What's this? A chapter going up in the middle of the month?! Impossible!
In all honesty, the chapter after this one is too perfect to post as the last chapter of the year and I figured you guys could use another chapter this month as my way of thanks. For what? Well for reaching over 1000 reviews.
A huge shout out to each and every single one of you who has left a review for this story, with special thanks going towards NotXeno, Wolfdue16, Darkmachines, Imperialwarlord, X the Reaper, Ultimatrix-bearer, and Draconichero21 for being such frequent reviewers.
Speaking of Draconichero21, he's the one who helped write this particular chapter. As it's a Candice focused chapter, I thought it was for the best. Thanks for the help.
Another special shout out goes to my beta reader, for fixing my grammar and keeping my lore straight and well thought out. He's been absolutely vital in keeping the grammar quality of this story (and quality in general)) at the level that it's at.
Lastly, I'd like to thank Ankoholic, for having helped write this story in the first place. He's currently working on another Bambietta related story, one with many other favorite characters of him and I coming together to work as a team. It's called Kurosuoba-Sentai-Waifuranger and I really enjoyed what I saw of it so far.
Anyways, I think I've delayed you all long enough. Let's get onto the chapter proper!
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!
As the sun began to set on Magnolia, many of Fairy Tail's mages were clearing out after receiving the day's pay or after finishing up their dinner. One of the last few to be heading out was Mirajane as she waved goodbye to Bambietta and Lucy.
"Don't break the bed you two!" Mira exclaimed cheerfully.
Lucy immediately shrieked back. "We are not going to do… that!"
Not tonight anyways, Lucy thought sheepishly.
Bambietta whined, shoulders slumping. "Awwww, why not?"
Lucy blushed profusely. "I have a one-word answer for you: Wendy!"
Bambietta blinked multiple times. "Fair point."
Mirajane laughed. "If you need someone to house sit, we could swap places for the evening."
"Good night, Mira!" Lucy exclaimed, walking away.
Mirajane was usually one of the last few people to leave the guild since she helped write up the financial statements given all guild traffic usually went through her. She wasn't the last one because Laxus usually hung out upstairs until much later and Makarov sometimes fell asleep in his office. And then, there was the non-keyholder that usually came in late, staying later than Mira herself.
Candice waltzed into the guild hall real quiet-like and sat down at the bar. No words needed to be exchanged. Mira plopped a lemonade on the table. The girls nodded at each other. Candice slumped her face down onto the bar table. Again, no words were needed.
Candice instinctively knew that seven to ten minutes would pass when she heard the sound of tearing paper. Instinctively, she raised her hand for the tab for the drink, taking the receipt as Mira left the guild hall.
Guess I'll have to tell the old man to lock up behind me if he's here, Candice thought. She polished off the glass bottle and then did what she usually did, waltzed into the kitchen and essentially yanked a beer out of the fridge. However, as she waltzed back into the main hall, dark with only the moonlight shining in, someone else was downstairs: Laxus.
Candice completely dismissed him and just took her seat, fiddling with the aluminum can a bit as she stared into the open doorway of the kitchen from her seat at the bar. She drummed her fingers a little, clenching the can with her other hand, appearing deep in thought.
Laxus ignored her at first, watched her after a bit of time, sitting down at a table, and it was only when she cracked open the can that he finally spoke. "You're not supposed to do that."
"Bite me," Candice said, and washed her throat with alcohol, consuming half the can. She sat there with the half-drunk can a bit before saying, "Want one?"
Laxus didn't answer her, so Candice improvised, going into the kitchen, grabbing the rest of the six pack and lobbing one of the cans to Laxus. He caught it. Sighing, he cracked it open and sat down next to her at the bar.
"Feeling better after yesterday?" She asked. "You big baby?"
"Fuck off," Laxus responded. "If you're gonna be that, I'll leave and throw you out."
Candice drank the rest of her current can, crunching it and then chucked it into the recycling bin. She didn't respond to Laxus at first, watching him drink a little. She decided to change the subject. "You drink often?"
"No, not really. First time I had one was when I turned and I had one for my birthday. I've had a drink or two here or there, but usually only one at big occasions and no more. Last time I can remember having one was maybe at Lisanna's funeral to honor her."
"Noble. So, when did the attitude start?" Candice said, freeing another can, though not opening it yet.
"It didn't start anywhere. I always didn't really much care for Fairy Tail being perceived as weak. You mentioned our rivalry with Phantom Lord yesterday. Imagine a constant, bitter war for a decade of your life that only got settled recently when the public should have known the answer all along. We were supposed to make Fairy Tail strong, the best, and what did Mira do when her sis passed? She turned into the cover for a housewife magazine."
