33"Dialogue"
"Thoughts"
Magic
Thank you all for the wait! My vacation offered an incredibly refreshing break, and has let me quite inspired as to how the story will go from here. Before I get onto the chapter, however, I'd like to address a review I had received.
Thank you for your kind words! I'm truly happy to hear my story is being enjoyed as much as it is by certain people out there. As for about whether or not Natsu will ever actually be involved romantically with someone - that's hard to say. As of now, there's a few different endings I have in mind - and while they all include Natsu reciprocating feelings for one of the main love interests (Kagura, Mira, and Ultear) only one or two actually end with Natsu ending up with one of them. Though the likelihood of genuine romance between Natsu and any taking place during the story, and not near the end, is low.
Thank you all for your continued support! Now onto the story!
With Erza and Kagura.
Kagura had since retreated to her shared bedroom, with Erza in tow. The two found themselves dressed for the night, both wearing a simple pair of pajamas - at their most vulnerable, both physically and emotionally. It has taken a while for Kagura to get her dearest friend to calm down, not that the redheaded swordswomen's face wasn't still caked with the now drying remnants of tears; a reminder to Erza of the long while spent in Kagura's embrace, simply letting her emotions run wild.
"I'm.. I'm sorry, Kagura." Erza whispered softly, her tone reserved. It has been a long while since the redhead has broken down in any degree - let alone as much as she did that very night; and while Erza couldn't help but feel a stone or two lighter, that didn't mean embarrassment wasn't coursing through her veins.
"Shh.. it's okay, you don't have to apologize, Onee-sama." Kagura whispered back, her tone light and encouraging; as if the duo's roles suddenly reversed, and she was the older sister now. "I lost my temper as well.. if I had known why Natsu's presence bothered you so much.. I would not have pressed the matter." Kagura conceded, as she rested against Erza.
Erza remained quiet for a moment, as she took in the purple-haired swordswomen's words - a small smile finally forming on the woman's lips. "Since when have you grown so mature, Kagura?" Erza teased, with a playful nudge; a much more characteristic behavior from the knight.
Kagura laughed a little, playing the nudge off gracefully as she did. "Well, I figured I can't stay the same forever… I thought now would be a good time to mature a little." Kagura responded, truthfully.
Erza nodded in understanding. "Just like you've decided to be more open, huh? All on your own? No outside interference pushing you in the right direction?" Erza asked, with a seemingly knowing smile.
Kagura could only respond with a small 'eep!' followed up by the shade of her face growing a slight pink shade to it. "Well… N- mmm.." Kagura started off, before hesitating - worried her words would still upset her dear friend. "Natsu… gave me some guidance, yes." She stated weakly, that blush still present.
Erza, for her part, gave her adoptive sister a small laugh; though the smile that came with it seemed to have slightly sad undertones, at the very least. "Well… I'm glad. It makes me happy to see you smile and laugh more." Erza said, with what seemed to be genuine sincerity.
Kagura smiled a bit more at this, happy to see Erza not responding with any signs of aggression, at the mention of the pink-haired dragonslayer. Though she couldn't get their argument from earlier out of her head; how Erza sobbed about the similarities between Natsu and Jellal, that is. With the red flush on her face going away, Kagura would speak up once again, this time with a timid voice. "Onee-sama… how are Natsu and Jellal similar?" She questioned quietly, hoping it wouldn't cause any unnecessary discomfort or pain to the redhead.
Erza did seem to hesitate for a bit, as if she was unable to bring herself to answer Kagura's question. Though she finally let out a breathy sigh, once even she didn't know she was holding - before she started speaking. "Honestly… they're not." Erza said, with a small, almost sad, laugh. "I mean.. they are - but not to the point where I should've been reacting to Natsu in the ways I did. Jellal was… he was the best of us, on the tower. There were plenty of times where I had almost given up hope completely - but it was thanks to him, and a few others, that I didn't." Erza went on, before quieting a bit, a somber tone filling the room. "Natsu has a lot of similar qualities as Jellal.. Jellal was a natural-born leader; and while I have no experience with Natsu on the field.. I can tell he's the same. Not to mention their unwavering resolve and strength. If I'm being honest… there are times when I see Natsu, and can only think of Jellal - even though they couldn't look any further apart." Erza finally finished, with a sad laugh.
