"These are vile accusations, even more so without any sort of proof."
"You nearly killed them!"
After getting the authorities involved, Ivan was present with his team after being caught waltzing around Crocus, willing to show cooperativeness despite the obvious hostility Fairy Tail had towards them, playing the fools who only wanted to have a good time at the event. Makarov, Pandora, Laxus, and the Raijin Tribe were there to confront them with some officers. His dismisses had reached a point with Pandora to the point where she finally just screamed at him angrily. Someone commend her for not socking the man in the face in the five minutes they were arguing. If it weren't for the table between the two parties, then she might have reacted instinctively.
"Dear Pandora, you are being quite unreasonable with these accusations." Ivan spoke, his tone sounding as if trying to talk some sense into her. His little minions were quietly laughing at her, making her fists shake under the table.
But that was the plain truth.
Even though it supposedly happened in a public area, there were somehow no witnesses. Not even a single person. Not a single passerby. Perhaps Ivan arranged it to make it look like so?
Makarov, deeply displeased, had his arms crossed as he glared at his flesh and blood. Ivan returned it with a haughty smirk. They weren't going to get anywhere fast. He wasn't going to get the justice they deserved. Even the officers looked severely unimpressed. Damn.
"You've always been protective of your little siblings." Ivan pointed out, remembering vividly how a young Pandora would always have Van and Karissa's backs. Such a unique girl with the strong conviction to make sure her siblings followed the right path under her protection, an almost perfect example of assuming responsibility. "But you need to stop being so biased when they tell you something so far-fetched. Be open-minded to the possibility that I am not the enemy you are making me out to be. It's making you look like a fool."
The sudden movement Pandora made when she shot up from her seat shifted the table between them. But Laxus was quick to latch on her arm and keep her in place. The anger on her face dialed down a little when she realized what he did. She was this close to planting a foot on the table to lunge at the man. Laxus knew what his father was doing, trying to risk their disqualification by having Pandora show a concrete proof of another team trying to sabotage another.
"Calm down." Laxus whispered sharply, forcefully having her calm her mind the more his grip tightened around her arm, letting her know that what she was doing was wrong, she was falling into Ivan's trap. But he was here to keep her from falling. He was here.
A plan foiled. And yet not quite disappointing. Ivan smiled with intrigue. He took this as a sign that Laxus had some respect for him. As he should since they are blood kin. What conceited thinking.
Unfortunately, Raven Tail, in the end, was found innocent.
And Fairy Tail received a warning for trying to stir trouble.
A hand softly patted her head as she ate her food. Currently, Max, Erza, Lucy, Gray, Carla, and Wendy were in the room after the news traveled. Porlyusica, tired of human presence, went out to get some air after warning Karissa not to leave her bed like a fool and wander off. True to his word, Gray woke her up after Max dropped by to check on her. He was quick to run off and get her something to eat (with her own money that he tucked away in his wallet a few hours ago).
Sleepy and sad (slad?), she was eating this very nutritious soup. Gray snatched the last one after seeing the ingredients in them. Thick noodles in a soup that was mixed with egg, sliced carrots, broccoli, pieces of chicken, and some shredded cabbage.
When she sighed tiredly, Max reached over to stroke her head as if it would encourage her to finish her food. Oddly enough, it kind of did since she always brought her fork back to her mouth. Gray found it almost amusing since it sort of looked like some conditioning at this point. She was barely paying attention when they discussed Natsu's absence. It was something about him going after Yukino after she visited them.
Unfortunately, that celestial mage got kicked out of her guild after losing against Kagura from Mermaid Heel. That said enough about Sabertooth in her book. Sting and Lector spoke oh-so proudly about their guild… Maybe her guild was special enough to treat their comrades like family, but perhaps Sabertooth was taking things too seriously. If she learned the atmosphere was like that… she'd rather go freelance.
"I just hope he didn't get lost." Karissa mumbled. "Meh, he's got his sense of smell so maybe he can find his way back. He'll probably come back like a dog, pawing at the door or something…" she added more muttered ramblings. Wendy could hear the exaggerated worst case scenarios she started listing down, making her sweat drop with a light chuckle. Seeing her mumbling and not eating, Max prodded his knuckle against the cheek, reminding her to finish her food since she had a little left.
"Lay off." Karissa gently bunted her forehead against his hand since it was too much effort to make quick movements with her own. Gray picked up her bottled water and handed it to her when he saw her reach for it. Lucy and Erza watched for any signs of discomfort. They could tell simply moving was difficult to do in her state.
With Wendy being the reserve member of their team, it was obvious that the girl was going to have to take her place in the games until she recovered.
Karissa looked over to Wendy with a sheepish smile. "Sorry to bother you, Wendy…" As much as she felt upset about being forced to step away, she couldn't help but feel guilty for suddenly thrusting Wendy into the spotlight.
The young mage quickly shook her head. "No, no, no, Karissa-san! It's fine!" She held up her fists in a show of determination, her eyes held the same power. "I'm honoured to be able to fight for our guild, even if it's for a little bit!"