"Sprinkles used to be different?" Candice asked, finally cracking open the second can.
"Yeah, way different. She and Erza used to butt heads the way Gray and Natsu do now. Scared the living hell out of everyone else."
"But not you though, right?" Candice asked, grinning.
"Hell no! Do I look like I'm scared of a pair of girls throwing a temper tantrum?" Laxus snapped.
Candice chuckled. "You would have been if they ever dragged you into it."
"I'd have kicked both their asses!" Laxus shouted.
"Pffft, sure Mister Big Macho Super Man," Candice said, sarcastically patting Laxus on the back of the shoulder.
"Fuck you! I could take both of them now even if they came at me with full strength!" Laxus shouted at her.
"Yeah, you keep thinking that," Candice said as she downed more of her second can. "Pwha! That shit hits the spot."
"Why do you do this anyway?" Laxus asked her.
"Do what?" Candice asked.
"Break the rules. Drink heavily. Sleep around. All of it. I mean, the only other person I know that drinks like you is Cana, and I'm pretty sure that's more of a vice than anything at this point. So, what's your deal?"
Candice polished off the second can and then slumped over the table, lips against her arm. "I am nowhere near drunk enough to talk about that."
Laxus slid her another one of the cans from the six pack. He said nothing, but the intention was clear.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to actually be that drunk? I'd have to actually drink one of Cana's kegs to be that open about my feelings." She paused. "Well… usually anyway."
Laxus still slid the can in front of her and took one of the other cans, leaving one in the plastic that once held together the six pack. The two just kind of looked at each other like they wanted to say something while downing the alcohol, but for an entire can's worth of alcohol, neither one said a thing.
"You want the last one?" Candice asked.
Laxus cracked it open and took a sip. He then leaned backwards against the bar. "When I was ten, all I wanted for my birthday was a lacrima by one of my favorite rock bands to add to my music player. And what did I end up with? Two board games, a baseball bat and a cake that fell on my head when Macao's wife tripped bringing it out of the kitchen."
Candice laughed and spun around. "You think you have shitty birthdays? I can one-up that."
"Oh can you now?"
Candice's hand contorted as if her muscle memory needed a minute to remember she didn't smoke anymore. Didn't help that her memory involved the act. "Back before I joined my first guild, I used to smoke a lot. Can't remember if it was my eighteenth or my nineteenth. Either way, I'd just finished getting myself lit up and one of my ex's friends goes and lights the candles with my back turned to the cake. Well, apparently hair spray is really fuckin' flammable and even though there was a good six inches between me and the cake, it was more than my cigarette that got lit up. Thank god someone had a water bottle. I didn't think my hair would ever grow back correctly," she said, running her fingers through it.
Laxus snorted, trying to picture it.
"Fuck you! My hair is important!" Candice exclaimed.
The constant chatter woke Makarov up from having dozed off in his office. He cracked the door open a little, curious about the noise, finding Laxus and Candice just chatting and having a very normal conversation from the sound of it.
"And so I said, 'Oh yeah?! Well then you'd better pay up because I'm about to hit a bullseye!'" She polished off a can of the second six pack she'd snuck out of the fridge. "Fuckin' asshole."
"So did you win?"
"Do fish swim in the ocean?" Candice asked.
"Fair enough," Laxus responded. "Man, I remember this one time I went out with the Thunder Legion for dinner. It was the middle of winter, and Bickslow got himself absolutely hammered. Well, on our way back, the idiot thought a lamp post was a cute girl." His smirk grew wider. "…With predictable results."
Candice almost fell out of her chair laughing with the way she was cackling, holding her body and snorting so hard.
Makarov smiled. It was a long, long time since he'd seen Laxus chatting so casually with someone else. Even with the Thunder Legion, he couldn't recall a time when Laxus was this open with his feelings.
I think I'll give them some space, Makarov thought, and shut the door. He smiled. I don't think I've ever seen Laxus talk to someone like an equal like that. She may be crude, but… strangely… Candice might be a good influence on him.
As the second six pack was nearly spent, Candice said to Laxus, "Look, Laxus. I get that you're a bit of an advocate for strength, but if you keep going this way, you're just going to end up alone with a cat. And no, not like Happy. Just one of those mangey alley cats that cough up hairballs and look half-drowned. And smell so bad people write songs about them."
"Do you have a point, or are you just lecturing me?"
