In The Times Of Fairy Tails

He gave her a smirk as she hid her face. He had to admit, she was rather...cute, he supposed he would describe it as. "That dress suits you well." He spoke the first thing that came to his mind, before looking away slightly. He was a very prideful man, and being embarrassed over the girl's beauty didn't strike him as dignified, but he couldn't help but be. "You look lovely tonight, Calxiyn." He spoke with a bit more confidence, looking back at her.


"Aren't they cute?" Beucette said to Lucia, who she had forcibly taken the seat next to. "That's my handiwork ya know. It's all thanks to that there datin' show i set 'em up on. You know back in highschool they used to call me matchmaker Beucette. Not sure why considerin' i never stuck anyone together in highschool. Or how considerin' i never went to highschool. Hm...Ah well, i guess its just magic then." ​

 

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She watched as Ra looked away and she couldn't help but giggle at that. She smoothed out her dress self-consciously. She swallowed as she felt her heart beating faster. "Thank you." She blushed again. "You do too." She then stopped herself, thinking about something better to say. "Not lovely, I mean, sure, lovely, if you want to I guess but I know some boys- I mean, I don't really know but um, what I mean is handsome. I mean that you look handsome." She babbled on flusteredly before looking down, fiddling with her hands again

 

Ra let out a laugh as she stumbled over her words, trying to find the right way to describe him. "Thank you." Then it occurred to him. How long had it been since he'd laughed at anything? It must have been before Ezekiel betrayed him...Had it really been that long? Was he so caught up in his ambitions that he had forgotten what it was like? His smile softened. Perhaps joining this guild had done more than make him stronger through his bonds. It had given him something he hadn't had before. Trust. "Thank you more than you know..." He muttered under his breath.

"But like holy shit girl! Damn you kicked ass out there! I still got stab wounds in my hip! Yer like greased lightning on the battlefield! Man if i could move like that, then i can't even count the things i'd do with it. Where'd you learn to go all sanic like that? I need to look at yer gear sometime. Is it the underwear? It's the underwear ain't it?" She said continuing to ramble about various things. ​

 

Jack's pov:

"So, what's with you? What's going on in your head? Every time you've talked to me, you've always been awkward, or weird, or a little creepy to be honest. Why can't you talk to me normally? Like other people do?" Alessia had said. "I think part of it is that I want to protect everyone. I think part of is I am not sure how exactly it happened. You know what its like to lose someone. You are all important important to me. I think if I lost any of you it would be horrible. I couldn't stand for that. Your all like the family I never had. I only have ever had one person actually care about me before I joined the guild..." He stopped. "I can't stay by and watch my friends get harmed. I consider you a friend. Not that you need my protection. You seem to be able to handle things way better then I could. I still think you make an excellent s-class. I care about people, even if they don't care for me. I think it is also because I didn't think at the time. I talked before I thought on how it would effect others. I didn't think how you or anyone else would have felt. I guess I should have. For that I am sorry. You seem know what you want. So sure of everything you want to do. I keep questioning if I am doing or saying the right thing. I keep telling my self I can make a differnce. I can step up and help. Then somehow some way it goes wrong. Anyways I'm sorry for not treating you as a normal person. Let me try and start to talk to you like a normal person." He stopped preparing for what he said next. "Have you given any thought on your magics yet?"

 

She was quite taken aback by the response that she got. At no point when this conversation did she expect the man in front of her to suddenly explain his entire purpose in life. Really, it was sort of touching. And it was noble in a way - A wish to protect the people that he liked and cared about. How he came to care about anyone in the guild was beyond her. She hadn't seen him talk to many people, let alone get along well with them, and yet he still cared? She agreed in a way. Ever since the mission with the child, and then Prince Eric... She knew that she had to protect people. So he wasn't too dissimilar to her in that way. He was quite unsure of himself though. Why does he think that I'm totally sure? I mean, I guess I'm not unconfident but I'm not like, 100% on everything.
"Well, you can help. I mean, you were there when we defeated the Mouse King so, it's not like you didn't do anything. That entire thing... All of that went wrong. At least Clara got out okay." She replied sadly, remembering the sight of Eric burning away, and then dying in front of them all. "And thanks for trying to talk to me normally." He's not so bad then, I guess.
"I don't know what I'll do honestly. Besides, it's not like I'm going to have a lot of choice. I'm down the bottom so I'll see how it goes. How about you?"