Kagura felt her left arm wrapping around her own body, pulling her right arm close to her side instinctively, as she did. "Oh Onee-sama.." Kagura thought to herself, aware how unpleasant it was for Erza to speak about Jellal, or the tower in general.
Before Kagura could say anything else, she'd feel herself being pulled into Erza's embrace, as the redhead smiled down at her - all before ruffling the swordswomen's hair, her purple locks being ruffled all over the place; resulting in a whine escaping from Kagura's lips.
"Onee-sama..! Please knock it off..!" Kagura cried, only to be met with laughter from the woman in question.
"I'll stop, I'll stop." Erza laughed, as she let go of her adoptive sister, finding enjoyment in the sight of Kagura's hair, which was nearly always done to the utmost perfection, being disheveled and in disarray. "I'm sorry, Kagura. I haven't been a very good sister, recently." Erza said with a soft smile on her face.
"I-its okay, Onee-sama.." Kagura replied in a huff, as she felt her cheeks flush in minor embarrassment. "I'm.. just glad everything is okay between us." Kagura whispered.
Erza gave a sincere smile to her closest friend, as she nodded her head. "As am I." She replied, before giving Kagura another embrace - hugging her close. After a few moments, she'd let the hug ended, backing away a little bit, as a sly smile spread across her lips. "Alright then, Kagura… tell me a bit more about Natsu, won't you?" She asked, with a curious and suggestive tone.
"H-huh..? What- what do you mean?" Kagura asked, with a bit of a confused gulp of nervousness.
"I know very little about him, after all." Erza said that sly smile never leaving her lips. "Shouldn't I know all about the guy who my dear younger sister loves?" She said, with a little giggle.
Upon hearing Erza's words, Kagura felt her face become ten degrees warmer; the blush that has crept up on her rivaling Erza's hair in color. The swordswomen soon became a stammering and stuttering mess, unable to say anything in response to Erza's words - before she just fell backwards on her bed; her eyes spiraling in embarrassment. "L-l..l..love..?!" Kagura muttered to herself, her much more innocent side taking over.
Erza would let out a soft, almost motherly, laugh as she watched Kagura's flustered reaction - something she took great amusement and enjoyment in. "I.. have some reservations about this.." The redhead thought to herself, as she imagined a relationship between Kagura and Natsu; her mind quickly going to the same place brought about by her own late-night reading, causing her face to fluster as well. "NO.. no.. not like that!" She thought to herself, as she gently slapped her cheeks with the palm of her hands; as if to regain focus. Looking down at her younger sister once more, she saw the look of unbridled flustered embarrassment on the purple-haired woman's face - a telltale sign that she was correct, and that the feelings Kagura had were genuine - something else Erza wasn't quite positive of.
"Onee-sama… I don't l– I don't love Natsu..!" Kagura finally managed to mutter, though it took her a second to get the words out of her mouth. "Natsu is simply.. a trusted ally and friend..!" Kagura said, unconvincingly. The woman's head was a mess, swarming with different thoughts and emotions, being unable to separate her various different thoughts, as her imagination ran wild.
A giggle escaped Erza lips, as she listened to Kagura's denial - seeing through it completely. She didn't say anything, I stead deciding to get up from the bed, Erza made her way over towards her own bed, grabbing a book off of her nightstand, before going right back towards her stammering sister - a pleasant smile on the redhead's face. Though Kagura had enough awareness to notice this simple action, watching Erza grab the all too familiar book from her nightstand, as a flush took over her face once more.
"Onee-sama… please don't tell me we're readin again.." Kagura muttered, in embarrassment.
With a small giggle, Erza sat down next to Kagura, pulling her fellow Swordswomen close to her side, as she did so. "Of course we are, Kagura. If you wish to be with Natsu.." Erza hesitated, as if the words were foreign to her, something so unlike her to say she could hardly fathom it. Though she managed to find her stride, as she continued speaking. "You'll need to know how to properly treat a man. What better way to learn?" Erza said, with a surprising amount of honesty to her voice - as if she genuinely believed what she was saying was right.
Kagura's face only grew more flustered, as she stammered and stuttered with every word she tried to say - though she eventually stopped, before giving a small, resolute nod. "O-okay.." Kagura said softly, as a look of flustered determination flashed in her eyes. She moved up next to Erza properly, her eyes trained on the book of smut that she tried her best to prepare for.