Wendy showed more enthusiasm than she ever did when it came to participating in the Games.
Maybe someone like her should have been participating from the very beginning?
Karissa chuckled a little and tipped her head. "Are you getting…. a little excited to finally put your training to good use?"
Hearing her read her out loud, the others looked at Wendy who blinked in surprise and then smiled sheepishly in her turn before nodding softly. "Yes."
The day at the bench when they sat together, talking about their training (Karissa's being more secretive than Wendy's) came back to them, bringing subtle smiles to their lips.
"I hope I get to see what you've been cooking up, Wendy." Karissa waved her fork lazily. Maybe she could sneak off IF she felt good enough to move around. It wouldn't hurt, right?
"Me too." Wendy responded. "I hope you'll make a swift recovery and show us what you've been doing. I'm very curious to see the result of your training!" As mentioned by Jason, she knew Karissa was a flexible mage, someone who could be relied on. Wendy, personally, felt a little connected to Karissa since she was almost like her in a way. She heard the way Cana spoke about her when it came to the past. She still retained some of her timidity, but still did her best despite it all. And she had seen some glimpses of it as well.
And when she would stare at her back from behind, it somewhat inspired her to step up her game since there was no veritable reason why she couldn't be just as great with her magic. She wasn't going to stay the timid unconfident girl that walked into the villa for the coalition. She was already leaving that image behind, growing into a prouder mage of Fairy Tail.
"What exactly have you been doing?" Gray decided to ask. It wasn't hard to miss the way she would vanish from the group when they trained at the beach.
Karissa gave him a side eye. "As if I would tell you. I like to keep my cards secret, thank you."
Max scoffed. "Says the girl who basically showed off her fuel to the entire country."
"That's different."
"It's really not." Carla piped up.
"It's called making a point."
"Showing off." Gray said flatly.
"Whatever."
Lucy was glad she didn't look too sad about the whole ordeal. She still had it in her to make light of the situation to make things lessen depressing. No point in it anyway since it wasn't permanent. They all had faith in Porlyusica, the two of them would be back up on their feet in no time.
The next day, Karissa was feeling much better compared to last night. In fact, Porlyusica was actually surprised at her speeding recovery. She was getting better than Van in a surprising amount of time. Van was actually at that stage where he was still too weak and sore to do any sudden or effort-needing movements. Karissa was regaining some strength in her limbs, her face also looking much healthier than last time, but you could still see the fatigue on her face.
Currently, Karissa was in the infirmary room on the Fairy Tail wing of the coliseum. Master Makarov was able to transfer her and her brother to the infirmary so that everyone to check on them when they needed to. It was much better than leaving them both unattended. The human-hating lady was busying herself by concocting some special solution to help boost their magic recovery. It was taking her a while to find a proper one, leaving Karissa to hear the announcers talk about the event.
Van could have been awake and hearing it all…
But he chose to go right back into dreamland after waking up, not in the mood for anything else.
…
…
…
Deprived of any stimulation, Karissa's eyes fixed on the ceiling above her while listening to the crowd cheer, marking the beginning of the new day for the games. At least she would be able to hear what was going on… sort of. Maybe she could request a lacrima vision in the room? That might be an impossible plan with Porlyusica breathing down her neck. Nah… maybe she'd just look at her with that 'go-ahead-and-see-what-happens' look. Reverse psychology at its finest.
Shuffling and light groaning made her ears perk up. Her head rolled to look at Van. He was already pushing himself up into a sitting position. He was doing much better compared to when she first woke up since Porlyusica kept drowning his throat in that concoction whenever it was time.
"Van." Karissa was already pushing off the blankets, getting ready to get out of bed to personally see to him.
Upon hearing her voice, his head perked up to look at her properly. He didn't realize she was in the same room until he heard her voice. The memories of last night hit him like a brick, forcing him to recall the injury she suffered when she fell. That activated his motor to move and get out of bed, ignoring his sister's protests when she saw him grimace when he moved his body so fast, still sore from the effects. He seated himself on side of her bed and pulled her into him with a sigh of relief.
Karissa blinked when she felt him cradle her head into his shoulder. She took a moment before deciding to shift her head to try and see his expression.
"Van?"
"I'm glad you're okay."
"… Are you okay?"
"Nothing I can't handle." He replied after pausing to register how he felt in his brain. He pulled away from her and gently held her face to take a look at the injury she had.
Seriously, Porlyusica did wonders with her healing techniques.
It was already healing quite nicely, needing only a patch over it instead of that noticeable bandage wrapped around her head.
Van felt his body relax when she gave him a summary of what happened while he was off sleeping. He was a little miffed at the fact that Fairy Tail received a goddamn warning instead of justice… but if there was no proof… then what could they do?
Honestly, all that really mattered to him was that his little sister was safe.
Karissa became a bit flustered when her brother pressed a swift kiss on her temple before smiling and patting her head. "I don't care about that. As long as you're okay, that's all that matters."