When the tournament was over, he wasn't overly surprised by it. Lucia was a ridiculous beast in combat. He didn't fancy his own chances against her, especially by the time she had become more powerful. She was certainly a force to be reckoned with. By the time the feast came around, he wanted to find Johanna. She had been busy with the tournament healing after the whole trial business was over, so they couldn't really talk at all. He spotted her sitting down and quickly approached, smiling at her. He took a seat beside her.
"Hey Johanna, how are things?" He asked, feeling some nerves. He remembered what she had said... It was wonderful. He wanted to talk more about what happened, but his nervousness was keeping him from speaking a little. Eventually, he managed to speak. "So remember, what happened on the stairs...? Does this mean that...?" Dale looked at her hopefully. He could only hope that she said that she wanted to be his girlfriend.




"We can't go home yet Thea. Home is where I live... And they don't want me back yet. I too need to learn... Then I can be of use to my family... Until then Father won't welcome me home..." Vance explained. He began to breathe in and out deeply in an attempt to make himself come round. The veil of exhaustion and the ringing faded a little, so he could focus better. "Thea, even if you have hurt people... You're going to have to redeem that. You're right, you've already done it. But that doesn't mean that you can't do something different with yourself now. I will find you someone who can train you to control yourself soon. We'll find a way to get you to be accepted here. I know that you're not happy now, and I'll do what I can. But for now... For now we'll deal with things here. It isn't so bad. Alright?" He squeezed Thea and leaned back, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"I will do something for you. I promise." Vance stated with an undeniable certainty and confidence. He really needed to rest up before the feast later. Otherwise he would be ridiculously out of his mind.




At this moment, it was likely best to let him express himself. If he pushed Conrad at the wrong time, it was more likely that he would become either more upset or violent. Obviously, neither of those two were good results and certainly not desirable. He allowed him to rant, taking in what he was saying. He wasn't surprised that Vance made things difficult. From his limited experience with the man, he could tell that he could be abrasive. Edric put a friendly hand on his shoulder to try and give him some comfort.
"Aye. Lady, the man needs ta calm doown a lil' fer tha' mooment. Ee'll send 'em o'er when he's en a better state." Edric said to Florica when she tried to call Conrad over. Then, he returned his focus to the troubled man in front of him. He took a deep breath. This was going to be... Interesting at the very least. "Yer mooment o' peace'll coome, just give et some time. Tha's the way o' leef ye ken? T'en't easy en the slightest. Ya earn yer happy endin' after an arseload o' hard work an' a bit o' sufferin'."
"An hoo might Ee ken this? Ye see... Ye lost a friend. Ee lost me wife." Edric answered. "She was killed en front o' me. Killed the ******* who did et, but she didnae come back. Ne'er do sadly. Ee've spent soo much time drinkin' ta forget evrythin' an' coope, I cannae deal with et meself. Kinda ****ed meself en tha' respect. Ee can noo longer goo back. Soo, don' start on the drinkin'. Ye'll never go back fer the fear. An' I ken tha' Ee done ****ed up, but there en't any gooin' back fer me. Fer ye though, Ee reckon et's worth makin' sure ye don' end up like me. Ee'll wind up an' ole drunk on tha' street doin' magic fer a bit o' cash to buy drink with one day Ee reckon. Ye dinnae want ta end up like tha'." ​

 

Johanna smiled at Dale as he approached. She felt her heart beating and she adjusted her bow. She took Dale's hand in her own and she smiled at him sweetly. "Dale I..." Johanna started to speak, her voice angelic and filled with sweetness. "We've been through a lot together, and I..." She started to fiddle with her necklace as she spoke. "Is this what you want?" She asked with accidental bluntness. Her nervousness was showing immensely though her face wasn't turning pink though she was flustered. ​

Zéphyrine was dancing along the wall, as music was provided. Though Zéphyrine didn't partake in the tournament, a celebration was a celebration. [B][B]Zéphyrine tapped the tambourine along to the beat of the music, and she looked over at Vance curiously. [/B][/B]​

 

His smile widened and Dale covered her hand with his other one. His heart was racing. There was no turning back now. He was going to tell her straight up now.
"Yes, it is. It's definitely what I want. I- I've been in love with you for years! How couldn't I want this?" Dale leaned forwards as if to kiss her, hoping that she would return it. Finally, I'll be able to be with Johanna like I've always wanted! He hoped that she could get past her nerves. Maybe it was unfair to do this in public, but he just wanted to kiss her. He wanted her to know, and he wanted to just have that at long last. He had been so worried about this. About George, about everything. About Johanna not loving him like he did because they had known each other for so long. And his hopes it seemed, weren't going to be dashed. He had wished for this chance for so long...​

 

Jack's pov:

"I know, I want two magics more then anything, my third I have a few in mind. I have feeling the two that I want badly will be picked right away. I'm kinda low too. I think my picks are popular. So I either get what I am thinking about, which is what I want. Or I will have to rethink what I could get, which is not what I want. For some reason I thought you would consider sword magic." At the mention for Clara he became sad remembering it all. "She is here, Clara I saw her a moment ago. The problem is I keep thinking I could have prevented it, done something different to save him. Do you ever feel like that?"