Erza couldn't help but smile a bit at this - as her fingers opened the book to where they last left off. "I don't know how I feel about Natsu…" Erza thought to herself, as she gave a quick sideways glance towards Kagura. "But if he makes Kagura happy… I suppose that's all I could ask for. Otherwise I wouldn't be a very good big sister, huh?" Erza thought, with a smile, before going back to the book that she happily began to read aloud to Kagura.
It would only take fifteen minutes before Kagura passed out due to embarrassment.
With Natsu and Ultear
Natsu would feel himself being dragged out of the Infirmary, his pleas for answers - or for Ultear to just let him walk normally - falling in deaf ears. "Why is she skipping? Man, I have a bad feeling about this." Natsu thought to himself, with reservation - though part of him did take some form of enjoyment in the situation, as a tiny part of him even relished at the physical contact between them - a thought which caused his face to heat up in embarrassment. "No, no, no get a hold of yourself Natsu!" He internally screamed at himself, as he shook his head violently in an attempt to clear the thoughts out.
"S-so… what did you need help with, Ultear..?" Natsu asked curiously, as well as with a hint of trepidation.
Ultear continued dragging him through the hallway, humming a tune happily to herself, as she was practically skipping, getting the attention of any mages that the two passed.
"Woah.. Master Ultear looks so happy!"
"I know, right? The rumors must be true.."
"Yeah, they're definitely dating.. wait - I think he can hear us..!?"
The quiet whispers of various different female mages quickly turned to a hushed silence, as they all went about their day - or at least, as they pretended to do so.
Natsu's face was still a shade of red, as he was subjected to listening to all the whispered words of the women that they passed. "These people gossip way too much.." Natsu thought to himself, as he sweatdropped at the mages antics. Though he did notice Ultear continue her happy skipping, as if she wasn't aware of a thing. "Who am I kidding.. she's probably thrilled by it, if anything." Natsu thought, with an audible sigh leaving his lips.
"Hmm? Did you say something, Natsu?" Ultear asked sweetly, not even turning her head to look back at the dragonslayer in question.
"Just wondering what has you in such a good mood." Natsu said, his answer only being a partial lie - he was curious, after all.
"Oh! Well, I've just heard the darndest little rumor, and thought we could discuss it!" Ultear replied, turning back to look at the dragonslayer as she did. Her porcelain-like face still retained a happy-go-lucky smile, as she beamed with excitement and happiness.
"Darndest…? Since when did Ultear say silly words like that… wait- rumor?! Oh shit!" Natsu thought to himself, his head instantly racing to the conversation he had just had with Yukino, about the rumor of Ultear and Natsu dating. However, Natsu, being ever so perceptive, couldn't help but notice a glint in the woman's red eyes - a twinkle that he recognized, though he wasn't sure from where. Suddenly, as if his brain was a kaleidoscope shifting into place - he understood perfectly. "She's lying. No… twisting the information - she doesn't want others to know." Natsu thought, as his eyes narrowed the briefest bit, before returning to normal. With a breathy sigh, he hung his head low, his hand which wasn't being dragged moving to the back of his head, where he ruffled his own hair a little. "A rumor? Really?" Natsu said, feigning his most indignant tone he could.
"You're so mean, Natsuuu!" Ultear huffed playfully, in response to Natsu's sigh. Though she couldn't hold onto her fake feelings of hurt, as she finally gave in and giggled; all as she looked back ahead, dragging Natsu along the whole way.
"If you want mean, I can show you mean." Natsu grumbled in response, following behind the woman in tow.
It would only take a few more moments for the duo to have made it to Ultear's office, which the two would quickly enter. With the door to the office being shut, all of the onlooking mages would suddenly pick up their gossiping all over again - suddenly feeling a lot safer to do so, with the mages behind the door.
"They make such a cute couple!" One mage squealed, only to be hushed by another.
"I still can't believe they're so obvious about it." A second said.
"Maybe they were hoping it would help keep it a secret longer?" A third said, being met by a few nods of agreement by fellow mages.
As the female mages speculated and gossiped amongst themselves, a lone mage in particular would be overlooking the group of women, a scowl present on her face, as she listened to them. "Tch. What a joke.." she muttered to herself, before opening up a door, and walking into it.
With Natsu and Ultear in the office.