"My point is, everyone has demons to battle. It's why Cana drinks, it's why Mira's become, as you called her, a housewife, and it's why Erza is… Erza." It was the fastest way to summarize everything that had happened at the Tower of Heaven, Candice felt. "So, Laxus, tell me, what are your demons? If I understand you, maybe I can stop you before you go beating up my friends and we don't have more arguments that don't build sexual tension."
Laxus groaned. "Is everything a sex joke with you?"
"Not everything," Candice remarked. "Maybe sixty to seventy percent. And ten percent of the rest is just pure, unfiltered awesomeness."
Laxus rolled his eyes.
"So, are we going to talk?"
"Isn't that what we've been doing since you started sneaking beer out of the fridge?" Laxus asked.
"No, I mean like really talk. You know, like normal people."
Laxus was silent.
"Talk to me. I've slept with you enough to earn that right, I think."
"I thought you kept things skin deep," Laxus said, confused.
"I'm making you an exception. You should feel special," Candice retorted.
"Well, I don't," Laxus remarked.
"Tough shit. Talk," Candice said. "Do it, or I'll sit on your face until you do."
Laxus stared at her unamused.
"Fine. Fine. Look, just…I really do want to get to know you. My reasons are my own." She turned her head away from him, blushing a little. "I… I don't hate you, okay? I just… I want you to talk to me. It… hurt, yesterday, a lot actually. I don't want you to… slip through my fingers. I can't explain it in a way that makes me feel comfortable. So… would you please just fucking talk to me like an adult? Please?"
Laxus sighed deeply. I just know I'm going to regret this. "...I want only strong people in Fairy Tail. It was probably just a coincidence, but ever since Lisanna died, the guild's gone downhill. Now apparently we're letting kids and rich girls that barely know what they're doing into the guild."
"You're lucky Bambi's not here to hear that," Candice said.
"Don't talk to me about her right now. She pisses me off. A lot, actually," Laxus remarked. "She constantly runs her mouth about being the best and what has she even accomplished lately? She can't say she causes the most collateral damage. That's Natsu. One of her friends got recommended to S-class before her. So she can't even say she has that going for her. She spends her time with weaklings and then still tries to act like she's tough shit. At least Natsu just doesn't have the common sense to know better."
"...You're actually concerned about her. You're just hiding it," Candice remarked, blinking.
"What the– NO! Hell no! I couldn't care less if she ended up getting her dumb ass killed!" Laxus shouted.
"You say that, but I see right through it. You're frustrated because you care. You hear her talk and she doesn't produce the results you think she can. You want better for her than she seems to want for herself," Candice said.
"How would you know?"
"Because my parents used to treat me the same way!" Candice said louder than she intended. "I… I didn't realize it growing up, but… I was a dumb kid. I got myself into a lot of trouble and it cost me a lot." She sighed. "But… I don't think Bambi's doing anything wrong."
Laxus didn't say anything for a bit. Neither did Candice. However, she was the one who eventually broke the silence.
"Strength is relative," she said.
Laxus looked at her confused. "...What?"
"Think about it, Fairy Tail is a blinding white light of a power vacuum across the country. Sure, maybe some of our weaker members seem weak to a guy like you, but are they weak compared to lesser guilds? Sure, maybe Wendy would get her ass kicked by Erza, Me, You, Bambi, Mira, or your grandfather in a straight up fight, but do you think she'd be so pathetic as to poorly represent us against, say, Dullahan Head? Or Twilight Ogre?"
"But we should be better than that!" Laxus retorted.
"That's…huh…" Laxus had to admit, he hadn't really thought about it like that.
"There's nothing wrong with being a small fish in a pond full of sharks as long as those sharks don't eat you, you get me?" Candice asked. "And if you don't take the time to nurture the minnows, they don't grow into sharks. Everyone was a weakling at some point, Laxus. Nobody's just born with talent and strength."
Laxus scratched his head. "Suppose you have a point there."
Candice pat him condescendingly on the back. "Of course I have a point. I'm much smarter than you."
Laxus growled, rolling his eyes. Candice laughed.
"You know, I never realized you care about this guild," Candice said to him. "Possibly even more than you give yourself credit for."
"The hell are you talking about?" Laxus asked her.
"I mean, if you really didn't care, you wouldn't be so observant of the details, like Natsu and Gray's bickering, or Cana's drinking habits. We're a little bit alike in that aspect. We both care about the people here, we just have a funny way of showing it. Difference is, unlike you, I don't walk around with a pole up my ass to hide it."
"Shut up, Candice," Laxus grumbled.
"Make me!" She returned.
Laxus said and did nothing.
"Yeah, that's what I thought, tough guy," Candice said and proceeded to crack open another can and swallow it down like it was a soda rather than a can of beer.
