt," Bambietta stated.
"Mira wouldn't do something like that…would she?" Wendy asked.
"Gods, I hope not," Bambietta responded.
"Just stay on her good side, which is relatively easy to do these days," Erza said. "Hopefully Candice will have learned her lesson about flirting with everyone she meets."
It's more than flirting, Bambietta thought, but with Wendy there, she didn't feel like correcting Erza.
The next morning, Bambietta was already at her usual table with breakfast when Candice walked in, looking normal. Being best friends, the brunette couldn't help but open with a verbal jab.
"So, how was sleeping alone, clutching a pillow and being afraid of demons?" The quincy snickered.
"Ha ha, very funny," Candice said, brushing it off. "Whatever. So the older sister is super protective unless I'm serious about him. What else is new?"
"You're…taking it well," Jade stated.
"Well yeah, you think that's the first time I've ever fucked up trying to sleep with someone?"
"Candice," Bambietta said, Wendy being not two feet from her. She then held up a jar with the words "SWEAR JAR" on it in big letters. "Twenty-five jewels."
"What the fuck?!"
"Now it's fifty."
"You're not getting a note!"
"Ohoho! On the contrary, I already spoke with Erza and she agrees with me that your mouth can be a bad influence on Wendy," Bambietta said, patting the small dragon slayer on the head. "Pay up and shut up." Bambietta said, waving the empty jar. "The tides have turned, princess. Not everything is gonna come up Candi. So make with the cash," Bambietta said with a grin. "Unless of course you want to invoke your oh so close friend's wrath."
After what happened yesterday, Candice shuddered. She the glared in annoyance. "You sneaky bitch."
"Seventy-five."
"Fuck you."
"Now it's a hundred."
Candice growled, but still pulled out a 100 jewel note and dropped it in the jar before walking away.
"I feel like we're taking advantage of her," Lucy said.
"Yeah? Well, I'm tired of everything going as perfect for her as they do for the AI in Mario Kart. Stupid Blue Shells."
"Right," Lucy said with an implied sigh having no idea what Bambietta was talking about.
Candice, of course, simply marched over to Mirajane and waved. "Morning, Sprinkles! Shake please. The usual!"
"Sure thing," Mira said and got out the mixer. "Thanks for understanding our little chat last night, Candi. Means a lot to me."
"Heh, well…you were pretty convincing," Candice said, adjusting her hat. Must…not…show…fear.
Mirajane just smiled and hummed as she worked on Candice's milkshake.
While Candice watched, feeling like things had been patched over, she heard. "Yo, Gray, where are you going?"
"On a mission, duh."
"Dressed like that, dude?"
Gray looked down to see that he was in nothing, but his underwear. "Ah, dammit! Not again!"
Candice stared. It was rare she got to see a guy down in his underwear without her being the root cause unless she was at the beach. And she liked what she saw. Sure, she'd been around Gray for about a week now, but she'd yet to see him in all his almost naked glory by sheer coincidence.
"Yo, Ice Pop!" Candice exclaimed.
Gray turned around. Oh no, He looked at Candice. "Whatdya want, Candi?"
"Aw, come on," she said all chipper with smiles. "Don't be fussy. I must say though, I like the outfit. Very original."
"Gimme a break," Gray said.
"Oh I'll give you more than that," Candice said, crossing the room. She put a hand flush against Gray's chest and breathed on his neck. "How about a day off? You. Me. And some bedsheets."
Gray's jaw hung open. "I…uh…" he turned bright red as Candice pursed her lips. "I…you see…the thing is…I uh…I forgot something at home!" Gray sprinted out of the guild hall at top speed.
"Awww, he's shy. That's adorable," Candice laughed. Then, very carefully, she began scooping Gray's clothes off the floor and folding them neatly like they'd just come out of the wash.
Juvia saw this and gasped like it was heresy. The way she folds my love's clothes is just perfect! It's like they were fresh out of the wash. I must do something! I can't have a new love rival so soon after ditching my last one!
Juvia marched up to Candice, breathing heavily.
"Hmm. Oh, hey Raindrop. Need something!"
"I will not permit you to become my new love rival!" Juvia exclaimed, arms flailing angrily like windmills and missing Candice deliberately. "Stop flirting with my beloved Gray right now!"
"Love rival! Whoa, okay. You and I need to have chat," Candice said and put her hand on Juvia's shoulder. "Come on, my favorite diner is but a train ride away. Let's get you some booze and a nice hot sandwich."
"B-but I-I don't drink."
"Soda then, I'll have yours. Sprinkles," Candice said, snapping her fingers. "My tab."
"Got it, charging you. See you at dinner!" Mirajane exclaimed, waving.
Bambietta gulped. Sylphia, are you there? It's me, Bambietta, Bambietta silently prayed. For all that is good and holy, I do not want to see Juvia go the way of Cana and Loke!
"Bambi, why are you sweating?" Wendy asked.
Lucy pat Wendy on the head. "I think Bambi needs a moment. Let's go find a job for the two of us," Lucy said.
"Yeah…" Bambietta twitched. "I'll stay here. Make sure my understanding of existence doesn't implode."
Liltotto looked at Bambietta with a glazed look. She could be such a drama queen.
After a train ride and a fair amount of walking, Candice took Juvia to her favorite diner and began ordering food as the two sat at a semi-circle booth with Candice putting one leg on the cushion as she opened a beer and started drinking.
"So, talk to me, Raindrop. You and Ice Pop. What's the story?"
"Ice…Pop?"
"Gray," Candice said. "God, are my nicknames that difficult to comprehend?" She took a swig of beer.
Juvia began fidgeting in the seat. "It was love at first sight," she said, blushing.
Candice, being way older than Juvia, and hella jaded, replied with a dry, "Love at first sight is bullshit."
Juvia gasped as though Candice had just spoke pure, unholy sacrilege. "Love at first sight is not! It's the purest and most gentle love in the known universe! None can stop it!"
"It's one-sided, misunderstood bullshit. Let me tell ya all about love at first sight, Raindrop. It's just a guy, or a girl, looking at another guy or girl of their choosing and getting so hard or wet that they think they're hard in love." Candice said as she finished off her bottle and then opened another one. "Really though it's just hormones going out of control. You just wanna fuck him. Not that I blame you."
"Th-th-th-th-that's…" Juvia blushed as she began fidgeting. "Y-you're not exactly w-wrong, b-but…it...it's so much more than that. I…um…I was…um…let's see now."
"Look, if you don't want me to fuck him, just say so. You were here first, you get dibs."
"That's not it at all!" Juvia exclaimed forcefully and began panting. She grabbed her soda and downed almost the whole glass that she began coughing it up.
"Easy there. Deep breaths," Candice said. She handed Juvia and extra napkin. "Come on, talk to me. You've got more on your mind. I can practically feel it."
Juvia stared at her panini, playing with her fingers. "My darling Gray…is truly amazing. He's been kind and gentle to me in ways no one else has. He saved me…and parted the rain for me and let me come to Fairy Tail."
"Well, yeah, based on what I know he'd do that for anyone. Fairy Tail is like that in general," Candice said.