As Natsu finished shutting the door behind him, he turned to face towards Ultear and he desk, only to see the black-haired woman leaning against her desk, her cheery and bright demeanor suddenly being replaced by that of a very stressed out lady.
"Ultear.. you good?" Natsu asked, with a surprising amount of tenderness to his voice - especially considering his usual banter he has, with the woman in question.
"Yeah.. yeah." Ultear said, with a sigh. She would pick herself back up, her eyes closing as she took a deep breath, exhaling after a few seconds. Opening her eyes again, she'd give Natsu a weary smile, before walking around her desk, and sitting in her chair.
"Sorry for dragging you through the guild like that, Natsu.. while I'd normally never do something like that -" Ultear started, only to be cut off by Natsu.
"Yes you would." The dragonslayer simply said, straight faced.
This resulted in a tick mark forming on Ultear's head, as she promptly huffed in annoyance. "Didn't anyone ever teach you to mind your manners? Hmph!" Ultear replied back in annoyance, though a bit of warmth seemed to return to her face, as if the banter was helping her.
"Raised by a dragon, remember?" Natsu replied, with a cheeky grin, as he sat down across from the woman.
Ultear stared at Natsu for a few moments, before simply shaking her head - not really knowing how to respond to his rebuttal. "Anywaaaays.. while I'd normally not do that - some pressing news has come up." As she said that, Ultear would grab a letter from the side of her desk, handing it over to Natsu in the process.
Grabbing the note, Natsu quickly scanned over the piece of paper, his eyes widening in alarm as a result. "Is this..?" Natsu questioned, a hint of worry in his voice.
"It's real." Ultear replied, a grave tone to her voice, as she did. "I received the letter from a council contact, only ten or so minutes ago. A full-scale siege was launched on Magnolia by King and his mean - or so it's assumed. All we really know is that a large force of amalgamations suddenly swarmed the city." Ultear said, as rummaged through her desk for a few minutes.
"No wonder she didn't want her mages to hear about it." Natsu thought to himself, briefly. "When was this?" Natsu asked, having put the letter back down. "A full-scale siege on Magnolia? But why?" Natsu thought, his mind reeling.
"The council received news about the attack three hours ago, and then promptly sent out this warning to all guild masters within a certain distance of Magnolia." Ultear replied, as she finally found what she was looking for. Placing a scroll onto the table, she unfurled the parchment - showing it to be a map of Fiore.
Natsu nodded his head in response - though something didn't sit right with him about the situation. "But why would they attack Fairy Tail directly like that? I don't see any reason they would want to invite the wrath of the strongest guild in Fiore.." Natsu's hand found its way to his chin, as he began to ponder.
"That's what I was confused about, too. They know you'll be storming them any day now.. so why would they want to fight a two front war?" Ultear responded, as she looked at Natsu.
"Yeah… though I guess it doesn't matter. Fairy Tail already had orders to deal with these people, anyways-" Natsu's eyes suddenly widened, as realization struck him.
Ultear took note of this, her curiosity piquing as Natsu suddenly stopped talking. "Natsu? What is it?" She asked.
"Fairy Tail already received orders to handle King and his crew… you don't think that King knew about that, do you?" Natsu asked, his brain on full alert.
Ultear's eyes widened as well, as she realized what Natsu was implying. "Are you saying you think there's a mole in the council?" She questioned dubiously - though the more she thought of it, the more possible the idea seemed, to Ultear.
"How else would they remain undetected for so long? The council still keeps its eyes on The Badlands - so it doesn't make sense. Plus - they conveniently launched a full-scale attack against the guild who was tasked with taking them down?" Natsu rationalized, as he leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. "Do we know the condition of Fairy Tail? Or Magnolia as a whole?" Natsu asked.
Ultear had a grave expression written on her face, as she took Natsu's words into consideration. Though she'd finally open her mouth, in response to his last question. "Magnolia is in disarray. A quadrant of the city has been blocked off, and is being protected by the mages of Fairy Tail - but most of the city is overrun by amalgamations. Though it doesn't seem like any mages were sent alongside the creatures." Ultear responded, though she still held a distant look on her face. "A mole…? With the current state of the council… I don't even know who it could be." Ultear thought to herself, a sigh of frustration escaping her lips.