After putting it down, accompanied by a sigh of feeling refreshed, Laxus asked her, "So you never did answer me, why do you act the way you do? Or, rather…the sleeping thing. Candice, I'll be honest: you're smart, you're talented, and you're nowhere close to being a weakling. You could have any guy you wanted. So why do you…?"
Candice sighed and went into the kitchen. Instead of getting a six pack of beer, Laxus saw her come back with a large bottle of hard ale that she proceeded to chug until it was more than half-empty.
"Now, I'm drunk enough," she stated. She sat backwards on the bar stool. "When I was young, I made every anti-authority decision I could. My parents forced me to be this mousey little good girl and I wanted more for myself than that. I saw this movie where this girl basically let her hair down and did what she wanted all to just get a guy. And, well, I realized I wanted to be a girl like that. I wanted to have control. So, I said 'fuck everything' and became the girl I am today."
"Okay, follow you so far," Laxus said.
Candice sighed deeper. "The last guy I fell in love with… I… I ended up pushing him off a bridge." Tears appeared in her eyes. "It… It was an accident. I didn't mean to, but… he thought I was dead and… and I wasn't and the paramedics were there. It was a shitty situation and… and…" Candice withdrew into the trauma of the flashback, remembering every drop of rain, the very impact of her palm against Cameron's jacket. "I… I never got to say goodbye." She shut her eyes, tearing up, the alcohol compelling more tears than she intended.
Laxus awkwardly reached over and even more awkwardly dropped his hand on Candice's shoulder, rocking his palm back and forth across it, almost as if he was massaging it. When Candice looked at him, he wasn't making eye contact. And, although it was too dark for her to see properly, Candice had a suspicion that he was blushing.
Candice responded to this by putting the ale down on the table. She then stood up and drove her tongue into Laxus' face, trying to part it past his lips. He let her.
What is it about her… that I just can't seem to shake off? Laxus thought, gripping her shoulders.
As the moment passed, Candice said barely above a whisper. "So… back to your place, right?"
Laxus nodded. "Yeah."
By the time they made it to Laxus' house, the crisp night air had sobered the pair up a bit, enough that Candice had no qualms throwing her naked body onto Laxus' bed on her hands and knees, taunting him to come get her. And Laxus had no intention to refuse the bait.
Candice felt fortunate Laxus lived in a different district to Bambietta and Fairy Hills or she knew she would be getting an earful the next morning.
However, it was after the climactic high that the mood shifted, especially for Candice. She curled up to Laxus by his right shoulder, threading the fingers of her right hand with his left. I don't think… with him… it's skin-deep anymore, she thought, nuzzling her head against him.
Laxus was too tired to give the post-coitus afterglow much thought. It was when he woke up a little after dawn that left him surprised. Normally, both because of her hair and her refusal to get attached to anyone, Candice was never around in the morning. This morning though? She was still here. Warm. And she was making pleased noises as she adjusted her position in her sleep. Laxus could do naught else but reach up his right arm, pinned down by Candice's body and stroke the quincy's long green hair.
And it was that day that Candice Catnipp took her first day off ever from Fairy Tail.
The day after Candice's day off, it was business as usual with her swaggering into the guild hall like nothing happened the day prior. "Sup, bitches? Miss me?" she asked, in particular to her usual breakfast table.
"Where the hell have you been?" Bambietta asked. "Because the last time you disappeared from Fairy Tail, we had Juvia swaggering into the guild hall in such a fashion that Roxanne should have been playing in the background."
"I mean, I know you can keep up with Cana with drinking binges sometimes, but I didn't know one could knock you out for a whole day."
Candice stretched her arms above her head. "I had the best sex I've had in… fuck, I don't even know how long," she said.
"With who?" Bambietta asked. "Jenny Realight?"
"Oh no, it was with a guy," Candice said. "Anyway, my pockets are empty and I need cash. So, I'd love to stay and chat, but… yeah, I'm gonna be over by the job board. Lateeer!" Candice exclaimed and then arched her back like she was going under a limbo beam before walking for the board.
Jade looked more concerned than Candice's lifelong friends.
"I don't like that look," Bambietta said. "What's on your mind?"
"Well, the last time I saw Candice this… animated, it was… Yeah. It was never," Jade said.
"What's your point?" Bambietta asked.
"I traveled with her for more days than I care to count. I spent God knows how many nights in the room next to hers with a pillow over my head to drown out her moaning. I can tell you both right now, that she's used the 'best sex I've ever had' comment before, but she was not like this," Jade explained. "Was she ever like this to your knowledge?"