"Really? I thought you'd be angry. You'd want payback, no?"
He booped her nose. "But you're okay. That's the thing I care about the most."
And that was the most honest truth.
What else should matter?
After getting lectured by Porlyusica, Van resigned himself to bedrest and decided to fall asleep once more. Supporting the idea that he would feel like a champ the next time he woke up. He basically wanted time to pass faster. Porlyusica couldn't agree more mostly because she just wanted less trouble to deal with as possible.
Pandemonium was already finished.
And she was so upset she couldn't see Cana use the trick she spoke of at the bar last time.
That's why, when it was announced that Laxus was fighting Raven Tail, she didn't even waste time to get out of bed and eagerly ran out, with much difficulty, while Porlyusica went to get herself something to eat from the pantry. She made as little noise as she possibly could when she kept in mind the sleeping beauty in that room. She was only dressed in a blue t-shirt, gray slim fit pants, and some black slip on shoes. She was this close to grabbing her blanket and running off with a cape just to cover her exposed skin. But it wouldn't be a good idea to dirty it.
"Karissa?! What the— oi! Where are you going?!"
Oh right, Elfman was also stationed outside the room. Forgot about that part.
"I'm gonna watch Laxus fight! Keep up the good work!"
"Get your ass back here!"
Whoops, she could hear Elfman stomping after her now!
For some reason, she couldn't help the giddy grin when she ran off. It was just fun to sneak off like this.
Or maybe it was the thrill of being chased?
"Geh!"
Elfman effortlessly scooped her up by grabbing the back of her shirt and holding her up from the ground. Unimpressed, he turned her around and found her pouting lightly in response.
"You're assigned to bedrest, idiot. Why are you running around?!"
"You think I'm going to miss out on Laxus beating the shit out of some Clown Tail? I don't think so. They didn't install lacrima vision in that room. Lemme go."
"No. You're going back."
"You're taking this too seriously, Elfman."
The bigger mage deadpanned. "And you're taking this too lightly!"
The moment he took one step to turn back, she grabbed his nose, pulling out a squawk-like sound from him, a moment of weakness. Easily, she slipped out and landed on her feet. With a chuckle, she took a few steps away while he recovered.
"Karissa." His tone came with a warning.
"Just let me watch, I'll head back after. If you want, tag along. I just want to see Laxus fight. It's not like that fight will take ten minutes. It'll be over in two, anyway."
"I don't want Gray, Pandora, and or Laxus coming after my ass if something happens to you."
"Yeah… your ass might be grass if something does."
"Then let's go back!"
"Nope. I just want to see that two-minute beatdown."
It was clear to Elfman that this girl really wasn't going to head back. He didn't want to be forceful either out of concern for her. But she did have a point… someone like Laxus could end the fight within two minutes… And he did want to watch the fight… Oh, the crossroads he was at.
"FINE! TWO MINUTES! THAT'S IT!"
…
…
…
The crowd cheering for the next fight brought her motivation to find the closest staircase that could bring her to the closest open space where she could finally see what was happening.
Why was she so eager to see this fight?
Because she wanted to see Laxus embarrass a Raven Tail member for ever thinking they could fuck with them and get away with it.
A publicly authorized fight couldn't get them another warning.
She breathed out a sigh of relief mixed with a pant when she finally found a good spot to peek down from. Behind her, Elfman peeked over her form to look down. However, what she saw went against her expectations. It wiped the grin off her face. The lacrima vision gave her a better view of Laxus and the member he was fighting against.
Laxus was getting thrashed and cut up by that member.
One of the strongest people she knew was easily getting beat up in front of everyone.
Instantly, her eyes darkened. She didn't buy that for a second. She was supposed to believe Laxus couldn't do a single thing to avoid or block an attack from a lowly Raven Tail member? Then maybe the person she saw and fought with against Master Hades was a damn illusion!
Are you shitting me? That guy doesn't even hold a candle to Hades! Hades was faster and much stronger than that fucking goblin!
He could easily evade those attacks with his lightning. He could move super fast with it! But she couldn't even see a spark of lightning coming from Laxus.
Her hand that was placed on a wall began to tightly clench it.
Fucking Raven Tail!
She had seen too much foul play from them.
This was another trick of theirs to cheat and humiliate them!
…
…
…
Pandora quietly observed the fight with a scrutinizing eye. From what she could tell, it looked like Laxus was just a punching bag for that Alexei. He didn't land the first blow… nor did he try to evade it. That was something out of character for him. It didn't even look like Alexei was that fast to begin with. Hell, she could move faster than him with her magic.
With quiet ire, she directed her attention to the Raven Tail members that were watching the fight. They just stood there with amused and eager expressions while still looking rather stiff compared to the first days.
She wasn't stupid enough to ignore Raven Tail during the games. She occasionally had her eyes on them and tried to make out some distinctive traits for precaution. From what she could tell, every time Fairy Tail went up against them in any way, they were on the losing side. But when it was against another guild, Lamia Scale, they lost indisputably.