Natsu nodded in understanding, as he stood up and bent over the desk - his eyes scanning intently along the map of Fiore. "Let's see… It would be a slight detour, and will add roughly an extra day to the trip, depending on how long we stay.. but swinging by Magnolia on our way to The Badlands will probably be for the best." Natsu said, after careful examination of the map. "Though we'd probably have to leave tomorrow, rather than the original date planned." Natsu ended with, as he sat back down, looking towards Ultear for her opinion.
The black-haired woman pondered Natsu's idea for a moment, before sighing. "Perhaps I'm selfish.. but I don't feel comfortable leaving the guild unprotected for any longer than necessary - especially since we could be under assault any minute." Ultear said, a small frown on her face. "Don't get me wrong, I want to help out Fairy Tail and Magnolia - but Gracia and Mermaid Heel will always come first, to me. Mira and myself being gone may leave the town too vulnerable - Erza and Kagura are strong, but they have their limits." Ultear explained, a small frown on her face.
Natsu returned said frown, as he brought a hand to his chin. "What about your fourth Empress, or whatever? Three of your strongest mages, plus the rest of the guild, should be plenty." Natsu reasoned.
"They're.. a wild card. I don't like bringing it up much, but our fourth Empress.. they aren't really in the picture. To be honest? Most of the mages here haven't even met her." Ultear explained, with a sigh. "I've been debating on elevating another mage to the status - but haven't had time to put much thought to it, yet." Ultear finished, her face seemingly growing more tired by the moment.
"I see…" Natsu would groan a little, his idea having failed before it could even be fully said. Standing back up, Natsu began to examine the map once more, more thoroughly this time. "What if just you and I go to Magnolia, then?" Natsu finally asked, not taking his eyes off the piece of parchment. "We can bring supplies with us, to help aid in the effort at least a little bit. In a few days, we can have Mira meet us around here.." Natsu trailed off, as he pointed towards a portion of the map. "..to save on time efficiency. It's not perfect - but that's the best idea I can come up with." Natsu paused, before looking up. "Or I can run it alone, and have you both meet up with me at the designated spot." He finished with.
"Run it alone? And have me risk the chance of some hussy sinking their claws into you? Not a chance!" Ultear responded, with a small, almost childish, huff.
Natsu sweatdropped a bit at Ultear's response, as he just gave a sheepish smile. "Since when did I become her property?" He thought sarcastically to himself. "You know, I'm really starting to struggle to tell if you're joking or not, anymore." Natsu said, after clearing his throat with a little cough.
"I'm not too thrilled about this.. but it should work." Ultear finally said, after a few moments of thinking. "I'll spend the night getting everything around.. can I expect you to transport the supplies, using your Re-Quip?" Ultear asked, bashing her eyelashes just a tiny bit more than usual.
"She completely ignored me." Natsu thought, hiding his expression of bafflement as best he could. "Yeah. I can handle the supplies - just make sure it's all prepared." Natsu said, before proceeding to stand up from his chair. "I'm gonna get some shut eye." He said, as he turned around and began to walk to the door.
His exit was met with a childish huff of annoyance, as Ultear seemed all too displeased with Natsu's retreating figure. "Hmph. Leaving so soon? But we hardly get any alone time like this, Natsuuu~!" Ultear purred, as she leaned over her desk in a somewhat suggestive manner - exposing a bit of her cleavage from the top of her kimono, as she did so.
Natsu, not expecting the woman's actions, turned around with a look of mock annoyance, ready to refute her claim. "Really Ultear? We just-" Natsu's jaw went slack, as he turned around to the sight before him. Natsu never really considered himself the perverted type, especially so when it came to staring - but even he was held captive by the teasing sight, even if for just a few moments. Catching his cool, he immediately turned around again, his face fuming in a blush.
"We just what, Natsu?" Ultear asked, with an innocent giggle.
Natsu stammered a bit, managing to calm down by coughing into his hand, a little. "We.. We just made plans to help in a relief effort. Teasing me should be the last thing on your mind." Natsu stated, with as much steely gravitas to his voice that he could muster - even though he knew for a fact that it cracked a few times.
Ultear would let out a laugh, much softer and less alluring than usual, as she readjusted her position, sitting in her chair normally once again. "You really are peculiar, Natsu… but yes, you're right. Get some rest, I'm sure tomorrow will be eventful, after all." Ultear said, a soft and sincere smile on her face.