Bambietta and Liltotto both thought about this with pondering fingers upon their cheeks.
"She's in love," Lucy stated.
Bambietta burst out laughing. Then she looked at Lucy and started laughing even more, slapping her hand on the table repeatedly. Lucy looked highly annoyed, but that didn't stop Bambietta from carrying on. As she calmed down from her little escapade, she looked at Lucy and said, "You can't be serious."
Lucy folded her arms, giving Bambietta a very offended looking puffy face.
"Lucy, darling, listen. I know you consider yourself an expert on love because of all those… silly romance novels," Bambietta stated, choosing her words carefully, "But–"
"They're highly sophisticated reading material!" Levy and Lucy exclaimed simultaneously. The shock of this was enough to frazzle a strand of Bambietta's hair.
"My point," Bambietta said, getting back on track, "Is that while that makes sense for… well… basically everyone else in this guild hall, there is no way, not in a thousand years, that—"
Bambietta shut herself up when Laxus strolled into the guild hall. Always on guard, she immediately steeled her gaze and followed his movements, as though trying to give him the middle finger with her mind.
Following his movements, she watched Laxus go over to Candice and stop at the job board. "Your hair looks nice," he told her.
Bambietta watched one of her best friends blush. Heavily.
…What? Bambietta thought.
"Oh, um… you noticed?" Candice said, twirling the end of one lock with only her index finger. "You, um… never said anything before."
Laxus shoved his hands in his pockets. "It just looks especially nice today. What are you? The Stella Inquisition?" He then marched upstairs.
Oh. My. God. Bambietta could not believe what she was hearing nor seeing. She marched right up to Candice and grabbed her shoulder. "You. Me. Outside. Right now," she said in a very low pitch.
"Huh?" Candice was not given the chance to give consent as Bambietta dragged her outside by her shoulder, almost crushing it. She then pushed her out towards the lake.
"What the FUCK, Candice?" Bambietta asked, swinging her arms down in exasperation.
"Okay, a lot has happened in the past few days for me, so whatever this is about, you're going to have to be more specific," Candice said without a hint of sass. Unusual for her, though Bambietta failed to notice at that moment.
"You know damn well what this is about! Do I need to remind you that that asshole beat me black and blue and I would've been the one taking the day off yesterday if not for Wendy?! Also, I'm pretty sure if I didn't step in, he would've killed Gajeel! So there's that too!"
"Look, I know how it looks," Candice said, "But, like… give me a chance to explain."
"Candice, the first time you slept with him, it wasn't right off a freaking bloody fight that left me needing Wendy! And I'm pretty sure you were ranting yourself that same day about how much of an ass he was! I know your standards are low, but I didn't think they were so low you couldn't limbo under them!"
"I had a moment with him! I… We really connected two nights ago."
"Why did you even give him the time of day? He's an asshole! The guy only cares about himself!"
"No, he doesn't! He cares about everyone in this guild! More than you and most of the others give him credit for!"
"Oh spare me, Candi! The guy has a huge dick! That's the only reason you keep chasing after him like an abused housewife!"
"Go fuck yourself, Bambi! You don't hear me telling you how to run your love life."
"At least I have a love life! You have a one-night-stand life!"
"It's complicated, okay?" Candice exasperated.
"That's not an excuse! You saw what he did to me!" Bambietta exclaimed. "He'll do it again! That wasn't a standard Fairy Tail guild brawl. I could've had to go see Porlyusica without Wendy's immediate assistance!"
"I GOD DAMN FUCKING KNOW THAT!" Candice shouted so loud Bambietta temporarily lost the ability to form words. "Dammit! I know! I know what he did and I know what I did. If I said I'm sorry, it wouldn't mean anything." Candice pulled down on her hat. "Look… I was having a good morning okay. Can we just… forget about this?"
"No. No, we really can't," Bambietta said. "I'm… I'm really pissed at you."
"Then how's this then?" Candice asked as she gave Bambietta a stern look, meeting her gaze. "If he hurts you like that again, I'll beat the shit out of him myself and I'll never sleep with him again. I don't care how good he is in bed."
Bambietta narrowed her eyes before closing them and taking a deep breath. This whole situation was fucked. Darn it, Candi. "Alright. Fine. I'll take it."
Candice sighed. "Right. So, we're cool?" She offered Bambietta a fist bump.
The shorter quincy turned away with a huff, ignoring the offered fist. "I'm gonna need time to pass before I've actually forgiven you, but for the time being, I don't want to scream in uncontrolled rage," Bambietta remarked.
Candice ran her hand under Bambietta's hat and patted her on the head. "Eh, I'll take it. Later, bestie!" She then ran inside.