So, wasn't it plausible to believe this was another form of their tricks against them?
…
…
…
"Where is Lumen Histoire?! Where is it?! Tell me now, Laxus! You're my son, right?!"
Laxus silently glared at his father who relentlessly attacked him with his magic. However, Laxus was using his own to protect himself, lessening the damage to mere cuts. His father was really out here, desperate for knowledge, and willing to harm his own son. But he didn't even have the knowledge his father thought he had. And as if he was going to talk if he did have it. Laxus made that apparent when he met his father's eyes with nothing but unwavering loyalty.
Blood boiling with anger and impatience, Ivan roared as he increased his attacks.
"Obra, eliminate his magic! Now!" Without delay, the member that looked akin to a scarecrow in a big cloak surged forward.
That stupid scarecrow lifted its arms.
Flashes of Karissa and Van's lifeless-looking faces and the complete distraught on Pandora's had him lunging towards the one responsible. He didn't stop there. He went up to every single member that was involved in humiliating and hurting his comrades, leaving his father for last. It was only fitting that the king of these cretins watched his pawns fall first. It made him look smaller with that grand confidence gone.
His team of elites created to counter Fairy Tail was single-handedly defeated by his own flesh and blood.
He was too conceited.
"I don't know what you're after, and I don't care. But I am going to get payback for the friends you hurt!"
Ivan gritted his teeth as his son approached him calmly, his body flickering with lightning. "I did you a favor and left that girl alone! We're still family, after all! And you would still raise your fist against your own father?!"
In a flash of light, Laxus grabbed the front of his father's cloak before he could ramble on anymore. "It doesn't matter what kind of favor you did. My family is Fairy Tail!" He spat, tightening his grip as he looked him dead in the eye. Ivan's eyes widened in shock when he felt himself get tossed over Laxus' shoulder before getting thrown into the ground with a harsh impact of lightning, causing a cloud of dust to kick up in the air.
The image of Laxus getting trashed suddenly faded away to reveal a new sight. The selected members of Raven Tail were sprawled on the floor, defeated. And in the center, the cloud of smoke began to clear away to show a defeated Ivan on the ground while Laxus straightened up with sparks of lightning flashing around his body. Gasps of awe and shock were echoing all around the coliseum while all lacrima visions displayed Laxus staring down at his father with his hand still gripping his cloak.
"But… just what… went on here?! The guild master! Alexei was really Master Ivan!"
"So the Laxus versus Alexei match we were just watching was just an illusion?! And the one left standing is Laxus! The match is over!"
With a scoff, Karissa deadpanned at the members lying on the ground. "Surprise, surprise. None of it here."
"Hah! It looks like he got to take revenge on our enemies for us! What a man!" Elfman guffawed.
"And while we weren't looking, Laxus took a five-on-one attack…"
Ivan weakly looked up at Laxus. His movement made the lacrima visions display his face as if to expose him even further. "Not only that, but an all-out fight against the Master himself. No matter how you look at it, this is an egregious breach of the rules."
Clavis apathetically looked at the members sprawled everywhere.
Pathetic.
"Well the one thing that isn't in doubt is the winner… Laxus of Fairy Tail B!"
As the crowd erupted in cheers for his undisputable victory, Ivan struggled to push himself up. As if lending him a hand, Laxus tugged him high enough so that his father could hear him. Ivan recoiled a little as his son stared him down.
"If you lay another finger on them… if you go near her again… if you even make her upset again… I will not stop until you are nothing but dust. We clear?"
Ivan begrudgingly looked away from those orange eyes that promised a threat if he acted out of line again. It was one thing to hurt one. But to hurt the other and scare her so much was another thing. Those two acts were enough to royally piss him off. So, why the hell would Ivan think that he could get in Laxus' good graces like that?
Laxus to released him, letting him drop on the ground before turning away from his father to leave the arena, not willing to spend any more energy on his fool of a father.
In Fairy Tail B's area, Pandora was watching Laxus retreat from the arena.
After failing to get justice due to the lack of proof, Fairy Tail was forced to back down after receiving a warning. Raven Tail was there first to take their leave, followed by Pandora who angrily stormed off somewhere— anywhere that wasn't there. Evergreen sighed audibly, annoyed with the whole situation. Freed made a move to go after Pandora lest she tried doing something reckless, but Laxus swiftly got up from his chair and placed a hand on Freed's shoulder to make him back down.
She didn't go far.
He knew because he could her muttered curses.
He looked up and found her going up a long staircase. The view from up there most likely gave a nice view of the garden bathing underneath the moonlight. With a sigh, he followed after her, keeping an eye her long black hair that looked silvery white underneath the moon.
He found Pandora holding the stone rail with her head down, shaking it lightly, making the front of her hair sway. He breathed through his nose and didn't say anything as he stepped closer to her. She was most likely caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realize he was nearby until he leaned his elbows on the rail.
"You going to scream at the moon?"