"But…no other man makes my heart sing than when I look at him, clothes on or off," Juvia said. "I've done so many things to make him notice me," She tilted her head back and put the back of her hand on her forehead like she was going to faint, "But he doesn't even look at me."
"Like what?" Candice asked.
Juvia sat up straight, normally. She took a deep breath, fidgeting a little more. "W-well…I-I've left him little lunch boxes at his door with love notes. I've done my love's laundry on days when he's left overnight for a quest. I've cooked food for him at the dining hall, even when Mira is on kitchen duty." She looked at Candice with pleading eyes. "I would do anything for my darling Gray. I don't care if you don't believe in love!" Juvia exclaimed leaning over the table, face inches from Candice's. "I'm madly in love with my beloved and nothing you say can change my mind! He's the most wonderful man in the entire world, nay, the universe and I must have him!" Juvia was breathing heavily now a little.
"O-kaaaay," Candice said, a little creeped out. I take back what I said. She has it bad for him. …And it's kinda cute.
Juvia, getting a hold of herself, sat back down at stared at her hands in her lap. "Ever since I was little…rain followed me everywhere. People always thought I was dreary and gloomy and no one ever wanted to be friends with me."
Candice gasped. That sounded an awful lot like…
"Hey, come on! I can play baseball! I'm fast, you know!"
"We wouldn't want you to break your glasses four-eyes!"
"Besides, girls shouldn't play baseball. You might break a nail."
Candice bit her lip, swallowing.
"I had a boyfriend once, but he left me for being too gloomy."
Another memory flashed back. This time to finding a valentine Candice had given a boy in 4th grade in the trash.
"And then in Phantom Lord, no one…really accepted me. I'm almost certain I was simply both feared and respected because I was strong, not for who I was. I—"
Juvia suddenly found Candice covering her mouth with her hand with a finger over her own lips. She looked at Candice's eyes. They were verging on tears, pupils shrunken in, mouth twisting unnaturally. Juvia was surprised by this. Candice was also breathing heavily, trying to keep it together.
Taking a deep breath, Candice grabbed a beer bottle and chugged the whole thing in one go. She then panted for a bit. Then with another deep breath, she wiped her eyes with her arm and then said very quietly so only Juvia could hear, "If you tell anyone, especially Bambi, what you just saw, a toaster in a bathtub will seem tame compared to what I'll do to you."
"U-understood," Juvia stuttered.
Candice took another deep breath. From there, she was back to her usual cocky, witty self. "Okay, Raindrop, you want Gray to get to notice you?"
Juvia nodded firmly twice.
Candice jerked a thumb at herself. "Then you've come to the right woman. I don't know if I can get you into a relationship with Gray, but I know I can teach you things so that by the time I've done with you," she wiped her palm across the air, "It will be impossible for Gray to ignore you!"
Juvia grabbed Candice's other arm and tugged it over the table, looking touched, two tears dripping. "Thank you. My life is in your hands."
Candice chuckled, grinning. "Don't thank me yet. We've got a lot of hard work to do," Candice said.
The next day at Fairy Tail, by the time lunch rolled around, the guild hall had still not borne sights of Candice. Heck, no one had heard from her or Juvia since breakfast the morning before.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Bambietta said.
"You don't actually think those two are together, do you?" Jade asked.
"Don't they have to be?" Wendy asked.
"She means together like Candice and Cana have been together," Bambietta sighed. Wendy blushed. Oh good at least she got the message.
"Juvia's not here today?" Gray asked.
"What's it matter to you?" Totomaru asked him.
Gray shrugged. "Not much, just weird not seeing her around is all. Oh, Bambi, if you see Candice, tell her thanks for folding my clothes yesterday."
Bambietta drew a check mark in the air. Seriously, what are those two up to?
"Are you quite certain about this?" Juvia asked behind the curtain of a changing room.
"Come on, would I steer a friend the wrong way?" Candice asked.
"No, but I…"
"If you keep acting like a wallflower another girl is certain to snatch up Gray. Do you want that?"
"NO!" Juvia exclaimed frantically.
"Then do it for him! Do it for the one you love! Make him notice you, girl! Now come out!"
Juvia walked out dressed in a blue halter top and a matching, pleated mini-skirt with high heels and stockings. She felt…exposed. "Please let me have my coat back," she said, covering herself.
"Not a chance. You gotta learn to be confident. Pick your head up high and shit like that."
"But…"
"But nothing!" Candice exclaimed. "Look, I wouldn't try so hard if I didn't think it would work. Gray is almost as dense as Natsu, but at least his head knows how to communicate with his crotch. Sneaking around and admiring him from afar hasn't worked, so you've gotta be assertive, okay?"
Juvia covered herself with the curtain. "No! I can't go out there! I shall catch the chill of death! …And also die of embarrassment!" She exclaimed, red in the face.
This is going to be harder and take longer than I thought, Candice thought, scratching at her bangs, trying not to laugh.
"Bambi, you're paranoid," Liltotto said to her.
"Am I now? I'm telling you, we're going to be getting calls from the council to go bail those two out of jail!" Bambietta exclaimed.
"Have a little more faith in her," Jade said dryly. "Isn't she supposed to be your best friend?"
"You have no idea what she's capable of," Bambi said, looking stressed out. "None of you do."
"Someone needs to switch to decaf," Lucy thought, sweating.
"Are you quite certain I should cut her hair?" Juvia asked, sitting with an apron draped over her, the back of her head next to a sink.
"I didn't say cut, I said styled. I looked it up in a magazine. It's amazing what this place can do with hair. Now let the stylist do her thing when she comes by. You just need to feel out for a look that suits you," Candice told her. She massaged Juvia's shoulders. "Do it for the one you love."
Juvia snapped to attention like a soldier with a determined expression. "For my beloved Gray!"
"Atta girl!" Candice exclaimed, patting her on the back.
"Bambi, what are you doing?" Lucy asked. "Even though I'm afraid to know the answer."
"Writing a will," Bambi said.
"Why?"
"Because it's been three entire days since we saw Juvia or Candice and I'm pretty sure that whatever happens when they come back is going to make my heart stop out of sheer what the fox trottery."
Lucy sighed. Candice, please come back.
Juvia and Candice stood outside a magazine store. The rain mage had styled her hair to be relatively short, curling slightly, but not like she originally had her hair styled. She was currently wearing her coat, but that was because she was still too embarrassed to wear the clothing that she and Candice had picked out for her.
"What are we doing here, Candi?" Juvia asked.
"Look, you said you read up on romance in all those cushy trashy romance novels, right?" Candice asked.
Juvia gasped in horrified shock. "They aren't trash!" shed exclaimed.
"They're trash," Candice nodded, judging Juvia with her gaze. Juvia instantly suffered tremendous emotional shock to have Candice dismiss her favorite novels so casually. "Don't get me wrong, they're fun to read, but good god do they overblow and poorly represent how real relationships actually work."
"But…I want a true fantastical romance like in my books," Juvia said, twisting her ankle back and forth, the tip of her shoe squeaking against the tile she was standing on.