Natsu just shook his head, still not turning around to look back towards Ultear. "You scheming witch.. I don't trust you one bit." Natsu thought to himself, with a fair bit of exaggeration. "Don't work too hard, Ultear. Goodnight." Natsu said simply, with a smile on his face, as he walked out of the office with a small smile on his lips.
Sky Sisters Residence, With Natsu.
Natsu found himself in the quaint house he had been sharing with Wendy and Chelia for the last few days now, plopping onto the couch with a surprising amount of exhaustion. The pink-haired man began to stretch his right shoulder in circles, softly massaging it with his left hand, before alternating after a few minutes - working out the kinks as best he could. "Man… why am I so exhausted?" Natsu muttered to himself, absentmindedly. "Now that I think about it…I feel like I'm getting weaker." Natsu said softly, with a sigh. After a few more minutes of rubbing his shoulders, he would readjust himself, laying down on the couch.
Looking out the window, Natsu began to feel almost nostalgic, in a sense - his mind wandering through old memories. "Big mission tomorrow… it's been a while." He said to himself, as he looked at the dimming sky through the window. "It's a bit early.. but oh well. Might as well try to get some shut eye." Natsu muttered once more, before closing his eyes, in hopes of drifting off into sleep.
Elsewhere.
Wendy's eyes fluttered open in a daze, the world around her spinning. While it took her a moment to orient herself, the young lady managed to pull herself up off her back - though she winced in pain, her hand instinctively shooting down towards her lower abdomen, wincing as her palm brushed against the injury. At this moment, Wendy's mind finally caught back up with her - as the events of her train ride were reenacted in her mind. The last thing she remembered was catching a whiff of Carla's scent, and telling her to run. Before that, however, was the icicle that pierced her through the abdomen, when she was healing Chelia…
"Chelia!" Wendy thought, before her head snapped to the side, back and forth, as she desperately looked for signs of her dear friend. Her search proved fruitful, as after only a few minutes, she noticed Chelia asleep, in what looked to be a makeshift cot, only ten or so feet away from herself. At the same time, she was able to get a good look at where they were. Wendy found herself and Chelia currently settled inside a small cave, presumably towards the back, as a little further ahead there was a bend, which allowed for a little bit of light to filter through, preventing the two sky mages from being in complete darkness - though it was still quite dim. What's more, she could tell they weren't too far away from the surface, as she felt the air currents, noticing them to be much more livelier than they would be if they were deeper down.
Mustering what bits of strength her fatigued body had, Wendy would pull herself up off of the floor, needing to press her palm against the rocky surface of the nearby wall, to help stabilize her movements. Her free hand loosely clutched to her injury, which she noticed to be neatly and professionally bandaged - much to her surprise. "Whoever captured us… well, they don't want us dead at least.." Wendy muttered, her voice coming out scratchy and hoarse. The blue-haired girl began to walk towards her sleeping comrade, hearing the sounds of her small and shaky footsteps gently reverberate through the cave as she did.
Ever since waking up, Wendy felt her heart beating at an alarming rate - panic surging through her body, despite what levels of bravery she tried to show and display. "I'm so scared… how do people like Mira do this so naturally..?" Wendy muttered softly, as she hobbled closer to her friend. Once there, she tried to gently kneel down to examine Chelia's wounds, but felt her tired knees give out, causing her to fall to the floor in a crumpled mess - the sound of her colliding against the stone echoing much louder than she enjoyed.
"O-ow.." Wendy muttered to herself, as she pushed herself back up, despite the soreness present along her body, which only intensified as she fell. Though her ears perked a little, as she heard what she realized to be the sound of wood slapping against stone, in a consistent pattern. Looking towards the dim light, the direction the sound was coming from, Wendy could vaguely make out the silhouette of a person walking in their direction, no doubt alerted by her fall.
"Oh no.." Wendy whispered, as she looked down again - seeing Chelia's still sleeping from. Gathering what energy she had, Wendy held her right hand outwards, generating an orb of wind in her palm, using whatever ounce of magic she had in her.
"Relax, young dragonslayer. We need not fight." The figure spoke, their words being carried by a feminine voice with an almost melodic tone to it.
Wendy's eyes widened a little bit, having expected the man who she fought previously - so she was caught off guard by the much gentler, more feminine voice. As a result of her moment of confusion, she felt her control over the spell slip - resulting in her prematurely firing off the orb of wind. Though before she could fully react to her small blunder, she watched in a combination of awe and fear as the figure drew a sword and cut through her spell, so fast that Wendy could barely see it.