She didn't bother entertaining him with a response. Instead, she just bit her lip and breathed audibly through her nose.
"What's on your mind?"
"Raven Tail." She seethed. "Those jerks… they get away with nearly killing Van and Karissa. I can't believe they get to just walk away without paying for it." She slapped her palm on the stone angrily, her ire slowly spilling out of the container she tried sealing. "They can't. They can't get away with something like that!" Her voice came out as a whisper. "It's unforgivable!"
She didn't care about the justice.
She didn't care about the punishment.
She just wanted them to be safe.
With Raven Tail walking scot-free it was hard to guarantee that.
Was that so much to ask?
Laxus took her hand away from the rail when she started rubbing her palm against the rough surface as if trying to rub off her anger. There was no point in hurting herself over it. He did need those hands of hers to start dragging her nails too. Her anxious dark brown eyes met his orange ones when he pulled her away from what felt like an isolated world filled with worry.
His bigger hand entirely covered her smaller one, wrapping it in a safe warmth.
"They'll be safe. It's not going to happen again."
"But how can you be so sure? They can—"
"Sneak into the room and do it again? I don't think so. I sleep in that room and so do you."
They'd probably have to rent another room for other members to sleep in for a while. He wasn't moving out of that room anytime soon.
"But… they didn't believe us when we told them! We can't retaliate like recklessly either because of these stupid games!" Honestly, she would rather sabotage their chances at winning if it meant she could give Raven Tail a crystal clear message to not mess with her family again.
"It doesn't matter if we can't. They'll still get paid for what they did."
"But—"
"That's the third time I'm hearing that word. Enough." Laxus said without missing a beat. Pandora slouched a little and chose to direct her attention towards the flowers in the garden. "You're worried and pissed, I get it. I am, too. As I said, they won't be alone. You won't be alone. I'll be there to keep them safe. We'll all be there."
Slowly, she turned to look back at him with a pensive thought. Laxus does his part to calm the last of her nerves by poking the lines between her brows. For a second, she went rigid, but visibly softened at the gesture. The lines faded subtly.
"Trust in us."
She wasn't alone in looking after them.
"I do."
She was just so agitated.
And Laxus understood that.
With a sigh, she closed her eyes and tipped her head slightly as if to bask in the calm moonlight, finally calming down all of her nerves for good. The wordless yielding translated in the way she placed her other hand on his.
"Good girl."
…
…
…
Pandora played with her fingers.
Her eyes remained fixated on Laxus until he was completely out of sight.
…
…
…
Since Raven Tail was escorted out of the coliseum, and booted out of the games, Karissa was able to convince Elfman that he could return to guarding Van instead of her since the threat was gone. His ass wouldn't be any type of grass. This was because she learned that Wendy's fight was next. She wanted to watch hers too. But she had to move around to find a better spot with a perfect view of both lacrima vision and the arena.
That was the first time she got to see Wendy fight like this.
And that was the first time she saw God Slaying Magic.
She might have heard a bit about it from Natsu, because there was someone in Grimoire Heart that used that kind of magic.
Magic created to slay a God.
… It seemed relatively normal.
Nothing too out of the ordinary…
It just made her wonder if that kind of magic truly was capable of slaying a God.
But anyway, it was a great match. Both put their whole heart into that fight for the sake of their guild.
Karissa watched Sherria heal Wendy on the lacrima visions. They both wore beaming smiles for each other. That became Karissa's cue to return to the infirmary lest she was spotted by anyone from her guild. They would most likely start scolding her. She didn't need to deal with that when she knew Porlyusica had one waiting for her.
With a heavy sigh, she pushed herself off the pillar she was leaning against and decided to take the long way. She was just taking another set of stairs for the hell of it. It shouldn't be too bad since the Grand Magic Games was wrapping up the day with some speech. She could already see some audience members leaving since they weren't interested in hearing the final words of the day. She could hear the little pumpkin praising the young girls for fighting so hard for their guild.
As Karissa passed by one of the embrasures, she did an absent mind glance out of it. Her eyes were quick to meet a pair of black eyes that were kind of half-lidded. Familiar eyes. Familiar eyes belonging to a non-human.
Instantly, she looked away and speedily walked away.
Great. I walked right past Sabertooth's team! The hell.
That's what I get for getting adventurous!
"It's Miss-Liar!"
She would have laughed if she didn't bolt away down the steps with racing curses in her mind. But before she could make it down the steps completely, she saw someone in her peripheral just kick off the side of the wall next to her and land at the bottom of the steps, effectively ripping a frightened yelp from her throat. Like ripping off a band-aid, that yelp was quick. The first thing she saw was the top of blond hair from the figure straightening up before piercing dark blue eyes met her dark brown ones. Her hands were up to her chest in a protective-like manner after she caught herself from falling on her ass.
"Oops. Didn't mean to scare you." His tone sounded amused. "Why in such a rush to leave, Robin? You didn't even say hello."
Sting Eucliffe.