"Trust me, romance ain't like it is in most novels. As they say, sex in porn isn't like sex with your spouse. You gotta work hard for it and one of the key elements to any successful partnership is understanding your mate. If Fiore is anything close like where I'm from, you guys have to have self-help guides on this shit. Now come on!"
Candice dragged the reluctant Juvia inside.
When Lucy entered Fairy Tail that morning, the guild didn't have that many people in the hall. That made it easy to notice Bambietta sitting at the usual table with a Hoddle of coffee, twitching.
"Bambi?"
"Not back yet…I will not lose. SHE WILL NOT BEAT ME!"
"Lucy, do something!" Wendy whined, running into her arms. "Bambi's acting weird!"
Bambietta chuckled a joyless, hollow laugh.
"One side, I got this," Liltotto said and decked Bambietta hard in the stomach, knocking her out. She then put Bambietta's head in her lap, the quincy snoring as she slept.
Lucy and Wendy looked at Liltotto oddly.
"What?" Liltotto responded.
Unbeknownst to the three of them, Erza was not that far away, nodding knowingly and so proud of Liltotto.
Out in the wilderness, Candice had Juvia practicing posture and strides.
"Come on, are you proud of yourself or nervous?"
"Of course I'm nervous! I'm completely exposed!" Juvia exclaimed, addressing her very casual summer outfit.
Candice sighed. This is going to be a long day. "Do it for Gray," she said.
Juvia snapped to attention. "For my beloved Gray!"
Candice clapped her palms, fingers not touching, but spread out. "Perfect! Now let's get down to business."
It had been nearly a week since Candice and Juvia had stopped coming to the guild for work. Totomaru was starting to get the most worried, more for Juvia than anything else.
As for Bambietta…
"Feeling better?" Lucy asked as Bambietta sat sipping morning tea.
"Much. You guys were right, thinking about it was pointless. Erza and Makarov will punish her if she did something dumb and we can all yell at her if she really screwed the pooch."
"Let's hope she didn't screw anything else," Liltotto said dryly.
"Agreed," Bambietta said.
Minutes later, the door opened and Candice strolled in with her usual swagger. "Sup guild mates!" she exclaimed, holding up the V for victory, "Miss me?"
"Oh no, we barely noticed you were gone," Bambietta said, words dripping with sarcasm.
Candice chuckled. "Well, I'm back. No need to worry about me."
"You're not the one I'm worried about," Bambietta grumbled.
"Candice, where's Juvia?" Totomaru asked her.
"That depends, where's Gray?" Candice asked.
Totomaru pointed to where Gray was eating by himself, seeming to read the morning paper.
"Perfect," Candice said, punching her fist into her awaiting palm. "Yo, Sprinkles! I need a milkshake. And make it frosty!"
Bambietta and Liltotto could both tell from the way she said frosty that that was supposed to be a cue for Juvia. Whatever Bambietta was expecting, it was definitely not what she got!
In strolled Juvia, her makeup perfect, hair styled so that it had a nice little upswing down by her ears, spiked on the ends, looking like a half of a wave as it trailed down from the top of her head. Juvia wasn't wearing a hat or a coat. On her top, she wore a nice, shoulderless cropped top with two gold buttons right under her bust, the rest of her chest exposed, sans for the bra poking out from over the shirt's fabric. In Juvia's glossed lips sat a blue lollipop that she was currently nursing like something that was most certainly not a lollipop.
Her nails were sharp and polished deep purple to match her deep blue top. Her skirt was dark blue and pleated, barely reaching the mid-point between her knees and her waist. And the skirt seemed to hug at Juvia's ass, making it more pronounced, but not so much that it was obscene. Juvia was also wearing a garter belt connected to very sexy stockings connected to navy blue, almost black high heels.
And all of this would've fallen flat if Juvia had walked into the guild hall like the shy, timid girl Bambietta had known her to be. However, Juvia was walking with her head held high with pride. Almost like…
Eyes wide with surprise, Bambietta looked at Candice. "What did you do to her?"
"Shit, what didn't I do to her?" Candice scoffed rhetorically, her eyebrows raised. "…Besides you know what, of course."
"Wait, so you two didn't…?"
"What kind of degenerate do you take me for?" Candice snapped, looking genuinely offended.
"But…Cana…"
"That's a completely different circumstance. I have a specific type for girls," Candice said with a grin. She folded her arms. "This was never about me. This was always about her. You probably can't tell, but she's probably nervous as fuck inside her head, but she ain't showing it. Take the seventy-five, I don't fucking care," Candice said, sitting on the table as she slipped Bambi a 50 and a 25 note behind her back.
Bambietta's face scrunched up. "This is never going to work," she hissed.
"All my money back says it will," Candice grinned.
"You're on."
Totomaru watched as Juvia passed by him, smelling like ocean water perfume. He never, in his wildest imagination could ever describe Juvia Lockser as sexy, but that was the only accurate word on his mind right now.
Candice laughed. "Friendly fire. Yo, skunk stripe, sit down before you hurt yourself and shut your mouth before you start drooling."
Totomaru blushed and did precisely that. Almost all of the guild was watching Juvia walk towards Gray…except for Gray himself.
That's it, Candice smiled. Nothing in your way. You got this. Own this moment.
"Whoa, is that Juvia?" Natsu wondered aloud.
"I want to say yes," Cana said, "And yet a part of me wants to scream."
"Juvia looks really pretty!" Wendy exclaimed innocently.
Candice could tell from the look on Bambietta's face that she was screaming internally.
Everyone that cared to, watched as Juvia put her butt right on the table Gray was sitting at. She put her back to him, crossing her legs as she licked her lollipop, holding it out in front of her like it was a cigarette.
"Gray, darling," Juvia said calmly, the words hanging off her lips like it was a seductive phrase.
Gray looked up to see Juvia in all of her transformed glory and every hair on his head and the back of his neck stood up straight. "J-Juvia! When did you get here?"
"For you, Gray, I'm always here," Juvia said, sliding her left hand across the table.
Nice! Candice thought.
"I…uhh…"
Juvia leaned back as she took her right hand and put it on Gray's shoulder, walking her fingers to his neck and then walking them down to the neck drop of his shirt. She elegantly put the lollipop back in her mouth.
"This is never going to work," Bambietta hissed at Candice.
"Double or nothing then," Candice said. She had faith in Juvia. It would work. It had to work.
"You um…look nice," Gray said, sweating.
Juvia only now brought her legs up on the table and then leaned on it like a piano girl at a fancy bar. "You like?" she asked, lounging her head in her hand.
"It's…um…different," Gray responded.
"Do I seem…" Juvia said as she licked her tongue all around the lollipop "Irresistible?"
"Um…" That was a loaded question and Gray did not want to pull the trigger on this pistol.
"Juvia was thinking we could go on a mission together."
Good. Good. Now comes the hard part, Candice thought. You can do it, Juvia.
Juvia reached in between her breasts and pulled out a mission scroll.
"Did you two sneak in here last night?" Bambietta asked, realizing that was the only way Juvia could've gotten her hands on a relevant mission.