"Save what magic you have. You'll need it for later." The figure said again, as she began to step closer towards Wendy, who now finally would get a good look of the approaching person.
Approaching Wendy was a beautiful woman, who's most defining characteristic was her cherry pink hair, which was tied up into two buns on the top of her head; the rest of it cascading down her back elegantly. The woman was more curvaceous in shape, with green eyes which seemed to pierce through the dimly lit cave. The woman wore a long, ever so slightly loose kimono, opened up at the top to reveal the woman's shoulders, as well as a modest amount of her cleavage. The kimono was the same Cherry pink as her hair; with white flower petals motifs decorating the sides of the kimono. Attached to her right hip was a dimly lit lantern, which helped Wendy make out the various details of the woman. To her left side, was a sheathed sword, longer than any Wendy has seen before. Finally, Wendy noticed the woman's lips, bright red in color, and shaped into a gentle, almost serene, smile.
"Wh- who are you..?!" Wendy meekly shouted, trying to muster whatever strength she could, in case she needed to defend herself.
"I am an enemy, sadly." The pink-haired woman replied, as her smile turned into a small frown - though that only lasted briefly, before turning back into a smile. "Though that does not mean we need to fight. I would like to keep things peaceful. You and your companion are hurt enough, as is." She said, as her eyes shifted towards Chelia, before looking back to Wendy. Without saying anything else, the woman continued her slow walk towards Wendy and Chelia, before placing her sheathed blade down, propping it against one of the cave walls. With that done, she began walking to the cave walls parallel to where her blade was, now standing a solid twenty or so feet away from her sword. "Does this make you feel more at ease?" She asked, her voice just as soothingly melodic as before.
Wendy's eyes never once left the pink-haired woman's form, as she watched her pace from wall to wall; still hovering near Chelia's unconscious form, protectively. "I… don't sense any Ill intent.." Wendy thought, her heartbeat calming down to a much more standard pace. Wendy would eventually drop her stance, slowly crouching down to sit next to her friend - her eyes permanently trained on the pink haired woman. "If you're my enemy… then why are you being so… so.." Wendy paused, not sure the best word to use for the situation. "...kind?" the bluenette finally said, her voice terse.
The woman simply gave Chelia a kind smile, before lowering her own body as well, sitting criss-cross on the floor. "As I've said before, I wish to remain peaceful. I have no desire to harm you, nor your companion.. but I will, if I must. Such is what I was hired for, after all." The woman had her own pause, her head tilting upwards for a few seconds, as she seemed lost in thought.
"Hired? Peaceful?" Wendy's mind was littered with questions, of which she desperately wanted the answers. "If… if you don't want to harm us, then why.. how come you're taking us… wherever we're going?" Wendy asked, a hint of trepidation in her voice as she did.
"It's what I was hired to do." She replied, with the same smile. Though she had what seemed to be a look of realization, before speaking again. "Well.. my actual job is to intercept Mister Dragneel, when he's on route to the Citadel. But when I heard Blaise - the ice mage you fought - was after two young ladies.. I decided to accompany him, to make sure things didn't go too far. Sadly, I wasn't completely successful - evident by your grievous wound." The woman replied, with what sounded to be genuine sorrow at the wound Wendy endured - surprising the bluenette considerably.
"Mister Dragneel…? Wait - Natsu's coming..?!" Wendy asked, her eyes wide. "If he's coming… then maybe we'll be safe.." Wendy thought, as she felt a sense of relief flood over her.
The woman's smile still stayed, without falter. "Yes. My employer wishes for him to be brought to the Citadel - he has high hopes for Mister Dragneel." She said, though her voice seemed more distant than before. "Oh well. I believe that's enough chit chatting for now… I implore you to rest. Once you're at the Citadel… I'll not be able to provide any respite during your unpleasant stay. I apologize in advance." She said, before standing up. Without another word, a small ball fell from the woman's large sleeve, as an odorous smoke began to emit from it.
Wendy instantly felt the effects of the gas, unable to even ask another question ber her head started spinning in drowsiness. In what felt like seconds, Wendy felt her eyes shutting, and her body slumping forwards, only to be gently embraced by who she assumed to be the pink-haired woman.
"Rest easy now, please."
Those were the last words Wendy heard before everything went completely black, as she dipped into unconsciousness.