He was scrutinizing her with those eyes of his. Self-conscious, she averted her eyes away and calmly walked around the taller mage whose eyes followed her. "I'm uh, technically supposed to be in bed resting." She said curtly, indirectly telling him that she didn't have time to lag around.
Now that it's come to this, she felt so incredibly awkward, especially in her current state. She should be wearing a hoodie to hide her face or some long sleeves to hide more of herself.
"Who is? Robin? Or Karissa Sinclost?"
Karissa stopped and looked over her shoulder to see Sting casually following after her. Sting quirked a brow and lifted one hand to gesticulate. "Come on. Don't tell me you thought I wouldn't know it was you."
It's not like I was trying to.
Do I look like Jellal to you?
"… Not like I was trying to hide my face."
Okay. So maybe there was no point in getting all excited about his reaction if she was freaking timid in the first place!
"You really had me fooled that day, I admit. Why lie if it was going to get exposed in the first place?" Sting kept up with her pace, following after her smaller figure. He didn't have an interest in hearing the closing speech for the day. This might as well be his last form of entertainment for the day. "Were you mocking us?"
He was echoing some words that Lector said when they learned her true identity. The little maroon cat was always proud of the Twin Dragon Slayers, especially his buddy Sting, so of course he jumped at the chance to boast about him when the opportunity presented itself. However, after discovering Robin's true identity, it made him feel like a fool for falling for her act so easily.
"Uh, mocking? How could I when I didn't even know what Sabertooth was? That wasn't a lie." Karissa lazily rounded a corner, words being carried by a nonchalant tone to relax. "Just came out of stasis, remember?"
She had a point.
"That still doesn't answer my question."
Karissa sighed once more and stopped in her tracks. Sting came to a halt, startled by how quickly she paused in place. She turned her body enough to look at his face. "Fairy Tail went missing. Fairy Tail is crappy. And if I remember correctly, our return wasn't published until after I met you. Why did I lie? Yajima basically told the world why: I don't like the spotlight. I don't like too much attention. My last name has enough attention, and Fairy Tail just adds more to it…"
Sting looked severely unimpressed. "Didn't look like that yesterday."
She didn't want the attention for either one. It made him think of when she first stepped into the arena of the coliseum for her fight. Most people would have their eyes forward or up at the crowd, but she kept her gaze down with her hair covering her face until she made it halfway, like as if to avoid the attention. The dislike for attention and yet the fact that she was participating was so contradicting.
"Believe it or not, I get shy." She said. As if on cue, she unconsciously crossed her arms in an attempt to hide the skin of her arms from their eyes. She felt uncomfortable being exposed to this degree. The way she averted her eyes and moved her head enough for her bangs to cast a shadow over her eye only added some credit to her claim. "I just wanted to get a bagel with salmon in Hargeon. I just happen to bump into Frosch after a guy tried stealing my wallet. It's not like I was totally lying… I really wanted to know the current world… And I just exaggerated my interest a little. But, sorry I lied anyway." She took a step back and lowered her arms.
Sting huffed, crossing his arms, leaning closer when she tried moving away from him, surprising her. "So, basically, you used me, us, as a newspaper. Nice."
"I mean… yeah. It was nice learning about Sabertooth though. I thought it was cool you were a core member. I just didn't really care about that last part about being eager to watch you." She awkwardly gave a thumbs up with a sheepish smile when she looked at Sting again before slowly inching away to leave.
He deadpanned at her honesty.
My god… this is so damn awkward now.
Look, it's not my fault you ate it all up when I acted interested!
There's something out there called being humble!
From the moment he caught her staring at his guild mark, he knew there was something strange about her. The type of instinctive feeling you get without having a concrete explanation for it. And just hearing about how she supposedly hailed from Aurora had him curious about who she really was since it wasn't often Fiore had visitors from that land. He should have doubted her a little. But the excitement of proving his strength to a foreigner must have gotten to his head.
"Well, I don't care that much about your lie as Robin Sharfwilde from Aurora. She doesn't exist, so whatever." Sting shook his head. He could feel his earring swaying a little. He was perhaps just a little disappointed for personal reasons, but it wasn't the end of the world. He was still getting the opportunity to prove himself if he fought Natsu. That was the most important thing to him now.
However, a small part of him couldn't help but want to prove himself to Karissa Sinclost, someone who admitted she didn't quite have an interest in him in contrary to what she made him believe. It was that ego of his.
"How about we start all over again, then?" Sting smiled innocently, putting his hand out to her. "Sting Eucliffe from Sabertooth."
Karissa eyed his hand curiously before looking into his eyes. Oh. He wanted a handshake? Um. Okay? Weird. But, okay. A little nervous, she went to shake his hand. "… Karissa Sinclost… from Fairy Tail."
Tug.
He pulled her closer from their joined hands and smirked at her while she looked surprised. He cast a light shadow over her. He found it a little comical the way her quiet flustered surprise reflected clearly on her face. She just froze like a deer in headlights.
"I'll admit I didn't give the greatest performance back there. But I'm sure you'll find me pretty interesting before the end of the Grand Magic Games." He sounded so sure of himself.