"Yup," Candice chuckled. "When I said it was for love, you should've seen how fast Twizzler moved with the keys."
"I hate you," Bambietta responded.
Candice laughed. "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."
"This is so many kinds of wrong. She was cute and you turned her into a blue haired version of you!"
"It's what she needed! It's working isn't it?"
"Dammit, Candice, not everyone has to be a slut!" Bambietta shouted, rising up from the table.
Gray stood up to see what had gotten Bambietta so riled up, but Juvia was too far into being helped by Candice to let his distraction ruin the moment. With only one finger, she tilted Gray's head back towards her, putting pressure along the lower side of his jaw bone by his chin.
"Ignore them," she said. She licked the lollipop. She blinked multiple times "Look at me," she spoke seductively.
While Juvia was acting all confident outwardly, inwardly, her behavior was more like…
AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! Everyone's watching me! I'm touching my beloved Gray's cheek! It's so warm! He's looking right at me! I shamelessly touched my chest in front of my darling Gray! AAAAHHHH! AAAAHHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
"Ah…okay…" Gray, fortunately for Juvia, was as dense a moron as Natsu and hadn't yet put it together that Candice was partly responsible for the situation.
"Do you want to go with me?" Juvia asked, sucking her lollipop. "I would really like to spend some time alone with you." She took her free hand and ran a pair of fingers through Gray's bangs, brushing them aside. "My beloved Gray."
"Ah, sure. That doesn't sound too bad," Gray responded.
"Yay!" Juvia exclaimed, her actual personality bleeding through. "E-er…th-that is…I am…delighted to hear that."
"…Are you okay?" Gray asked after a brief pause.
"I'm perfectly fine," Juvia responded, putting her forehead right against Gray's. "Why do you ask?"
I can think of severalreasons! Bambietta exclaimed inwardly.
Sweating, pants bulging, nervous and blushing, Gray responded, "Er…never mind…can I finish my breakfast?"
Juvia smiled as she sat back up. "Of course you can, stud. Do you mind if I join you?"
"S-sure, if you want."
Juvia got something to eat and then sat down next to Gray and made sure to bump her hip right against his, much to his surprise. He slid away a couple of centimeters for comfort, but other than that didn't seem too bothered by Juvia's behavior.
When Gray's back was turned, Candice gave Juvia a thumb's up and a wink. Juvia responded in kind.
"I hate you. I hate you both," Bambietta said. "Why? Why did that work? Explain! You explain now!"
Candice laughed proudly, though it was more like a cackle. "What can I say? When it comes to shy girls and dense morons, you need to be a little assertive." Candice folded her arms. "I gave her this chance. The rest is up to her now."
Bambietta spoke gibberish in a mocking tone, "That's you," she then said.
"Whatever. You owe me cash."
"Aw no no no. She…she can still screw this up. I want a report by day's end. There is no way in hell this ends the way you want it to."
"Fine, triple or nothing."
"You're on!" Bambietta exclaimed.
"Bambi, please. I know 450 jewels isn't a lot to you, but it is to me," Lucy responded.
"Pfft, it's coming out of my pocket. We'll still pay the rent on time."
The group watched Juvia and Gray walk out together with Juvia giving one last nervous look at Candice, with Candice giving her a serious expression and one last thumb's up. You're doing fine, Candice thought. She took a deep breath as Juvia and Gray completely left. "Welp, if he's not interested in her at all, at least now she won't be wasting time."
"Say what now?" Bambietta asked.
"What? Don't tell me you didn't notice that she has it out bad for him," Candice said with a smirk.
"Of course I noticed! Almost everyone in this guild noticed!" Bambietta exclaimed, slapping the table. "But when we say having it out bad, we don't mean making the bed creak so hard it breaks!"
"Yeah, neither do I. Least this time."
"Hah?"
Candice folded her arms. "I'm a lot smarter and understanding than you sometimes give me credit for, Bambi. Anyway, I'm parched. Yo, Sprinkles! How's that shake coming?"
"Oh, sorry!" Mirajane responded. "I was…distracted."
Candice laughed her ass off. That was certainly one way of putting it. She headed for the bar.
"Please tell me I'm not the only one that thought she looked like a prostitute," Jade stated.
Bambietta slammed the swear jar in front of her.
"What the…what's that for?"
"BecausenowIhavetoexplainthattoWendy!" Bambietta shouted.
Lucy sighed. "Wendy. Short version: What Candice does with Loke and Cana except getting paid for it."
Wendy's blush was so full, her face could double as a tomato. At this, Bambietta promptly smacked her head against the table. Her muffled, whiny groans were heard by all sitting with her.
Lucy sighed, realizing there was only one way to calm Bambi down. "Just this once…my bosom is your pillow."
Bambietta fake cried into Lucy's chest. "IT'S NOT FAIR!"
The mission that Juvia had asked Gray to go with her on was sentry duty at a small village. There was a merchant that traveled through their town once a month and too often thieves tried to steal his valuables. Starting last year, mages were hired once a month to guard the four entrances to the village to watch for suspicious activity.
Of course, before the mission could even start, first came the train ride to it. Juvia and Gray rode in the same care, face to face, Juvia trying her best not to blush now that Gray could easily see how much she was laying to bare.
Focus! She told herself. You got this far Juvia! Don't blow it now.
The train ride was only an hour, but Gray ended up falling asleep halfway into it.
Juvia gasped at the prospect of switching her seat to move next to Gray and put his head against her chest or in her lap. Have to…be…assertive… Juvia thought nervously. She stood up and crossed the row to sit next to Gray, only for the train to lurch. Juvia tripped on her high heel and the next thing she knew, her bosom was square in Gray's face, his snoring lips buzzing against her exposed cleavage.
Candice! You didn't prepare me for this! Juvia exclaimed, eyes spinning around dizzily. Gray's mouth was on her chest. Gray's mouth was on her boobs! G-Gray, Juvia panted, turning red in the face. I…I should…sit…down… Juvia moved her hands from the wall and sat next to her darling Gray, looking at his sleeping form. He hardly seemed to have noticed what happened, being too out of it in his napping state.
Juvia was redder than a boiled lobster as she slapped her cheeks. She wondered if the dampness below her navel was a result of her losing control of her fully human form…or something far more…perverse. She dared not check.
What she did do was look over at Gray and, breathing heavily, linked her hand with his. It was…very warm. Gray's unconscious form, sensing warmth, shifted towards Juvia, head landing against her shoulder.
Best…day…ever, Juvia thought, her face looking the most exuberant it had in years. She couldn't help but let out a happy squeal.
Though she wanted the moment to last an eternity, it could not last. The train stopped and Gray, like clockwork, woke up and didn't even notice where he had been as he scratched his head and exited the train, Juvia close behind. They met with the town watch, showcasing their magic slightly to show that they weren't just talk. Then they stood at the south entrance to the village and began their 8 hour mission of standing around and doing nothing. They weren't allowed to move more than a few feet and their eyes always had to be on the road ahead. Another lesser guild had the north entrance covered so there was no need to look behind them.