 

Johanna blushed rapidly. For years? How could she have not known? Or maybe she did know but was too scared to acknowledge it. She started thinking about when she had come to the Guild, and when she had first met Dale. She felt a fuzzy, warm feeling in her heart as he told her that he loved her. She couldn't help but start laughing nervously. She put his arms around his neck and brought herself close enough to kiss him gently, his lips joining hers.
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"Woo! Johanna!" Cassandra cried happily as she saw her and Dale kiss. She nudged Evanora who looked over at the two of them. They both started clapping which made Johanna blush furiously and pull herself away from Dale. Evanora laughed, shaking her head. "Ohhh young love... I think this calls for further celebration!" She spoke loudly though her voice was calm and endearing. She lifted up a glass and toasted the new happy couple. Cassandra chuckled. "Finally." Though happiness there was some pain in her voice. She then looked towards Edric, but pushed that thought away.

 

Conrad Heinrich Adelbrecht Carsten von Eisenstein II

Conrad felt the S-class' hand on his shoulder as he took another sip of the drink. Conrad listened attentively to what the man had to say. His story saddened him, but it also made the gears in his head turn. In comparison his own problems were only trivial... He then heard Evanora's voice calling for further celebration regarding the young love. He snorted "Funny.... just bloody funny..." He said absent-mindedly, he looked away. He felt so stupid. "I am sorry Edric..." Conrad was searching for words to say but he couldn't find any. He thought about what had been eating away at him that drove him this far, but he knew it paled in comparison to what Edric had seen, he also knew it was impossible to compare properly people had different limits and he felt like an idiot for snapping so soon, but it all had just become too much for him. His sister was as good as dead by now, he was fairly certain of it, it had been several weeks since he left home to come here, he was uncertain of what his father might do, but if he hadn't paid the ransom then she would be dead by now. All because he had failed to protect her. To Edric it may have looked that Conrad was quietly thinking about it all, having calmed down, but tears welled up again, this time for a different reason, he cried for his sister. "The revenge..... was it... was it worth it?" He asked, he had sworn revenge that day and was still intent on having it. He looked at Edric the intent of having revenge in his eyes. Revenge for something only the girl that had left knew about, to exact revenge for what they had done to him but more importantly to Abigail. Aside from the issue with his sister and Tessa leaving the consequences of his last mission hauned him as well for any other person it may not have mattered anyways, but to nobility it had been important. He glanced at lady Nessa and went on with drinking.

 

Gaius sort of stood there. He wasn't going to audibly celebrate Dale and Johanna officially becoming a thing. He'd thought they were already a thing before, so the fact it was official made no difference to him whatsoever. He had his scarf wrapped around his neck tightly, fighting off the feelings within. For once, the usual cheery Gaius had an extremely serious look on his face. Since he'd joined Sapphire Eclipse, in the small amount of time there had been a lot going on, and though he could feel himself getting stronger it still hadn't brought him any closer to finding out what happened to his mother. Was he really going to find out anything through the guild, or was it all just a complete waste of time?


Despite the serious vibe Gaius was giving off, Gexln was completely unaffected. He wasn't celebrating the announcement of Dale and Johanna, anyone with eyes hadn't been surprised, but well he had had a bit to drink already. And so he did what any normal drunk person would do, and began using Break Time in the middle of the crowd. He'd been on a mission once to rescue children that had gone missing, and had found them in a dungeon with nothing keeping them there aside from the wicked dance moves of their captor, and the dance moves had stuck inside Gexln's head ever since.​

 

Dale was at a loss for words as to how to describe the rush that he got from that singular kiss. It was all the answer that he needed. As soon as their lips met, a surge of euphoria the likes of which he had never felt rushed through him. He wanted to kiss her again, to hold it longer, but as soon as their lips met the room erupted in noise and he became vaguely aware of Johanna and Evanora's cheering. Johanna pulled away, and he mimicked the gesture, his cheeks tinted red. He looked up at Evanora.
"Really, Evanora? Now?" He said sheepishly, though he doubted it was heard because of the noise. It wouldn't surprise him if she lip read, or could just guess what he said. He looked over at Johanna and took her hand with a nervous smile. "Hey, we'll find time later away from everyone else. It's not like we're in a rush right?" Silently, he felt a little both embarrassed and irritated. He'd have enjoyed a couple more kisses. It was a shame that they didn't get to enjoy them yet. He said it. They'd find time for each other later. ​

 

Nessa looked towards Thea and smiled at her kindly. She remembered her from the previous mission. "Oh, Lady Thea what a pleasant surprise." She smiled at her. "Oh? That's just my resting visage." She smiled. "But, good child, prey-tell, who is that women thither." She gestured to Shani with her whole hand polity. "Surely, the lady hasn't been in thy father's valorous company?"