Can't stand her. Can't stand not having her around, Bambietta thought, sighing.
Inside, Bambietta sat back down at breakfast and Candice eventually joined the group. The table carried on with little words exchanged between bites of pancakes and eggs. However, things got weird again when Laxus came by, standing behind Candice, which put him in awfully close proximity to Bambietta.
Bambietta, for her part, decided to ignore Laxus out of respect for Candice. If I ignore him, maybe he won't say anything to me.
"Haven't you caused enough damage? What do you want?" Lucy asked him, getting snappy.
Laxus ignored Lucy and looked at Candice. "Hey! Um…"
"What? Am I so beautiful you can't talk straight this morning? I'm wearing extra perfume, you know."
Bambietta stewed, counting to ten.
"No! I mean, you do look… urgh! Never mind!" He then stormed off towards the bar, Candice laughing as she cut through her pancakes.
"You are impossible," Jade remarked. Candice merely flipped her off wordlessly.
"This is news to you, how?" Bambietta asked her.
Candice continued to eat and everyone sans Levy was no longer caring about the situation. Instead, the bookworm looked over to where Laxus seemed to be having an intense chat with Mirajane, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. It looked like they were having a very passive disagreement about something, but whatever was going on, Mira was smiling. Laxus looked disgruntled at worst, defensive more than anything.
Huh. That's not something you see everyday.
She then noticed Laxus march up the stairs to the second floor S-class exclusive job board. She could still see his spiky hair up over the half-wall. At the same time, she could see Mirajane doing something with the cash register, a smile still on her face.
Did he… pay for something?
Before Levy could get up from the table, Mira started skipping towards her table with her friends. Levy pretended to focus on her breakfast like she wasn't just spying on her and Laxus for the past couple minutes.
Humming, Mira placed what appeared to be a receipt onto Candice's spot at the table, making Levy even more curious.
"What's that for?" Bambietta asked, peering over to look at what was written in the tiny text on the paper.
Candice didn't answer her. Instead, her eyes widened briefly before she stuffed the receipt into her pocket and stormed up the stairs to talk to Laxus, only to find Laxus coming right down the stairs at that exact moment.
"Move, or I'll make you move," he told her.
Candice moved, or rather pivoted to latch onto Laxus' arm. "Oh, I was thinking less 'leaving you alone' and more 'you and me leaving alone.' Gotta be a pretty fun job, yeah?"
"Tch, whatever," Laxus said, seemingly unwilling to either force Candice off or talk her into leaving him alone. Either he recognized the futility in it, or just didn't want to waste the energy in accomplishing it. Regardless of the reason, the result was the same.
Bambietta had noticed what was going on now and she was staring at the pair in complete confusion. Candice was now humming and skipping similar to how Mirajane had been doing so when she passed by the table mere moments ago. And then, both lightning users left the guild hall.
Bambietta took a deep breath. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Lil, I'm going to have to consult your council because you're smarter than me. So, I'm going to have to ask you to kindly explain," she then sharply gestured with both her hands at the open door, "THE FUCK?!"
"I think she likes him," Liltotto remarked.
"No shit," Bambietta remarked. "She sleeps with him often enough."
"I mean actually likes him. Like Levy and Lucy were saying," Liltotto explained.
Bambietta nodded. "Hmm. Mmhmm. Hmmm." She then promptly poked her head beneath the table's edge.
"Um, do I want to know what you're doing?" Lucy asked.
"Looking for a wormhole to a parallel dimension I might have sat on when I sat down," Bambietta remarked from under the table.
"Um… why?" Lucy asked.
"Because– OW!" Bambietta slammed her head against the bottom of the table before surfacing, rubbing her head as she shouted. "BECAUSE NOTHING ABOUT THIS MAKES ANY SENSE!"
It was only now that Wendy was showing up, Carla in her arms, along with Rukia. "Awfully early in the morning for you to be yelling so loud, isn't it?" Carla asked her.
Bambietta clung to Rukia, crying the way any self-respecting drama queen would. "Kill meeeeeeee."
Rukia looked at the others in utter bafflement. "Dare I even ask?"
Juvia, who was nearby, answered for her. "It's so marvelous, Rukia. Candice finally found her own true love." Juvia's heart and eyes were practically singing for her friend.
"...What?" Rukia asked.
"Better stick to decaf this morning then," Jade remarked. "You're never going to believe this."
En route back from the job they took together, Laxus and Candice stopped into a general gift store of some kind. Candice's excuse was "I've never been through this area. Usually just kinda skate on ethernano everywhere like I'm speedrunning a game. Wanna pick something up for my friends before we head back, we got paid enough for it."