The two stood like sentinels with Juvia standing by and holding her hands folded in front of her stomach, sweating nervously a little, feeling exposed. She was really hoping Gray wasn't staring too much at her. Sure, it took this outfit to get this far, but it was still really embarrassing.
"I can get you as far as the start of the mission. Whether you sink or swim after that is up to you."
Candice's words from the night before reverberated in Juvia's head.
It was about 45 minutes into the mission when Gray finally said. "Okay, I can't take it anymore."
Juvia gasped. Was Gray about to leave their mission prematurely, thus ruining her chances of having his babies and marrying him?
"Juvia, what the heck is up with you today? You're normally…well you're not like this."
Juvia swallowed. "I…um…do you…not like it?"
"I wouldn't say not like it," Gray said, scratching his head, looking up and away. "It's just…not you. I'm just…concerned I guess is the right word."
"But…you wouldn't notice me or talk to her until today, even though you were so nice to me when we met," Juvia said, staring at the ground, hands behind her.
"Hmm?" Gray wondered if it had really been like that.
"I just wanted you to notice me…because I like you," Juvia admitted.
Gray pinched the bridge of his nose and put up a hand. "Wait. Wait. Wait. Back up. Was this all a ploy to get my attention?"
"Well…"
"Juvia, if you wanted my attention, all you had to do was just ask."
"But…I've tried and you just continued to ignore me."
"Tried, huh?" Gray asked and thought about all the times Juvia had approached him in the weirdest of ways, or what seemed like weird ways at the time. …Well then…
"I just want to be with you, darling." Juvia stared at the ground in defeat. "But if you don't like me that way, you can just tell Juvia now."
"Um…well…I don't dislike you," Gray admitted.
Juvia's head picked up. "Eh?"
"Look I just…I don't know. You're…well you're certainly not an average girl, but…you don't have to be. You're uniquely you. This…" he said, gesturing to what she looked like right now. "This isn't you. You know that, right?"
"I was desperate," Juvia said miserably. "I didn't want you to get snatched up by a nicer, prettier girl."
"Being prettier and nicer doesn't make you a better person," Gray said.
"Eh?"
"Look, maybe I haven't been the most courteous to you or really tried to understand you, but…well…you've also been a bit overwhelming. Maybe we should start over."
"Start over?!" Juvia gasped.
"Like, I dunno. We've got eight hours. Why don't we…just…talk about ourselves and learn about each other. That's how you become closer friends. It's why Cana and I get along so well. We've known each other for years. Tell me more about you Juvia. What makes you uniquely you?"
Juvia smiled. "Darling…do you like me just for who I am?"
"I think you're better off with who you are rather than pretending to be what you're not."
He likes me better the way I am, Juvia thought. Oh Gray! She leaped at him to hug him, only to fall on the ground.
"Okay. See…that? That's overwhelming," Gray said. "Don't do that."
"But…" Juvia said, only for Gray to help her up by the arm.
"I know I said be yourself, but…there's some parts about you I'd…change."
Rather than hear what Gray was saying, Juvia was too busy off in the clouds over the fact that Gray was helping her up. He could almost see the flower emojis.
She's not listening. "Juvia. Hey, Juvia…"
Juvia, however, it seemed, did not seem to be home and there was no answering machine to take a message. The flowers were quickly turning into hearts.
However, she did eventually return to reality though and she and Gray got back on track. Gray then told her that, when it came to talking about themselves, that Juvia could go first.
"Well, when I was little…"
The crickets and cicadas were out by the time Candice left Fairy Tail for the evening. Contrary to what most might be thinking, she was actually worried about Juvia. She tilted her head up and leaned back, wondering if she and Gray had magically gone too far and were already fucking like rabbits.
However, as she waltzed down the road, much to her surprise, Juvia was standing there, walking into the street light.
"Juvia!" Candice exclaimed and then she got a good look at her. Juvia's hair was long again and she was wearing her coat and hat. Most of her makeup had been removed and she wasn't wearing her heels anymore. Candice's heart sank. "Juvia…your outfit…what happened?"
Juvia smiled from ear to ear. "Gray said he'd give me a chance!" Juvia hugged Candice tightly. "Thank you, Candi! I couldn't have done it all without you!"
"Without me, but…" Candice said, holding Juvia at arm's length.
Juvia blushed as she played with her hands. "My beloved said that he…prefers me however I prefer me. So I…I'm just going to be myself."
Candice sniffed, wiping a tear that she refused to accept had ever been there from her eye. "You…" she said.
"But…I could only be so confident because you were so helpful. I would've acted like a flustered mess if you hadn't taught me how to internalize my panic." Juvia smiled. "We're friends, right?"
Candice gave Juvia a hug. "Of course we're friends, Juvia." She patted her back. "And I'm always here to help you."
Juvia hugged Candice back. "Thank you for being my friend, Candi."
After the hug, the two let go of each other and stood outside each other's personal space. "Hey, if you ever need more help, don't be a stranger. Gray is denser than rock. As long as he's still even remotely interested in you, I'll make sure to give you the best chance at finding your happy ever after with him, just like you want."
Juvia bristled with joy, making squealing noises with only her throat. "I will definitely get the romantic wedding and family of fourteen I've always desired!"
Candice laughed. "A big dreamer. I like that. Come on, Fairy Hills is this way."
The two made it to the apartment complex and then parted ways when their rooms were in opposite directions. "Hey, Juvia," Candice said before they went into their respective rooms.
"Hmm?"
"I know I made you change a lot who you were today on the outside, but never change on the inside for anyone else unless you think it's the right thing to do," Candice told her.
"Huh?" Juvia looked a bit confused.
"Like I said when we started. You were too nervous to get his attention. I made you confident. You don't have to wear that gaudy, sexy crap if you don't want to. That's my shtick. It works, but it's not for everyone. What I'm saying is, if you want to be the shy cheerleader, go for it. I'm not gonna stop you. At least now Gray acknowledges that you exist."
Juvia blinked. "Wait…you never wanted me to change?"
Candice shrugged. "I couldn't outright say that until it was over, could I? We all find our own paths as we go through life. It's just that some people can't see what their path should be without help. I went down a path. I made mistakes, but I also found myself along the way. I didn't have anyone holding my hand or watching my back. I was young, reckless and stupid. And I'm not gonna let anyone else make the same mistakes I made. I've got your back, Juvia." Candice cracked her knuckles. "And if that dumbass makes you cry, you drown him and I'll zap him into next week."
"No," Juvia said. "Even if my beloved turns out not to love me, I will love him regardless." She smiled showing her teeth. "Because that's the type of woman I am."
Candice smiled back. I really do want to protect those smiles, she thought. "Good night, Juvia."
"Good night, Candi."
The next day was pretty normal for Fairy Tail again, with one minor change: Juvia and Gray eating at the same breakfast table. They didn't talk and Juvia spent most of it staring holes at Gray, but they didn't have to.
"Goddammit, Candi," Bambi said, giving Candice 450 jewels.
"No," Candice said, "Keep it."
"What? …But you won. They're a couple."
"No. They're not. He's giving her a chance. Nothing's really happened. I didn't win, but I didn't exactly lose either. Call it a stalemate."