He wanted to prove her wrong. He wanted to impress her. He found her lack of interest challenging.
It was her fault.
Uhhhhh…
Karissa sapped her strength from her hand and made a move to tug away. Sting just chuckled and released her, allowing her freedom to step away from him. She was a little flustered that he caught her off guard like that. Who wouldn't be?! He smoothly just tugged her over, making her feel like he just tugged a blanket.
"Why single me out?" She pouted.
"I guess I'm interested in Karissa Sinclost of Fairy Tail." He admitted with a shrug.
Grimace.
"Why? I've got nothing to be interested in. Maybe you mistook me for Erza."
"Come on, you sell yourself short, invisible Sinclost." He put his hands on his hips and walked around her a bit like a curious cat. "Like most people, I looked up to Fairy Tail in the past. Sinclost was a good name to have, y'know? And I've seen you in action yesterday." As a man who loved to watch fights, hers was quite amusing. His mind wondered how strong she was compared to her ice clone.
Didn't Erza say something like that before?
"You're unique." Sting admitted after a moment of thought. That was the first thing that came to mind after seeing and interacting with her. That was the first word that came to mind.
"Doubt it." Karissa turned away from him, avoiding those blue eyes that observed her carefully, and held up a hand to her bandaged temple, embarrassed. Sting was quick to note her genuine trait with a little smirk as he watched her sheepishly walk away before trailing after her. But he wondered if she was in pain when she kept her hand up. "What happened to your head?"
"Hm? Oh… uh, got assaulted yesterday by Raven Tail."
"Is that a lie?"
With a shrug, Karissa rolled her shoulders back. "Not going to waste my breath if you don't believe me. I decided to knock my head into a wall for fun. Actually… that's not far from the truth. I slipped and knocked my head into those cement flower box things."
Sting whistled, clapping his hands softly. "Talk about extreme masochism. I'm learning things that I didn't think would apply to you."
"I didn't do it on purpose!" She lowered her arm fast, snapping. It only made Sting chortle in response. "Those jerks from Raven Tail did it to me and my brother. Fucking sapped all the magic from my body and nearly killed us!" She spat, immensely still annoyed by their unprovoked attacks. Now that she had the energy to expend, her body could physically show off the annoyance she felt. But she was quick to resume a neutral state to not look like a fool throwing a tantrum.
"It was a joke."
"…"
Sting recalled when Raven Tail tried taking down Laxus under an illusion. He for sure let out a snort from seeing their failure. And after witnessing how Fairy Tail was always losing against them in any kind of match, it was plausible to believe Karissa's story. It would explain why someone as talented as her suddenly got benched. Sting was wondering why they replaced her with a young girl who was obviously weaker. If they wanted to win the games, they should be throwing their best members into the event.
"And yet, here you stand perfectly fine. Minus the thing on your head."
"Fairy Tail's got one crazy nurse."
"Oh yeah? What else you got? Magic potions to injure yourselves?"
As she said earlier, she didn't feel like wasting her breath. There wasn't any worth in trying to convince him otherwise anyway. So, she turned away from him and kept walking. He could think whatever the hell he wanted. She was just glad Raven Tail wasn't going to do their part-time job of trying to drag her team down.
Sting scoffed when she fell silent and ignored him. "Seeing them exposed for cheating is enough for me to believe you." Even Lector, after piecing things together, didn't approve of Raven Tail's actions. Like seriously? They were willing to go as far as killing someone from another team? He didn't want that slimy team anywhere near Sabertooth! "Hey, on the bright side, they won't be coming back here anytime soon. They got their asses handed by one man. If they had any more dignity, they should stay away from here. Trust me, the crowd'll just mock them to no end."
Karissa scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "Seen it. Heard it."
Sting let out a deep chuckle at how she replied without missing a beat.
Karissa wondered why the hell it was so easy to talk to Sting as her regular self. She thought for sure she'd be jittery and awkward. Because, let's face it, she wasn't going to be as cool as ice and act all high and mighty if she was confronted by him. She'd just be an awkward mess while shooting a quiet apology before walking off to join her team.
Basically, she was having the equivalent of acting out an argument and creating savage comebacks in the shower, only to completely flop when it's for real.
"How long are you going to follow me for?"
"Just taking the long way out since I'm already on the way."
Karissa looked over her shoulder and gave him a look. He just gave her a playful smirk and held up his hands in surrender, showing he had no hidden intentions.
New impression of Sting?
… He seemed okay for now. Nothing bad.
The infirmary for Fairy Tail wasn't too far now. Unfortunately, she couldn't say that she was greeted warmly.
Sting blinked in surprise when Porlyusica all but hollered in her face for walking around on her own, ranting on about how she was always so reckless ever since she was a kid. Karissa squinted and took offense to that. After all, with Porlyusica hating humanity in general, she usually just had her energetic reckless child self as her basic reference. Nice.
Elfman, inside, just gave her a look while shaking his head.