So, Laxus decided maybe he'd get a gift for each member of the Thunder Legion. However, while browsing some of the paintings on display, his head turned to gaze at the back of Candice's head. The quincy was currently flipping through the spines of several novels on a shelf.
"Strength is relative."
"If you didn't care, you wouldn't be so observant of the details."
Her words still reached him even now. He'd tried for the past two days to ignore it, but… they were bothering him. That whole night had been bothering him.
It was the alcohol! He kept telling himself. And yet, he couldn't explain his behavior this morning or the morning prior. He didn't know why he'd complimented her. He didn't know why he felt happy that she hadn't disappeared the morning prior. And he definitely didn't know why he bothered to pay for the beer and ale she stole!
And all these thoughts and actions… these irrationalities, were because this annoying, sex-crazed, haughty woman insisted on inserting herself into his life when he didn't ask for it.
He groaned. And despite the fact that she just kind of forced her way in, I can't bring myself to force her out. Just… look at her! Standing there in those tiny shorts, sticking out her butt. It's just asking for someone to swat it. Not to mention her chest. You'd think she got the wrong sized top on purpose just so she could show off. I bet she likes all the attention. Stupid… freaking…
Laxus had barely realized it when he'd crossed the room and tapped Candice on the shoulder. "Hey!" He basically barked at her.
"Huh?" Candice turned around, only to find Laxus's lips slamming into hers, taking her completely off guard. So off-guard, in fact, that she dropped the book she was holding.
He pulled away pretty quickly, but the almost literal shock of it all left her almost speechless. She giggled, blushing a little, kind of turned on. "And, heh heh, what was that for, exactly?"
"Dunno," Laxus said. "Just… felt like it."
"Oh, you felt like it, huh?" She marched straight into him, pushing her breasts into him. "Well, let me tell you what I feel like," she said, running a hand up his chest.
The shopkeeper angrily cleared his throat.
"Oh, cram it, you prude! We're paying customers," Candice said and turned around to put the book back on the shelf and continue browsing. She was only half-surprised when Laxus smacked her butt. She tensed up. Her face was in the shelf so he couldn't see her licking her lips. "You know, on second thought, maybe I'll save the gifts for tomorrow."
She had the cashier ring both of them up, though she still had more things to look at. The two couldn't get back to Laxus's room fast enough to release the tension.
Candice panted, laying on Laxus' bed, head on his arm, one of her arms over her chest. "Ohhhhhh fuck. That was amazing. Where'd all this come from? You're never this aggressive." Laxus turned over away from Candice, prompting her to sit up. "What? I say something dumb?"
"Not this time. I just… I'd… like it if there was more of this. I… I know you don't do the whole exclusive thing, but…" Laxus couldn't help but blush. "I just keep thinking how much I like… having you around."
Ecstatic, Candice hugged him from behind and purred into his ear. "Well, I ain't taking a second day off from work, but I'll tell you one thing: maybe next time I'll just drop by unannounced."
"Yeah," he said, turning back onto his back as he caressed her head. "You do that."
Candice closed her eyes and hummed contentedly, lying on top of Laxus. His hand naturally found its way onto her back. Eventually, Candice half-opened her eyes, her smile drooping a bit.
"Hey, Laxus."
"Yeah?"
"Don't hurt my friends again, okay? I'll never forgive you if you do," Candice said.
"Never?"
"Never," she stressed. "I promised Bambi. And… she's my best friend. I already betrayed her confidence once. I'd never forgive myself if I did it again."
Laxus lay there in silence for a few, tense moments. Candice almost started to worry before…
"Okay."
"Hmm?"
"Okay. I said okay. I won't do it. I'm not gonna hurt your friends again," he told her.
Candice cuddled up to Laxus a little more, the right half of her chest, pressing into his. She sighed. "I knew you'd understand." She stroked his cheek as exhaustion took hold of her. "You're not nearly as much of a jerk… as people say." She then let herself drift asleep.
Laxus took a deep breath. Then he hugged Candice closer. He may not have understood exactly how he felt about her, but he did know he didn't want to upset her. Thank you, Candi, he thought, holding one of her hands. Thank you for seeing me for who I am.
Emberella hadn't expected today to have been anything of particular note. It was supposed to have simply been one of the few days she needed to wait till the Harvest Festival arrived. After all, if she was to prepare her spell to properly control and manipulate all of Fairy Tail, then she may as well have waited a few more days for as many of its members to arrive at the guild as possible.