"…Who are you and what have you done with Candice?" Bambietta asked, a little creeped out. "Where's my badass foul-mouthed ass kicking best friend that flips people off and doesn't care about anyone but herself?"
"Bambi, Bambi, Bambi," Candice said, shaking her head. "You've still got a lot to learn about me."
"She's not wrong," Liltotto said.
"Hah?" Bambietta asked in confusion.
Candice leaned back against the table. "We all keep shit to ourselves we don't want other people to know about. The Vandenreich wasn't exactly a friendly place. We worked together, but we weren't exactly a family there. It's different here. You know a lot about me, Bambietta Basterbine, but you don't know everything. And I know I could say the same about you."
Bambietta blinked and looked under the table.
"Bambi, what are you doing?" Lucy asked her.
"Looking for portals to a parallel dimension!" Bambietta exclaimed. "Candice is weirding me out!"
Candice laughed her ass off. "What you want me to say a few f-bombs and hit on a few guys, would that cheer you up?"
"It would make things less weird, yes!" Bambietta shouted.
Candice snickered as one of the doors upstairs opened and Laxus could be seen at the top of the stairs, inspecting the S-class job board.
"Whoa, who's that guy? He's hot."
Bambietta followed Candice's gaze. "Uh, no. Not him."
"What? What's wrong with him? He gay or something?"
"He's an asshole!"
"So was Bazz-B. I still fucked his brains out." She handed Bambietta a 50-note.
"This is different," Liltotto said.
"Different how?" Candice wondered.
"Jet! Droy!" Laxus called from the top of the staircase. "I heard you two failed your mission yesterday!"
"Laxus, knock it off!" Levy shouted. "Erza already talked to them about it!"
"Did she tell them how pathetic they are? I don't know why we haven't kicked them out yet. They're so weak they make a mockery of Fairy Tail and you're holding yourself back hanging out with losers like them, that's why you ended up nailed to a tree by Phantom Lord!"
"They're not losers! They're at least better company than you!" Levy shot back.
"You know, for someone so smart, you make pretty dumb decisions," Laxus said. "You should ditch those two and join the girls table over there, at least you're more likely to make something of yourself."
"Oh look if it isn't the high and mighty King of all jerkwads," Bambi said, now irritated enough to join in the war of words. "Whats up, thunder jock? Not getting enough kicks from stealing candy from babys? Or should I point you in the direction of the nearest nerd for you to harass like the bully you are?" Bambietta asked.
"Scathing, Bambi," Candice said sarcastically.
"Your friend's not wrong. You've lost your edge hanging out with children," Laxus said.
"You know what, screw both of you! I'm more than willing to go a round or two with you right here, right now!"
"Oh hell no. I just washed my hair," Candice said. "I'm not getting it covered in muck in the inevitable food fight."
"That sounds like the excuse of a loser that knows their beat before the fight's even started," Laxus said.
"What? Fuck you!" Candice exclaimed, getting to her feet, flipping Laxus off. "I legitimately care about my hair! I'm a girl! I'm entitled! Or maybe I should start the fight by breaking your stupid looking headphones!"
"Hey, Bambi, tell your friend there to sit down before she hurts herself," Laxus said. "I don't take it easy on anyone."
"Candice, sit," Bambietta said, wishing Candice would just fall over like Inuyasha.
"Fuck that," Candice said and marched up to the second floor. Twenty feet now separated her and Laxus.
"Bring it, I'll laugh when I toss you off the—"
Candice vanished getting behind him.
"—side?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over how fast I am!" Candice exclaimed, now appearing right next to him on the 2nd floor with Hirenkyaku.
Laxus blinked. He could keep up with Jet no problem and he completely lost sight of Candice and Bambietta knew she already had the bow trained on him. Question was, did Laxus?
"Okay, so you're fast. Speed's not everything," Laxus said.
"No shit, it's also about strength, skill and stamina," Candice said. "You got the whole package?"
"Of course I do," Laxus said, turning to face her, not scared of her bow. "I'm S-class!"
"You talk big, but do you bite as loud as we both bark?" Candice asked.
"You calling me a coward?" Laxus asked.
"Well I ain't calling you for dinner!" Candice shouted.
Laxus wrapped his knuckles. "Oh ho ho! You've got some spunk! Okay, let's see how you handle this!" Laxus threw a punch at Candice, stopping just short of her face. Candice didn't even flinch.
Everyone downstairs was kind of murmuring. "You…you didn't duck?" Laxus asked.
"I know a feint coming when I see one," Candice responded. "Come on, you too scared to hit a girl or something? Or is the arrow I'm aiming at your junk making you have second thoughts? I'd rather not render you infertile if given the choice."
Laxus looked down. Candice did indeed have her arrow aimed in between his legs.
"Nah, that was just a test," Laxus said, not even bothering to back up. "This one's not a feint. If you don't move, I will punch you in the face!"
"Do it then. Show me you ain't all talk! I fucking dare you!" Candice shouted.
Laxus reared back his fist to punch Candice in the face as Candice moved to get behind him, only to be surprised when Laxus pivoted around, predicting that she'd go behind him and smacked her hard in the cheek, sending her into the wall, smashing the wood. Thank Yhwach for inventing Blut Vene.
"You get it, girly? I'm the strongest in all of Fairy Tail. No one looks down on me!"
"My god, all that piss, vinegar and pride," Candice said, as she knelt on the ground on one knee, rubbing her sore chin with the back of her hand. "You have a healthy release schedule or did your parents never give you The Talk?"
"Not your business," Laxus said. "But I'm impressed. Never seen a girl in this guild stand up to me other than Erza."
"Oh yeah?" Candice asked, getting to her feet. "Twizzler gives you a hard time? Not surprised. She is pretty great. You're luckin' out though. I've got divine intervention working against me so I can't use my real strength. If I was at my best, you'd be in a crater looking like you got attacked by an exploding biogenic alien."
"You have quite the mouth on you," Laxus said approaching her.
"Oh yeah? You want to see how I use it?" Candice asked.
The two stared at each other vigorously, neither one backing down from their stance, even if Laxus stood a few good inches over the lime haired quincy.
"Candi, I will not be responsible for teeth you can and will lose!" Bambietta called from downstairs. Candice and Laxus didn't even respond to Bambietta's outburst.
"Maybe we should have this confrontation where there's less noise," Laxus said.
"I agree," Candice said, staring at him intently. "I don't think I caught your name."
"It's Laxus Dreyar. You?"
"Oh, the Boss' grandson. I dig it. Name's Candice Catnipp. But for you, it's gonna be Mistress soon."
Laxus cupped Candice's chin. "You enjoy mouthing off to your betters?"
"I make a habit not to show fear to jackasses that still suck their mama's milk," Candice insulted.
Laxus smacked his hand along the unbroken part of the smashed wooden wall, forcing Candice to lean up against it. Candice could hear Laxus' enraged, loud breathing and see the strong, proud, unyielding look in his eyes.
"I could snap your neck if given the chance," Laxus said.