"Your laugh is so cute." She blurted out as she giggled again. She then noticed his chance of expression, and put her hand on his absentmindedly. "Hey, are you okay?" She looked at her hand, but didn't move it away now as she didn't want him to feel bad when she was honestly concerned. "You don't need to thank me, I didn't do anything." Calxiyn laughed again, moving hair out of her face.


Zéphyrine smiled as some of the boys decided to dance near her person. "Ehhh!" Cheering them on, Zéphyrine raised the music louder with the band. With an arm raised elegantly, the other on the purple dress, Zéphyrine carefully stepped and spun, activity enjoying the dancing.

 

Ra's smile returned as his attention was focused back onto Calxiyn. "Yes, I'm alright. I was just thinking. This guild has done more for me than i realized." He said, noticing that her hand was on his. It wasn't unpleasant. "Before, I was overcome with ambition and glory. The people I've met here, the friends i've made. They have helped me realize there is more than that. You included. For that, I thank you." He said to her. "I believe that i have more to learn, still. I'm glad that I have you by my side throughout it, Calxiyn." ​

 

Calxiyn thought about his words, and they stroke a cord in her memory. She saw an image of her father in her head.

"Let me tell you what I wish I'd known, when I was young and dreamed of glory - you have no control: Who lives, who dies, who tells your story..."

She spoke these words to Ra as it was in sync with the memory. "Ambition can be a dangerous thing. It can consume you. Your ambitions become too large, and you become obsessed... you lose what's most important to you." She continued. "I'm glad I helped you find what's most important."


"i'm still searching... for my light." Her voice trailed off, and then she smiled at him again. "I'll be at your side for as long as you want me to be."

 

"Believe me, I know that better than most...I've seen the horror of obsession in my brother. I saw what I almost became." Ra said somberly, before turning back to her when she said she was still searching for her light. Did it have something to do with the mask? Perhaps... "Then maybe one day I might help you find it. Who can say?" Ra said. He didn't know what she meant, or if he'd even be able to help her. He wished he knew a bit more about her. Where did she come from? What was the story behind that mask? She said she had killed before, but he knew nothing of it. He decided against asking her. He didn't care to upset her at the moment. He liked seeing her smile. ​

 

Calxiyn smiled at him again. "I think you already have, in a way." She giggled. "Will you tell me about yourself, Ra? Where did you come from, what was your home like?" She questioned him as she swung her legs back and forth under the table. She moved her hair behind her ear again before looking at him eagerly.

 

"No, no I did not." Zephyr simply replied. That was some punch that Gaius had hit him with. Zephyr did hoped that he would've done better, but in a way he was kinda glad that he didn't get all that far. Least he wouldn't have to go up against anyone he didn't think he could beat. Like Lucia for example. "Kinda makes me glad I didn't get that far." He said in response to Aoki's observation. Being asked what kind of wizard he wanted to be, Zephyr took a moment to think about it since he hadn't done so prior to now. "Well there's two that have my interest. Sky God Slayer and Memory Make." Out of the corner of Zephyr's eye, he noticed Aoki pull out her keyblade. Having heard her question, he looked up at the screen and saw that Cal too had some. Weird. "I guess so."

There certainly was a lot of people that Zwei recognized in the guild hall currently, and some that he didn't. All there people really came here just for the tournament. It certainly was impressive. Hearing his name be called, as well as recognizing the one who had called out to him, Zwei moved to sit with Dominique, Zachary and Samantha.

Amist the loud mass of people, Leo had found himself someplace to sit that wasn't too surrounded by people. The fact that they were having a party wasn't much of an issue for him, though he wasn't expecting it to be this crowded, let alone filled with people he didn't know at all. These were situation that he didn't do well in.

Veilen was surprised that the villagers from Galuna had shown up to the guild. The tournament really must've been a huge deal if this many people showed up to it. That being the case, Veilen's first action wasn't to go and interact with one of them. Instead it was to stretch slightly to see if there was any lingering numbness left from the stun.

Lastly there was Alisa, who was pretty unsure on what to do at the moment. Thus she had simply found a place to sit and sat there, observing the loudness and festivities