Yet, as she had woken up in the early hours of the morning in the apartment complex she had rented out, Laxus had suddenly opened the door on her before he made a bold declaration to her.
"Excuse me, what did you just say?" Emberella said with incredulity.
"I said I'm calling it off, we're not doing the Battle of Fairy Tail anymore," Laxus repeated. "So go ahead and call off the deal with that Los Noches guild and all the others you got under your thumb."
"You… You can't be serious," Emberella responded as she tried to maintain her composure. "Laxus, we've been planning this for months! I thought you and I agreed that your grandfather was no longer fit to be guild master. You should be the one to–"
"Oh, I'm not disagreeing with any of that. I'm still going to replace the old man some day," Laxus interrupted her. "But not like that. I've come to realize the whole thing was a mistake. So, out of respect for our partnership thus far, I'm going to give you twenty four hours to get the hell out of town before I turn you over to the Magic Council. It's more than you deserve."
"L-Let's be reasonable here, Laxus," Emberella responded fearfully. This was exactly what she had feared this entire time. Up until now, her control had only been slight, enough to make the grandson of Makarov much more open to suggestions that he otherwise would have outright rejected, such as the use of dark guilds to bolster up their ranks. She hadn't pushed more out of fear that he would take notice and rebel against her…
And now that very same fear was playing out right before her eyes.
"If I was being reasonable, I'd have already turned you in," Laxus told her before he turned around. "So, if I see you around by tomorrow, I'll be sure to fry you to a crisp before I call the Rune Knights."
Emberella grit her teeth as she glared. "You dare to threaten me, Laxus?" She spat out under her breath. "I think you'll come to regret that decision."
However, despite her own words, she knew things had gone from bad to worse. While she was a powerful mage in her own right, enough so that she was certain Makarov would have nominated her for S-class had she decided to flaunt her true power, she knew that a clash with Laxus would no doubt result in her own defeat. It appears then that I'll have no other choice than to push my luck.
Just as Laxus went to reach for the door handle did the lightning mage suddenly grab his head as he groaned out in pain before the groan transformed into a loud scream as an excruciating pain shot through his skull. He fell to one knee a mess as Emberella slowly waltzed over to him, the S-class mage panting as he slowly turned to face her. "You! What did you–" Before he could even finish speaking, however, did he end up falling to his side, the pain seeming to intensify to levels he never thought possible.
"I didn't want to do this, you know. Mental Manipulation Magic requires a bit more of a subtle touch. The slightest misstep will either reveal your hand to your target too early or shatter the target's mind to the point they'll become next to useless. Up until now, I've restrained myself to keeping only a slight hold on your mind." Emberella told Laxus with a sneer. "But, fortunately for me, it seems that all the time I've spent inside of your head has allowed me to opt for a… more forward approach, we'll say."
"How… How long!?" Laxus barely managed to get out as he writhed in pain on the floor.
Emberella's smile only increased further as she glanced down at him. "How long? Why, Laxus, dear… I've had my hold on you since the very beginning."
Realizing the situation for what it was, Laxus tried to fire off a bolt of lightning at Emberella, but her hold on his mind was simply too great. His body simply wouldn't obey. His face contorted with anger, fear, and sadness as he felt his consciousness slowly begin to slip. Even the pain began to recede until the young man felt nothing, nothing at all. He could not even tell if his last words had been spoken or not.
"Candice… I'm sorry…"
With that, the world went dark for Laxus as Emberella sat down on her bed before she let out a sigh of relief.
"That… was too close." She admitted to herself as she looked down at the unconscious mage. "But I suppose that's what will happen when one has to increase their control of someone's mind to such an extent." Fortunately for her, no more effort seemed to be required. After all, The Battle of Fairy Tail was his idea to begin with. All she had to do now was simply implant mental suggestions to reignite his desire to follow along with the plan. He might lose a few days' worth of memory thanks to the mental shock, but that was a small price to pay.
However, something had caught her attention during the last throes of his defiance. A name, one that had already given her trouble in the past, thanks to her friendship with her daughter.
"Candice Catnipp. You and your fellow quincies have been a thorn in the Balam Alliance's side for far too long. But… I think I'll have the perfect way to deal with you, along with those other new mysterious members." Emberella glanced down at the unconscious Laxus with a predatory gleam.
"All thanks to you."
Oh Candice, you were so, so, soooooo close to putting an end to this nonsense before it had a chance to take off, but it seems Emberella refuses to let things die down so easily.
Things are going to get very interesting in the next chapter, of that I promise you. Why is that? Well….I don't want to spoil the surprise but suffice to say, I think it'll grab your attention.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Till next time!