"And I'd rip off your sausage and meatballs before you got that chance," Candice said.
"You're not scared of me, are you?"
"Not even a little bit. What's there to be scared about? I bet you got that scar from something dumb, like running with scissors."
Laxus laughed. "You know, why don't you follow me where it's nice and quiet? That way no one can hear you scream."
"Just don't cry like a bitch," Candice said.
Bambietta was starting to realize that this conversation suddenly had a double meaning. They're not…
She watched Laxus and Candice go into what she presumed was Laxus' room. And, after that, the guild business resumed like normal, even if some people still had lingering wonder of what the heck was going on upstairs. Though, if Candice or Laxus suddenly ended up breaking a table, that would say everything.
It was a mere ten minutes later when what sounded like a hammer banging the second-floor floorboards could be heard.
"What the hell is that noise?" Gray wondered aloud.
That better not be what I think it is, Bambietta thought. "Lucy, I'm gonna wait and make sure Candi's okay. Could you take Wendy out somewhere. I don't care where, just go."
"You don't think she—" Jade started to say, but Bambietta cut her off.
"I'm going to kill her if she is. Of all the guys here. Seriously!"
Lucy kind of caught onto what Bambi was saying and the banging sound took on a whole new meaning. She blushed. "R-right. Wendy. L-Let's go see if the restaurant needs waitresses. Come on."
"S-sure," Wendy said, feeling like she was being shoved out the door.
"It was a good forty minutes later when the door finally opened and out stepped a yawning Candice. Her precious hair looking…well…not perfect.
Oh my god, "Candice, you didn't."
Candice noticed Wendy wasn't around. "Oh you know I fucking did. Oh man, when I tell you big," Candice held out her hands at the length of your average hot dog.
"STOOOP!" Bambietta exclaimed.
"It's always the prideful ones that have the most pent up frustrations."
"Knock it off!"
"I think I'm gonna be walking funny for a couple days!"
Bambietta put her hands over her ears. "LALALALALA! I can't hear you!"
Candice just laughed and laughed.
One day she's helping people find true love, the next she's shagging the Master's grandson. You're a piece of work, Candice Catnipp, Jade thought.
As Candice sat down at the bar and got a milkshake, Liltotto slid up next to her. "Say, Candi,"
"Wassup?"
"So, you got Gray to notice Juvia and Bisca and Alzack to stop being shy. Can you…?"
"No."
"But I didn't even finish my question," Liltotto asked.
"Lil, I'm pretty observant. And I'm an expert," she said, tossing her hair to one side. "Not a miracle worker."
"I'm not hopeless!" Liltotto exclaimed.
"You're kinda hopeless," Candice chuckled.
"Th-that's not fair, Candi!" Liltotto exclaimed. "I want my happily ever after too!"
Candice pat Liltotto on the head. "Look, I'm not saying it to be mean. Everyone deserves their happy ever after. I know what they say about opposites attract, but trust me, there ain't a trick in the book I know that's gonna put a square peg in a round hole," Candice said.
"Natsu's not gay!"
"That's not what I meant," Candice laughed. "Hilarious that that's what you thought I meant though." She cackled.
Liltotto growled.
"Look, Lil, you're a great friend and an even greater person, but if you don't want to trust my judgment, that's fine. You be you and don't change for anyone," Candice said, giving her a thumb's up. She then finished her shake and put the money on the counter. She then stretched. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I've got a date with my shower so I can fix my hair back up. Catch ya later." Candice then swaggered out of the guild hall.
That evening, Lucy and Bambietta were having dinner at home just the two of them. After today, Bambietta didn't want to be breathing the same air as Candice.
"Ugh! She drives me nuts!"
"And yet, you're still friends," Lucy said. "That says a lot about your relationship. I wish I had a best friend I could fight with and still want to hang around with. I mean, I have friends and I even have you, but…I guess I'm a little jealous of you and Candi."
"I actually value our relationship way more, Lucy," Bambietta said.
Lucy smiled. "Bambi…"
"A best friend is a great thing to have, but they're not your boyfriend or girlfriend," Bambietta said. "I'm…what I'm trying to say is…"
Lucy got up and kissed Bambietta on the cheek. "I get it."
Bambietta smiled.
Lucy then sat back down.
The two finished their meal and Lucy then did the dishes. "Hey," she said as she put the last one away. "Wanna make out on the couch?"
Bambietta wished she had a glass of water still just so she could do a spit take. "Lucy…are you okay?"
"What? You don't want to? I asked Rukia and Lil to keep Wendy out of the house until about nineish. It's only eight. Plenty of time."
"Eh?"
"Wow, you act all gung ho and everything, but the minute I initiate it, you clam up. Real mature," Lucy pouted. "And hurtful."
"What? No! No! No! No!" Bambietta exclaimed, panicking. "It's not that, it's just…I just never thought that you'd…I mean you've always been."
"I told you I'd come around eventually, didn't I? Baby steps. Just don't try anything funny."
Bambietta's eyes lit up. "Hey, don't let me stop you," she said, patting the couch rapidly. "Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit!"
Lucy dropped down onto the couch next to Bambietta and leaned towards her. The two women pressed their lips into each other, hands linking, Lucy eventually finding her way into Bambietta's lap. As they broke for air, Bambietta put her hand on Lucy's lower back.
"Hey, you mind if I…"
"…You get two," Lucy said and clenched her butt, figuring what was about to come. She gasped hard when Bambietta slapped her ass and grabbed it.
Oh I have waited for this for so long, she thought. "You okay?"
"Just…adjusting. It's…not at all what I was expecting."
"What were you expecting?"
"Pain, lots of it."
"To be fair, you still have a skirt on," Bambietta pointed out. "Or…wait, did you like it?"
"I…I dunno…" Lucy said, squirming. "…I said you get two. And don't you dare—" Lucy's gasp ended up being accompanied by a small moan when Bambietta flipped up her skirt before giving her as a nice smack.
"Wh-wh-what the hell? I said no funny business," Lucy said, panting.
"Sorry, couldn't resist."
Lucy sighed. "Goddammit, Bambi."
"Shit, I kill the mood?"
"A little. I just…I'm still getting used to all of this…us…you," Lucy said, fists balling up the front of her skirt. She turned her head over her shoulder. "And that one kind of hurt."
"Sorry, lost control of myself in the moment," Bambietta apologized.
Lucy kissed her cheek. "Apology accepted." She then got off Bambietta's lap and snuggled up next to her, head on her shoulder, purring. "Mmmmm, this is nice."
"You can fall asleep like that if you want," Bambietta said.
"You know, I might take you up on that offer. I might not be here when you wake up though, especially if you start snoring."
Bambietta sighed. "You're gonna have to get used to it eventually."
"Ugh, fine, lay down on your back."
Bambietta did so as Lucy then lay on top of her. She then grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch.
"W-wait, shouldn't we…"
"No. Too tired. Good night, Bambi," Lucy said.
"Er…good night, Lucy," Bambietta said, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. Ha! Suck it, Candi. I've still got one thing you'll never have! However, despite her gloating, Bambietta's mind drifted off as Lucy drifted off to sleep. She wondered. Despite sleeping around, was Candice lonely? Did she long for a stable relationship the way Bambietta now ended up having one?