She slowly turned to Sting and lifted a finger to point at the woman. "This is that nurse."
"Yeah, I can see that now."
"Karissa!"
Sting and Karissa turned around when they heard Natsu's voice. Upon seeing the Sabertooth member, Natsu couldn't help but feel sour and protective after what happened yesterday. His body moved quickly and he took Karissa by the arm to bring her to his side where Gray and Lucy were jogging to catch up to him. She bumped into Gray's chest when Natsu pushed her a little further back, trying to put some distance between the two. They had actually left the end-of-day speech to see Van and Karissa. But seeing that she was gone, they went to start searching. They didn't go deep into their search since Natsu was quick to point out that her scent was near the infirmary.
"Yo, Natsu-san."
"Sabertooth."
"What are you doing with her?" Gray got straight to the point.
Karissa looked at the way Natsu kept a hand on her shoulder with his arm across her shoulders, appearing to shield her from the other Dragon Slayer. It took a second for her to understand why he was like this. It made her deadpan.
Sting put his hands in his pockets and shrugged once, his face carrying a nonchalant smile as he exchanged a look with her. "Your friend was wandering on her own. I was just escorting her back."
Gray and Lucy looked at her for confirmation. Karissa simply nodded her head lightly with a tired look. They both knew that was a lie. But what was the point of telling the truth if it wouldn't change anything. The silent agreement to not divulge further details was sealed by the way she gave him a deadpan look in response to his little smirk. Seeing as he was done here, Sting lifted a hand and waved at them. "See you, tomorrow, Natsu-san. Get better soon, Karissa." He left them with that laid back tone. Porlyusica huffed and went back inside the infirmary while the three stayed out.
Natsu yelped when a hand landed square on his head.
"Karissa?!"
"That was for barging in Sabertooth and trying to beat down their Master. Our Master tried doing the civilized thing when Raven Tail's Master messed me and Van up to avoid disqualification. And then you go up there in the meanwhile to go ballistic."
Natsu pouted with little tears in his eyes, actually hurt! "But they—!"
"Don't wanna hear it. It's water under the bridge thanks to Sabertooth." Karissa waved her hand dismissively, slipping away from Natsu. Earlier, she didn't give her Natsu her piece for doing that reckless charge since she wasn't in the mood. So, now was the perfect time. "You have to understand that some guilds are not like ours." Karissa poked him in the chest, a little hard. "We're lucky that Fairy Tail is like home and family to us, some might not be just as warm."
"But did they have to go as far as stripping her down and kicking her out?" Natsu shot back, slowly becoming upset on Yukino's behalf again. The way she cried that night as she pitifully lamented on her expulsion.
"You have to remember that guilds were initially meant to allow members to take jobs and earn money, to train and hone their skills. You can't impose your ideals on them if they choose to operate differently."
Leave it to Karissa to be rational and logical. Sometimes, Natsu didn't know if he should be upset with her when she was like that, because, to be honest, it was hard to argue against it. There weren't any false statements. Rationality and logic could be cruel weapons when they hammer through one's beliefs. Compared to most members who were emotionally driven given the situation, she relied on her rationality most of the time, and in a way, it made her an outlier among her members.
"Still… I don't agree with the way they do things."
"And that's fine, you don't have to." Karissa patted his shoulder when he averted his gaze away. Gray held her arm when she tried going back inside the infirmary to look her up and down with concern. "Are you sure you're feeling okay to walk around?" Lucy asked Gray's question, beating him to it.
"I'm feeling much better compared to Van." Karissa held up an 'ok' sign with her hand.
"You sure?" Gray searched her face, trying to find a sign of discomfort. He even looked back in the direction where Sting's retreating form was finally turning around in a corner. He wasn't stupid. There was this weird knowing feeling that let him know that Sting and Karissa were keeping something between them. If it was bad, he was sure Karissa would have said something outright instead of lying skillfully. Maybe, he was just overthinking it.
It was just that cautious feeling of seeing her with someone after she was… well, mortally impaired.
Without a word, she pulled herself free from Gray's hand and took a few steps back. She did three deep squats and then did four jumps with her knees up to her chest. Once her feet touched the floor, she paused with her arms stretched out as if to see whether or not her equilibrium would falter. For a second, Lucy thought she was about to pull a backflip (even though that would only result in Karissa breaking her neck because she can't backflip).
Nope. She was doing okay.
Going back to her default mode, she lazily waved her hand. "I'm alright. I could probably drink some more of that magic juice to make sure I'm in top shape."
Porlyusica could only shake her head as she made more of her concoction.
At least she's much more bearable compared to when she was a brat.
You guys like the Pandora and Laxus pair? Just curious. Also, the Sting and Karissa is not something I had given more serious thought about until I started writing it out. I just knew I wanted the two to have a dynamic.
... I usually upload every month... but like... work literally kept me shackled because I was carrying weight x_x, I was unmotivated, started playing RE2 Remake before RE4 Remake comes out.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice day/night!