At the thought of this, Bambietta snuggled Lucy closer to her, more fortunate than ever to have such a special bond with her. And, before Bambietta realized it, she too had begun to drift off to sleep.
And Lucy would be there when she woke up.
Far away from Magnolia was the town of Dahlia. It was a normally quite town on the very edge of Fiore, bordering the country of Seven. It was entirely different from Fiore, possessing no guild of its own and being entirely unremarkable. The residents appreciated that greatly, finding their way of life entirely unremarkable. For those who called Dahlia their home, however, that was quite alright.
Two such individuals were Yulian Yukhantsev and Bethany Bakker. The latter had lived in Dahlia almost her entire life and found it the simple life suited her. She had tried the big city life but it had left her always feeling anxious and nervous. The untimely passing of her husband, Gregory having passed away much too young under unfortunate circumstances, had been the true push for her to return to her hometown. With her she had brought her final remaining joy from that time in her life, her daughter, Rachel.
The former, however, was a newcomer to Dahlia. Bethany had found Yulian on the edge of town, laying in a grassy field. He had been more than a little confused at the time, having thought himself dead only a few minutes earlier. Bethany, out of the goodness of her heart, had given him a place to stay. At first he had been incredibly hesitant, as if an offer from the opposite sex had struck a fearful chord within him. However he had relented, wishing to put his fears to rest.
Fears, he had found out, were entirely unnecessary. He and Bethany had found in each other kindred spirits. Then there was Rachel. She had welcomed Yulian into her life as if he was the father she had never known, the young girl having been but a baby when illness had taken her father from this world.
It was a simple life, one that Yulian and Bethany greatly appreciated. Now they were simply moving about the quiet town, enjoying their time together. However, Rachel was different. She had little desire in a simple life. No, she dreamed big. That was clear even now as the would-be family in all but shared last name moved past a magazine stand on a street corner.
"Mommy! Mommy! Can I get Sorcerer Weekly?"
"Of course, sweetie," Bethany said as she paid the man behind the stand.
"Yay!" Rachel held the magazine in her little hands, looking over the cover featuring Titania Erza before thumbing through the pages with eyes wide with excitement. Oh how she wished to put her magic to good use and join a guild when she was old enough. It was her fervent dream to be be a master wizard!
Yulian, meanwhile, paid it little mind. He had looked into the life of a wizard early on, having considered using his own special talents in a guild, but he had decided against it. Those talents were ones he would rather forget and moving his newfound family to a bigger town to join a guild was out of the question. No, he much preferred the job he had taken on as a carpenter. It was basic by comparison to a guild sponsored wizard perhaps, but preferable.
For now Yulian simply intended to treat Bethany and Rachel both to the fair that had rolled into town this week.
"So who's the big story this week?" Bethany asked her daughter, a hand on her shoulder to help guide Rachel down the sidewalk as she was far too engrossed in the magazine.
"Oh, it's Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord!" Rachel exclaimed. "The top two guilds ever! And they went to war with each other!"
Yulian stopped in his tracks, flinching.
Bethany was quick to notice that and crouched down beside her daughter to whisper. "Sweetie, you know we don't... use that word around him.'
Yulian blinked. It was true enough, the talk of war or soldiers or anything of the like was capable of bringing up bad memories. He had told Bethany of how he had enlisted in the military of the country of Seven to wage a war against Bosco. However, before the war had even begun, he had been betrayed by a superior officer and left for dead.
It had been the truth from a certain point of view but not a matter of pure honesty. Yulian had considered telling Bethany everything but had thought she would find him a madman. To prevent that, he had blurred and twisted a few of the finer details, the man unsure of how he had found himself where he was after being 'left for dead'.
"N-No, it's fine," Yulian managed to stammer. He had fought against his past trauma, not wanting to worry Bethany or to upset Rachel. Kneeling down by his surrogate daughter, he patted her on the head as he gave her a reassuring smile. He tried not to speak of how wars could bring out the worst in people, even among those who were on the same side. No, he simply played the role of a doting father. He had avoided speaking much about wizards with Rachel, having been uninterested in the conflicts they were involving themselves in, but he knew he had to do better for her. "So you like this Fairy Tail, huh?"
"Of course!" Rachel shouted with a smile as she brightened up. "When I grow up I'd love to join them! I mean they've Titania Erza and a girl Dragon Slayer who's only a couple of years older than me! How cool is that?"
"Wendy Marvell, age twelve," Bethany said, looking at the article in the magazine and the short biographies it had on the guild's newcomers. "Sweetie, she's still got seven years on you, so don't get any ideas about running off to a guild anytime soon."
"I know, I know," Rachel whined.
"So those two are your favorites?" Yulian asked.
"Of course!" Rachel shouted. "Oh! Wait! There's that girl who blows stuff up!"
"That... doesn't sound like a good role model," Bethany said, eyes closed as she wore a fake smile.
"Who's that?" Yulian asked innocently enough.
"Her name's really silly! Let's see..." Rachel began to flip through the pages, skimming over the interviews with the Fairy Tail guild members who had been willing to speak of the Phantom Lord conflict. She stopped then, on page sixty-one. There she is!"
There were a few pictures above the short interviews, one of an embarrassed looking woman with blonde hair, another of the famed Salamander of Fairy Tail. Then, at last, was a picture of a woman dressed in white, a hat atop her brunette hair. She was smiling broadly, her right hand raised up in a victory sign. She had clearly enjoyed posing for the photograph.
"Bambietta Basterbine!" Rachel giggled, unable to prevent herself from trying to say the name three times fast. "Bambietta Basterbine, Bambietta Basterbine, Bambietta Basterbine..."
Yulian froze on on the spot. Any attempt at avoiding a panic attack as he had just a few moments earlier falling by the wayside. He had told the broad strokes to Bethany, having changed the details of the big picture. However, he had never forgotten them himself.
Of serving in an army hidden away in the shadows of the afterlife. Of proudly choosing to fight those who wrongfully considered themselves gods of death. Of falling for a superior officer. Of being invited to her room. Of the false pretexts behind her invitation. Of the blade that had cut him in two and ended his life. Of his finding himself on a grassy field in a new world alive and well.
He had never understood how he had gotten here but he had welcomed the second chance. Now, however, he was seeing his past right before his eyes. He was not alone in this world. The one who had ended his life was here as well and she was happy.
Bambietta... Basterbine...
Oh my. Looks like something from Bambietta's past has come back to haunt her. How is this going to play out? Well, there's only one way to find out.
I'm rather happy with how things turned out with this chapter. I wanted to get a head start on Gray and Juvia's relationship and with Candice in the guild...well, it was now or never. I do hope that you all appreciate this change, as well as going in a bit more in Candice as a person.
I personally wrote the first scene and the one with Jade, so feedback on that would also be really appreciated. Just know the first scene is very important for things regarding the lore and future plot points.
Well, that's all I have to say for now. It may be a while till our next chapter but I hope you ell enjoy this one till then!
